David Devo Oosthuizen had a chat to Matty Mullins, lead vocalist of Dallas-based Metalcore band Memphis May Fire who will be rocking South Africa for the first time at the 2017 Krank’d Up Festival taking place on Saturday, 30th September 2017 at Sundowners, Alberton.

Krank’d Up 2017 will again feature two highly acclaimed international acts along with some of South Africa’s best alternative acts across two stages. Tickets are available from Computicket.

Recently the South African Scene and local bands have been getting a lot of positive international exposure. Local promoters like Turning Tricks Productions have also been putting South Africa firmly on the map. Do you know any of our local SA Bands?

      We are not familiar with the SA music scene yet, but we cannot wait to get familiar with it! We are so excited to experience SA for the first time this year!

Given this will be your first tour in South Africa, give us a glimpse of what SA Fans can expect.

      Our goal is to give the crowd a night they will never forget! We are going to play a mix of old and new songs to make sure everyone leaves happy!

Have you ever been to South Africa before?

      We have not! Africa is the last continent for us to check off the list! Playing there has been a goal of ours for all 10 years that we've been a band!

What are you looking forward to most in visiting South Africa?

      We cannot wait to meet our South African fans and experience the culture! We are going to try to see and do as much as possible while we are there!

What is your favourite song done to date and is this your favourite to play live?

      Our favourite song to date is definitely our new single "VIRUS"! We are so excited about the direction we are headed as a band and "VIRUS" is a great representation of what is to come!

What influenced you the most up to this point?

       I am a Hope Enthusiast. What inspires me is the opportunities we have to spread hope and love with our music. We desire to be a light in dark places and the platform we have is a gift to do that.

Do you easily self-identify with your genre label “Metalcore”?

      Not at all. We just write music that we love and what comes out is what comes out. We never try to stay within the boundaries of any "genre".

Do you believe it is more important to do what you as a band feel is the right (as a progression for your band), or do you think it is more important to listen to what your fans want foremost and deliver that (referring to the new Suicide Silence Album and Linkin Park Album)?

      True art is not created for to please the consumer. We make music that inspires us, and if it inspires our fans that is great! We could not tour all year long playing music that we wrote for someone else.

Did you ever think (when starting out), you would ever have fans in South Africa, let alone come to play here?

      It is an amazing feeling to share our music with fans all over the world! Playing in South Africa has been THE goal of ours for years, so we are ecstatic about this trip!

What band do you most want to tour with still?

      I would LOVE to tour with Blindside! I hope we can make that a reality one day!

What are your top 5 albums of all time?

1. Blindside - Silence
2. Norma Jean - Bless The Martyr And Kiss The Child
3. My American Heart - Hiding Inside The Horrible Weather
4. Beloved - Failure On
5. Terminal - How The Lonely Keep

If you could form a Super Group, who would be in this?

      I would love to write and perform with Christian Lindskog, Jesse Barrera, Michael Tait and John Mayer.

Any plans for a Live DVD or a Tour Documentary?

      We definitely plan to do a DVD when the time is right!

What is your Audiophile fix?

      I am an MP3 guy. However, I also love collecting vinyl! It gets me so stoked that vinyl is alive and well!

Do you have any interesting pre-show traditions or curious habits (before hitting the stage)?

      Nothing too crazy. I do a few warmups, put down about 5 cough drops and drink some throat coat tea … that is it!

Who is the chief creative driving force in the band, who is the biggest joker, who is Mr. Serious … and who is most likely to get arrested?

      Kellen and I do all the writing for the band. There is no designated joker, but Kellen is definitely the most serious. Then Cory would be the most likely candidate for an arrest LOL!

Festivals or Club Gigs?

      We really love both. It is hard to say one is better than the other because they both have such unique strengths.

What band/artists are in your opinion breaking massive new ground and should be closely watched/supported?

      I think Jule Vera is a very exciting new artist! I have been watching them every day on the Warped Tour.

Name something you always wanted to tell people, but have never been asked, so nobody knew until now *grin*

      Jake's real name is Michael! 'Jake' isn't even his middle name!

Where to from here (how long do you foresee the current Touring Cycle will still be, and when do you envisage starting to write new material)?

      We decided to get back into the studio in October! People are always hungry for new music and we love giving it to them!

Thank you for your time, Matty, we look forward to seeing you in South Africa soon!

 *Special thanks to Matty Mullins and Memphis May Fire as well as Duncan Bell, Wayne Boucher and Warren Gibson from Turning Tricks Productions

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