VIVA talk to Marianas Trench’s Matt Webb ahead of their Manchester show

Rebecca Waldren | 9th May 2017

Ahead of their show at Manchester’s Gorilla this evening, VIVA caught up with  guitarist Matt Webb from multi-platinum selling Canadian band, Marianas Trench. We chatted about the band coming to the UK, their new album, what inspires them and setting the studio alight… 

 

Hey guys how are you all doing? How are you feeling to be in the UK?!

Hey!  We’re awesome, thanks for asking.  Feels so good to be back in the UK, I might have to find myself an apartment in Manchester or London and make this visit permanent.

Can you all tell me one fun fact about yourself?

I can slalom waterski with no hands.

Is this your first time here as a band?

It’s not no, we toured the UK last year for the first time. Well we never actually managed to finish the last tour because Josh got laryngitis towards the end so we needed to play the makeup shows that we missed. We had such an amazing time in the UK that we just had to come back and play there again!

What is your favourite English food you’ve had whilst being here?

I have eaten a full English breakfast every single day since we arrived in the UK.  And the tea is f**king fantastic.

What was your inspiration behind the album?

We usually settle on an all encompassing album theme prior to recording our records from which we can base song writing styles, production choices, band styling, and the live show.  Astoria was very much inspired by our love for the 80’s, you’ll see and hear many references to our favourite movies and bands of the time.

Favourite track and why?

On Astoria? Wildfire. Josh had the verse of that song kicking around for 10 years before it ever came to fruition – it was my favourite back then, and it’s even better now.

What other artists would you say you look to when making your music?

On Astoria, we made a strong effort to have our family, friends, musician pals and influences, and even dogs make their “mark” on the album.  It made the recording process incredibly enjoyable when you’re surrounded by the people you love and respect.

Have you got any funny stories that happened whilst making this album?

Fortunately there were only 2 fires in the studio during the making of Astoria.  Bennie (Josh’s dog) saved us from one, the other was reported by a concerned neighbour just in the nick of time.  Patio furniture is surprisingly combustible!

We see you have a large following on social media, what is your relationship with your fans like?

THE BEST.  Love those Trenchers to the moon and back.  We having NOTHING without them.  The socials are such a wonderful tool for getting to know the people that spend their hard earned money and precious time supporting our band.  I also make it my mission to make them laugh at least once a day.

Highest and lowest points in your career as a band so far?

Coming to a brand new country thousands of miles from where we live, where we have never had a song on the radio or video support, and PACKING a room full of screaming fans who know every single word to every single song is certainly a career high.  Lows?  What the f**k are those lol.  Our merch guy, Kris, forgot his shower sandals the other day… that’s about as bad as it gets.

What can we expect to see from Marianas Trench in the future?

We would love to continue touring in the UK and Europe as often as possible.  Judging from the overwhelming support we’ve seen on this tour, I would imagine we’ll be back VERY soon.  Hopefully some new songs coming in the next few months, lots of online ridiculousness, the usual tight pants and wide stances… typical MT stuff.

 

For more information on how to get tickets to the bands UK tour, click here.