THE MAINE // A Taste of Aussie Lollies

Almost a decade into their career, your favourite Arizona pop punk boys The Maine are finally heading back to Aussie shores.

The American Candy tour will see them play venues in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to support their fifth studio record that dropped back in March this year. This will be their first ever headlining tour in the land of Oz, and it seems that the boys are just excited to get over here as we are to have them.

“We’re extremely excited to be getting out of the cold and back into the sun, for sure,” confirms vocalist John O’Callaghan.

You’d think that The Maine lads would have a collection of Australian headliners under their belts, given that they’ve been in the pop punk game since 2007. However it seems that they were a little unaware of their popularity over here. “What we wanted to do was to jump at the opportunity that other bands presented to us and come over and support, and to feel if the support was tangible enough over there in person,” explains John.

“When we were presented with the opportunity to do a couple of headlining shows we leapt at it because that meant that at least one person thought there would be a few people who would be interested in seeing us for more than just thirty minutes,” he laughs, “so we’re just really excited to come over and play a long set.”

American Candy is a redefinition in sound for The Maine, but still consistent with that energy they’re renowned for. Unusually though, John and The Maine boys feel that this record is the beginning of the “rest.”

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“You won’t find us saying the same shit on stage and it won’t feel rehearsed.”

[JOHN]

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“For me, this feels like the first record,” he says.

“If I were to tell somebody where to start with our music, this is where I’d have them start. I think that this is the first time where we’ve had an idea and had a vision going in, which was to make a sonically uplifting album. It feels like we accomplished what we set out to.”

The Maine gents have a rep for always putting on an absolutely killer live show and given that this is their first headliner, Australian audiences can expect something special, according to John.

“We’re all going to be sitting down and it’s going to be really boring,” he laughs.

“No, I think that this being our first time headlining, I think that what we want to do is just put on that high energy and ‘in the moment’ type of show. I think that’s what’s really great about live music, you know? You can escape reality for an hour and a half and really be in the moment.

“I think fans can expect a good balance of old and new songs. What we try to do is to put on a unique show every night. You won’t find us saying the same shit on stage and it won’t feel rehearsed.”

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WATCH: The Maine’s video for English Girls from their American Candy LP

The American Candy tour kicks off 30th November in Brisbane, with back-to-back shows in Sydney (AA) and Melbourne afterward. Grab your tickets through tickets.destroyalllines.com

Monday 30 November – The Brightside, Brisbane (18+)
Tuesday 1 December – The Factory Theatre, Sydney (Licensed All Ages)
Wednesday 2 December – The Corner Hotel, Melbourne (18+)