![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nexusnewspaper.com\/newsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/11\/WhiteLung_4990-FOR-WEB.jpg\")
<\/a>Way is always outspoken and direct, qualities that can be sometimes rub people the wrong way, yet demand respect. As we found out in our recent interview with her, what people think of Way and White Lung is entirely up to them, because this is a band that\u2019s not willing to let what others think change their musical vision: kick ass, take names later.<\/p>\n
Last time we talked, the Domino signing was pretty fresh and you weren\u2019t sure what the response would be. Have you noticed much difference in attendance at your shows and the size of your fan base?<\/i><\/p>\n
Yes, I notice a difference, but that\u2019s expected. There\u2019s more people interested because more people know about us, but, look, it\u2019s not like Domino waved a magic wand and things transformed. We have been touring for years and years; pushing ourselves, sneaking into the USA to play any show we could for next to nothing. That\u2019s what happens. Anyone who thinks our minor success is undeserved can say that to my goddamn face.<\/p>\n
Every time I write about White Lung, there seems to be a lot of backlash and debate about it. Why do you think White Lung is such a polarizing band?<\/i><\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure about the flak you speak of, because I don\u2019t read comments on articles about my band. I learned years ago that it\u2019s pointless. I imagine the flack has something to do with undeserved success, or calling us a shit band, or calling me a whore, or posers, or whatever: the usual, unoriginal hate. It\u2019s no skin off my back. I really could care less, and I don\u2019t care to analyze why someone would hate on me, or my band, because we all know exactly why.<\/p>\n
Do you think people mistake the band\u2019s social awkwardness for being aloof or stuck up?<\/i><\/p>\n
Probably, but what can we really do about that? Is it really our problem? Kenny [William, guitars] and Anne-Marie [Vassiliou, drums] are both witty and sick humans, but they don\u2019t come out with that right away. I\u2019m not aloof. Hether [Fortune, bass], who has been playing with us for the last year, is not shy or aloof either.<\/p>\n
You once told me that playing with Kenneth is like watching a professional skateboarder, just marvelling over how he pulls off what he does. Can you explain what he brings to the band?<\/i><\/p>\n
Kenny\u2019s guitar is the most important element of this band. I mean, okay, we are all essential, but his guitar playing is unique and he\u2019s an excellent melodic writer. No one plays like him. I\u2019m so glad you asked about this and not about the \u201cgirl thing,\u201d because nothing makes me angrier than when our three-quarter femaleness is focused on more than his guitar work. When Kenny sends me what he\u2019s working on, the vocal melodies come so easy. We have been writing together for five years now and it\u2019s like this unspoken thing… we don\u2019t need to talk about it. It\u2019s really psychic. His frantic, anxiety-ridden guitar playing complements my direct vocal delivery. We are such opposite performers, and it works.<\/p>\n
Some of your live shows seem like the band is on the brink of implosion, like everything could fall apart at any given moment. How does that uncertainty and riskiness feel when you are performing?<\/i><\/p>\n
Things are different now with Hether in the band. We are much tighter. We move as a unit. It\u2019s a better live show. I have stopped getting so fucked up before we play, for a few reasons, so it\u2019s a more powerful performance now. We haven\u2019t played in Vancouver in almost two years; we\u2019ve grown a lot.<\/p>\n
What does punk rock mean to you?<\/i><\/p>\n
We don\u2019t play punk. We play pop songs at the speed of hardcore.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s been the most fulfilling part of being in White Lung?<\/i><\/p>\n
Look, all I\u2019ve ever wanted to do since I was a child is perform, to sing. I found punk rock when I was 16 and finally realized I could do it and feel excited, fulfilled, and welcomed instead of being inadequate. I started a band with my friend Anne-Marie and we worked our asses off. This is my career now, as well as my writing, so the most fulfilling part of White Lung is everything.<\/p>\n