James spoke to Forever The Sickest Kids in Birmingham to talk about how they formed, their latest album, future tour with Simple Plan and much more.

You guys formed back in 2006, what would you say your main highs and lows have been so far?
Jonathan: Probably playing Conan O’Brian, playing for 7 million people on television at thanks giving for the NFL halftime show.

Kyle: New albums.

Jonathan: When Kyle joined was the highest point.

Kyle: Yeah whenever I walk out on stage it’s the best points for this band.

Jonathan: The worst is last night when Kyle took his shirt off.

Kyle: Yeah that’s the lowest point for this band. We’ve lost 2 band members too, 1 was a bear accident it’s how we lost our keyboard player, the other was our last lead guitarist went cliff diving and we lost him. They’re still alive we just lost them.

You released yourself titled second studio album back in March, are you happy with how it has gone down with the fans and press?
Jonathan: We have been more stoked on this release and its response than anything we’ve ever done. It’s sold 100,000 units which for a band like us is a feeling unlike any other as we pretty much self released it.

Kyle: It has been released under Universal Records but the promotion they put behind it is little to none, all the sales are purely from dedicated fans who keep buying it. If we tweet about it one day they’ll go out and get it that day it’s pretty amazing.

How did you find creating your latest album compared to your debut?
Kyle: Everything we’ve done has been different in the way we create music; this album was a lot different to the first album.

Jonathan: It’s like a salad you know? You put on 2 different parts and then you put a bowel on it and shake it a bunch, then you’ve got a desirable salad.

Kyle: What Jonathan is saying is we love to toss each other’s salad.

Jonathan: Wow.

The artwork for the album is pretty good who came up with the ideas and designs?
Jonathan: I did. I’ve loved drawing for ages.

Kyle: Yeah how did you come about that on your own Jonathan?

Jonathan: I have a big graffiti background, so as you can see with the kid on the front reaching to the window, that has a lot of relation to with box cars and tagging. I used a lot of that when hand drawing it.

Kyle: I’m going to interrupt him here, he had nothing to do with the artwork, and he just approved it. It was a band member that did it though.

Jonathan: As I was finishing up, it’s a process called Vectorising.

Kyle: I would like to interrupt him again, he did none of that.

Jonathan: The colours I chose are a reflection on the vibe from the music, I sent it to the guys they liked it and we were in a rush so they approved it, it’s not my best work but it’s pretty good. I wasn’t trying to brag I’m just being humble.

Kyle: We had this artwork planned out, at the last minute everyone changed their mind and we had issues with trade marking so at the last minute we all got together and listened to the album, there were a lot of songs about love and rebellion so having a girl sneak out of her house showed both. AND I MADE THE ARTWORK.

What would you say your favourite songs from the album are and why?
Kyle: Literally every track is somebody’s favourite, for me I would say “Crossroads”.

Jonathan: Like I was saying about my artwork I didn’t want to brag or make people think I’m all about myself, If you didn’t ask I wouldn’t have even mentioned it.

You have Glamour Of The Kill touring alongside you are you fans of their music and how have you found touring alongside them so far?
Kyle: I never heard them before last night, I saw a picture of them before we came over and I heard they’d got that 80’s vibe to them with the hair rock and everything and I fell in love with them. We went out afterwards and their fun guys, I even wore my leather studded jacket in their honour.

Jonathan: I hadn’t heard a song by them before we came and I still haven’t. I’m kidding I heard them on their facebook and it’s great we have the diversity on the line up with those guys its special.

Kyle: If you speak to them tell them the drummer from FTSK actually despises them to see what they say ha ha.

How do shows in the UK compare to those back in America?
Kyle: There’s a different energy, it’s not better or worse it’s just different. The kids in the UK here don’t get to see us as often as American kids so for that hour they get to really give it everything and they did. The first time we came here I asked the tour manager “these kids are crazy, they’re literally throwing their bodies around” and he just said “they’re drunk” I didn’t realise the drinking age was only 18 here ha ha.

I understand that soon after this tour comes to an end you are headed out across America with Simple Plan, how did this come about and are you looking forward to certain shows more than others?
Jonathan: Its actually funny, we toured with them last year and shared their dressing room without being told how funny they are. It’s very rare that a band tops our humour but those guys are freaking hilarious; Pierre will make you own you for everything you say, he’ll make you pay and also they are coming off the success of their greatest record to date so I cannot wait to stand side of stage.

What do you do to keep yourself busy when you are on the road for long periods of time touring?
Jonathan: We constantly play Tiger Woods golf we all have on our iPhone’s, yesterday we planned ar a new music video, I would like to play golf while I’m here and our tour manager has a guy who owns a course in Leeds so we’ll try to hit that up. We all promised ourselves to in every city walk the streets and check every city out.

What’s your take on the digital revelation killing off the music business?
Kyle: there’s a love hate thing with it, you shouldn’t have to pay for music it should be everywhere at all times then the artists hate it because it’s hurting them in record sales and things to that effect but maybe in the future it’ll start to pick up.

Jonathan: I have idea’s to fix the problem.

Would you like to share them?
Jonathan: Pfft No. This guy here. Ha ha.

Where do you hope to see Forever The Sickest Kids in a year’s time?
Kyle: We’ve just been growing and growing, improving our song writing, we just want to carry on with that, we would like to make bigger crowds happier.

One last random question that we ask every band, if you could be an animal out of a zebra or Giraffe which one would you be and why?
Kyle: Is there a right or wrong answer? I’d like to be a zebra, I’m freaking tall so I’d like to see what the air’s like down there.

Jonathan: What’s black and white and read all over? An EmbarressedZebra, I’d be one of them, one that realised it was naked and didn’t like it so I’d go get clothes. I’d be a Fashionable EmbarrassedZebra.

Kyle: I just said a normal zebra.

Jonathan: That sucks.

Thanks for your time is there a message for your fans reading this?
Jonathan: Get ready for the best tour of the UK FTSK has ever done and Bowling For Soup sucks.

Interview by James Webb