Holding Absence To Join You Me At Six On Their Final Australian Tour

Joining You Me At Six for this monumental tour, as their very special guests, are British rockers Holding Absence, who are an exciting proposition and are making a much welcomed return to Australia. Known for their emotive lyricism and powerful soundscapes, Holding Absence will bring their own brand of thoughtful intensity to the tour, riding high on the back of their critically acclaimed latest album The Noble Art Of Self Destruction. The album brims with a level of energy, excitement and a sheer weight of feeling almost unparalleled in contemporary alternative music.

The tour promises to be a celebration of music and camaraderie. Emotion will be high in the room as You Me At Six bid us farewell one last memorable time and signing off on a stellar career, whilst Holding Absence take another step forward to cement their position as leaders of their genre. Front man Lucas Woodland talks to Hi Fi Way about the tour.

Great to be talking to you. It must be a fantastic feeling that you’re coming back to Australia with You Me At Six in January?
Absolutely, man. We can’t wait! We love Australia. Every time we come out, it’s just the most amazing place. You Me At Six has been a childhood band for us, so it feels surreal to be part of this tour in a place we love so much. It’s really special.

Is there more emotion attached to this tour, knowing it’s the last one for You Me At Six?
Oh yeah, definitely. Like I said, it’s surreal. I mean, I used to cover You Me At Six back in 2010, so being a part of their farewell tour feels really symbolic and special. It’s incredible to be part of this.
Does the relationship go back a long way with those guys? Have you toured with them before?
We’ve only played one show with them in the UK, at a festival. It was amazing, even though it was just one show. They’ve always been kind to us, and the interactions we’ve had have been really positive. I’m excited to actually spend more time with them on this tour.

What do you look forward to most about touring Australia?
Australia is fun because the few cities you play in are so intensely brilliant. When you tour Europe, you play a lot more places, and it’s a bit more chill. But in Australia, every show feels really special. Playing in Melbourne, for example, feels like you’re in the capital of the world! Then you hit Sydney and Brisbane, it’s just intense fun. Personally, I love the country, the culture, the people, the food. I just wish we could stay longer, like a month because we usually only get to do about a week or two.

Are you focusing this tour mostly on the new album, or will you be covering a bit of everything from the last couple of albums?
The album’s been out for about a year now, so it’s not all about the new album anymore. It’s more about playing the songs that feel right for the shows. When an album is fresh, you feel like you have to play the new stuff, but now it’s more about doing what feels right for the band.
Have you been happy with how the fans have embraced the new album? It’s absolutely killer!
Thanks, man! Yeah, we’ve been really stoked. As an artist, all you want is validation for what you create. This album has connected with people in such a special way. Every song is someone’s favourite, and it seems to hold a special place in people’s hearts. I wanted it to feel emotional and personal, and I think it really hit home for a lot of listeners. I couldn’t ask for more.

I read somewhere that this album is part of a trilogy. Is that right?
Yeah, that’s right. It’s not too deep into the concept, but we did think of The Noble Art as the conclusion of the first arc of our band. We wanted it to sound coherent with our first album. So, if you listen to us twenty years from now, those first three albums should feel like siblings. We tried not to progress to much sonically for the last album because we loved where we were at. Now, with the trilogy complete, we feel liberated to move forward and see what else we can do as a band.
So, it sounds like putting a full stop on this trilogy gives you more freedom for album number four?
Yeah, for sure. It’s nice to put a titles on your music to say it is the end of the trilogy and give it the respect it deserves. It feels like we’ve put a bookmark between this album and whatever we do next.

Do you have ideas floating around for album number four, or has touring made it hard to focus on new material?
There are definitely ideas, but it’s early days. We don’t want to rush it because we want to feel like the band has evolved between albums. There’s a danger in rushing, we’re excited and in a good spot but also trying to take our time.

Do you feel like you need to be off the road to really get into that creative headspace?
Yeah, that’s a good point. We wrote a lot of the last album while touring, and it definitely had its downsides. You need to marinate as a person and learn new lessons. It’s like seeing a friend every day, you can run out of things to say. But if you see them once a month, you’ve got so much to catch up on and the new revelations they have had. I think that’s where we’re at now. I want there to be time because I want people to be excited to hear what we have to say rather than cyclically churning it out and squeezing it in to the small gaps we have between tours.

Do you still believe in the concept of an album?
Oh, absolutely. We’re very much an album band and we always have been. We’re very much album consumers ourselves. For me, it’s about the whole story, like watching a TV series instead of just one episode. I love the context and the consistency that an album brings. For me, the best things in life are the things that are consistent, contextual and show range rather than just a burst for two minutes. I think we are reaching a point in music right now where we’re being rewarded a burst of whatever the hell for three minutes. Personally I’d rather it be an amazing sixty-minute long album than an amazing three minutes that would make us a bigger band.

For the rest of this year and into next year, is it mostly touring?
Yeah, pretty much. After touring America with Sleeping With Sirens we’ve got two months at home. After that the next three months will be all about touring the world. It’s such a wonderful dream that we’ve got to live over the years. It’s about finding the two and fro and hopefully I get to be away as much as I am at home. I’m hoping to balance it with some time at home to work on new music as well and making sure the shows are the best they can be when I’m on the road.

Interview By Rob Lyon

Catch Holding Absence on tour with You Me At Six this January, tickets from The Phoenix…