More about: Against The Current

“We do our own thing, and make that work," Against The Current's Chrissy Constanza tells Gigwise, pumped by adrenaline ahead of another sold out London headline show. "Whether people realise or not, that resonates with them. Fans are not dumb, they’re very, very smart. They know when you’re trying to be something or copy something else. When people are very genuine, they know. A band like All Time Low – they have a very honest personality and are very true to themselves. That goes so far with fans.”

It's that openness, and the direct spirit of the band, that has seen Against The Current outlive the shadow of the 'Youtube covers sensations' that first saw them found fame, and now finds them enjoying the spotlight on their own terms. Debut album In Our Bones is a rush of pop-punk originality. Now is their time. 

As they look set to storm the summer, we had a quick catch up with Chrissy to talk fans, their favourite records, Fueled By Ramen, The 1975 and what sets them apart. 

You seem to have that type of fan that very few bands are lucky to have. You give them something different to cling to with a very definitive set sound and aesthetic. How would you describe that 'spirit' of Against The Current?

“It’s all about embracing who you are and running with it. It’s all about passion. That’s all we do. Everyone is welcome here and music is for everybody. We’re just accepting and want our fans to spread the love to other people too. We want this to be a big empowering movement – not something that’s closed off to anyone.”

Does that mean you 'connect' with your fans in an especially different way?

“We have a very close relationship with our fans. There are a few that we know very personally. They want us to practice what we preach and stay as the people that they know us to be. We’ve always told them that we’re not going to put on a face and be something that we’re not. If we’re having a bad day, we’ll be open and honest – and hopefully they’ll be the same with us. We’ll be real with them, and not feed them any bullshit or anything that’s not us.”

And what kind of bullshit does the world throw back at you?

“At one point, people thought that we were just a covers band. I think we’ve gotten past that now. All we do is tour, our album is out, so people are over that now. We had so much music written and played so many local shows but it just wasn’t on people’s radars. We just kept going with our original stuff and that’s what people eventually took to. We do covers to connect with our fans and it’s something fun – it’s a song we can all have fun to.”

What does it take for you to want to put your stamp on someone else's song?

“They were songs that we were all really into at the time. We never choose it based on popularity, with a few exceptions. Some are big, some aren’t. When we covered ‘Chocolate’ by The 1975, it was before the video for the song was even out – we just thought it was really cool, it happened to explode just after. I’m a massive fan of The 1975.”

And how does In Our Bones set you apart and take your sound to the next level?

“It’s the next step from Gravity, it’s really cohesive and makes sense but is more intelligent and grown up. We really went into the intricate detail of each song and filled in all of the missing spaces. Every song is different and stands alone with its own story. It’s all coming from one core person, but all of their different sides. That one core body is the three of us.”

What does it mean to be signed to Fueled By Ramen?

“We love Fueled By Ramen so much. They’ve been so embracing of us and everything’s happened so quickly. They have an amazing history, and it’s a huge family.”

What is it about the music of Fueled By Ramen that means so much to you?

“They’ve done so many incredible bands, and so many of them they’ve kept. If a band breaks up and reimagines itself years later but comes back to Fueled by Ramen, there’s a reason why they’ve stayed. It just makes sense.”

Were any of your favourite records from when you were growing up released on there?

“A lot of my favourite records growing up were a lot older, because I was listening to my parents’ records. My mom was a huge Deadhead, there was a lot of Zeppelin and 80s music – then my dad liked Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra. So that, and not so much the genre of the music I’m in now. That wasn’t until I joined the band and my bandmates showed it to me.”

What are the classic records that you always go back to?

“That’s a hard one. I always overthink this. A lot of times now, when I listen to a band like The Grateful Dead, they have so many hits CDs and live CDs – I listen to those more than the older albums. They have so much music that I can hone in on the songs I want to listen to.”

Against The Current will return to tour the UK in September. Visit here for tickets and more information.

Against The Current will play:
Wed September 21 2016 - BRISTOL Fleece
Thu September 22 2016 - GLASGOW Garage
Fri September 23 2016 - NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Riverside
Sat September 24 2016 - LEEDS University Stylus
Mon September 26 2016 - BELFAST Mandela Hall
Tue September 27 2016 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Wed September 28 2016 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Fri September 30 2016 - LONDON O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire
Sat October 01 2016 - BIRMINGHAM Asylum
Sun October 02 2016 - MANCHESTER Academy 2

More about: Against The Current