A chat with Acceptance ahead of their tour with Taking Back Sunday.

 

Acceptance are arguably one of the more iconic bands from the MySpace emo rock era. In 2005 they made waves with their melodically moving record titled ‘Phantoms’, this release saw them quickly rise to the calibre of bands like Taking Back Sunday and Copeland. Acceptance seemed to have had a hopeful and promising future ahead of them, until they decided to call it a day in 2006. Between then and now, their somewhat small but loyal fan base has only grown, with some of their more popular songs having over 3 million plays on Spotify, a platform that emerged 2-3 years after the band dissolved. After an opportunity to repress their renowned record Phantoms in 2013 via Bad Timing Records, that then sold out within hours, and various gig offers, the band began to communicate and throw around the idea of what it would be like to be a band again.

 

In February 2017, Acceptance released their follow up album to Phantoms and their first album release since 2005. The band is overwhelmed with its positive reception and can’t wait to bring it to our Australian shores this March with Taking Back Sunday.

 

Are you excited to be here in Australia? Plenty of bands say this is one of their favourite destinations to tour.

J: Yeah, we are really excited to get over to Australia as a band for the first time. The response via social media for this tour has been crazy, it seems like the fan base we have in Australia are really excited to see us play, and we are just as excited to be playing for them. My friends in Yellowcard were just telling me how amazing the country in, we can’t wait to get around it.

 

 

What has the reception to Collide by Design been like for you guys?

J: The reception to our record Colliding By Design, has been both positive and overwhelming. There was a huge delay in the follow up to Phantoms, a follow up that was uncertain. We all wondered how the reaction would be. We wanted to make a record that was sincere and moving, and we are really happy with how well at has been received within its first week. We can’t wait to see how the rest of the year pans out.

 

 

Do you think all of these important bands from the MySpace/emo era that are doing 10 year reunion celebrations had an impact on the band reforming?

J: No, not really. I think the timing seems coincidental, but the timing was right. In 2013, Bad Timing Records asked to do a limited pressing of Phantoms and it sold out within hours, this was our first realisation that there was still something there for us and really got the band talking again.

 

 

Some of your tracks from Phantoms have over 1, 2 and even 3 million plays on Spotify. Considering the band dissolved in 2006, and Spotify didn’t emerge till 2008, are you surprised about the amount of plays you guys have? To me, it speaks volumes about the true potential of that record.

J:  The fact that ‘So Contagious’ has over 3 million plays on Spotify is crazy to us. 6 months after the release we had Sony pulling the records off the shelf due to copy protection lawsuits revolving around the bands breakup. It is incredible to look back now and see how much of an influence that record had, it’s something we never really though was possible back in 2005.

 

 

Are you guys excited to be out on the road with such an influential band like Taking Back Sunday? Have you toured with them before?

J: We have played a few concerts with Taking Back Sunday over the last year or two, but never toured with them. We are really excited to be out on the road with a band that has influenced us, a band that we all grew up listening to.

 

 

What city are you most excited for?

J: Considering we haven’t been to Australia before, I think it’s safe to say we are excited to see all of them; we cannot wait to see everything and anything Australia has to offer. We have a day off in Melbourne and Sydney, so we will get to have a look around and explore those areas.

 

 

What’s the next chapter for Acceptance?

J: The next chapter is to follow up this release with touring for the year, as well as talking about the next record. We want to keep making better records and keep pushing the band. We are excited to see more of the response from the fans and continue with the momentum and not wait 10 more years for the next chapter.

 

Written and interviewed by Nick Hargans of SaveTonight.