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Interviews : We ask Toshi from Palm (JAP) a few questions before their Aussie tour

By on September 9, 2013

This weekend sees Japan’s Palm hit Australia for a huge tour alongside A Secret Death. Not only are they hitting the big cities, but also place like Mildura, Newcastle, Alice Springs and even the remote indigenous community of Santa Teresa. Not only is the tour super extensive, but Monolith have enlisted somebody to film the tour to create what is sure to be one interesting movie. Before they hit the road, we asked vocalist Toshihiko Takahashi a few questions.

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You toured here back in 2007 with The Rivalry. How was that tour? Do you have any particularly great memories?

The tour was amazing and it’s been great memory to us!! One day in Brisbane (if I’m right) during the tour, one of our friends gave us Palm and The Rivalry space to sleep, his house was so huge and great, everybody drank a lot of booze and partied at spa in there all night, that has been still heart-warming memory. I’m very looking forward to seeing guys in The Rivalry again in Australia.

For those that didn’t see you all the way back then, what should people expect from a Palm live show?

Every time we try to play spontaneous, heavy, honest, and raw show as much as we can. Please expect that.

Few Australian bands, let alone internationals, would take the risk of heading to places like the Northern Territory on tour. It’s relatively unknown territory. What convinced you to do such an extensive tour?

This is big wow to us. Visiting various countries and towns, meeting new people there, feeling culture and their lives are precious experience to my life, and we would enjoy every moment on stage and we will play our songs with full force no matter what circumstances and no matter where we are at. Anyways we would like to thank Monolith Records for booking this tour.

Monolith recently announced that the tour will be filmed for a documentary, and has already reached the goal on Pozible. Can you tell us a bit more about what we should expect from the film?

This project was originally planned by Monolith Records who booked the tour, so honestly, we’re not sure how it’s gonna turn out. We have never made tour documentary on our own before, so we can’t imagine how it’s gonna turn out but we hope it’s gonna be real and raw hardcore movie.

Tell us a bit about what the average show for you guys is like back in Japan?

We play various size of shows from small club show to big outdoor fest. Hardcore scene in Japan is really small, so I hope more and more new kids will come to pure and real hardcore shows.

You released your second album “My Darkest Friends” last year. Have you seen a huge boost in your fanbase with that album out in the world? It seems so judging from the internet.

Yeah I’m so glad more and more people in other countries have listened to the album, also Six Feet Under Records from United States released the LP and I have been so happy and excited about that!

Have you started working on any newer material? If so, how is it sounding?

Yeah when we were on tour in the States this June, we had Taylor Young(Nails/Twitching Tongues) record 3 new songs, we haven’t decided how we’re gonna release the songs though. The 3 songs are heavier, darker, lower, and dirtier than our previous material. Also we’re jamming some ideas right now since we want to release next album next year.

What other Japanese bands would you reccomend us Australians check out? Are there any new bands over there that have really impresesd you?

The scene here is really smaller compared to the whole world, though Warhead, Nightmare, Framtid have been great in punk/crust scene for years, for hardcore bands, Sand, Second To None, EDGE OF SPIRIT, Burning Sign, RUNNER,Seek, Cyberne(they will tour Australia November) are all cool! Also a death metal band called Infernal Revulsion and a grind band called Mortalized are fucking sick, you should check them out!! For overseas band that impressed me recently is Nails. Wherever and whenever they play, their set was always insane!!

To finish off, what are you looking forward to most about returning to Australia?

I’m very much looking forward to touring Australia again, also I couldn’t be happier than seeing a lot of friends there again. From bottom of my heart, I’m looking forward to visiting various towns, feeling cultures there, meeting new amazing people and having great times. Thank you for the interview and reading this!

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We’re super stoked to catch Palm live, and highly suggest you do the same. Check them out on one of the following dates;

WED 11/09 | CANBERRA, ACT – THE POT BELLY BAR, LIC/AA *
w/ Postblue, Machina Genova, Oxen

THU 12/09 | NEWCASTLE, NSW – THE HAMILTON STATION HOTEL, 18+ *
w/ Safe Hands, Lo!, Obat Batuk

FRI 13/09 | SYDNEY, NSW – HERMANN’S BAR, 18+
w/ Lo!, Arteries, ACHE

SAT 14/09 | BLACK HOLE, BRISBANE, QLD – CROWBAR, 18+
w/ Encircling Sea, I Exist, Shackles, The Schoenberg Automaton, Defamer, The Fevered, Hope Drone, ACHE, Ritual Harm, The River, Of Hearth & Home, Karl Hartwig

WED 18/09 | PERTH, WA – AMPLIFIER, 18+ *
w/ Forstora, Dylatov

THU 19/09 | PERTH, WA – HQ, AA *
w/ Agitated, Vultures, Protest, Never Settle

FRI 20/09 | SANTA TERESA, NT – RECREATION HALL, AA
w/ South East Desert Metal, In The Burial, Uncreation, The Horror, Exdemission

SAT 21/09 | ALICE SPRINGS, NT – GAP VIEW HOTEL, 18+
w/ South East Desert Metal, In The Burial, Uncreation, The Horror, Exdemission

MON 23/09 | ADELAIDE, SA – MAD MOUSE ALLEY, AA
w/ Funeral Moon, Starscream, I.I

WED 25/09 | MILDURA, VIC – EVOLUTION LOUNGE, 18+
w/ Worship The Fallen, The Maledict

THU 26/09 | BENDIGO, VIC – THE NEWMARKET HOTEL, 18+
w/ Abreact, Artilah

FRI 27/09 | MELBOURNE, VIC – STRIPED SUNLIGHT SOUND, THE REVERENCE HOTEL, 18+
w/ Rolo Tomassi (UK), Totally Unicorn, Stockades, Jack The Stripper, Fourteen Nights At Sea, Urns, Jurassic Penguin

SAT 28/09 | HOBART, TAS – STRIPED SUNLIGHT SOUND, THE BRISBANE HOTEL, 18+
w/ Rolo Tomassi (UK), Totally Unicorn, Departe, Speech Patterns

TUE 1/10 | MELBOURNE, VIC – THE BENDIGO HOTEL, 18+
w/ Colossus, Sewercide, Caged Grave

WED 2/10 | GOLD COAST, QLD – EXPRESSIVE GROUNDS, AA
w/ Bitter Lungs, Twin Seals

THU 3/10 | BRISBANE, QLD – THE LAB, AA
w/ I Shall Devour, Marathon, Shortlife

FRI 4/10 | ROCKHAMPTON, QLD – O’DOWDS HOTEL, 18+
w/ Lockjaw, Trauma, Dirty Charlie

SAT 5/10 | HELLBOUND 2013, CAIRNS, QLD – JCU AMPHITHEATRE, LIC/AA
w/ Thy Art Is Murder, Ghosts Over Japan, Fifth Day of Ice, Salacious, Almost A Square, Sworf, Peyote, In Embers, For The End, Avenge The Sin

* A SECRET DEATH NOT APPEARING

About

Mitch Booth is the owner, designer and grand overlord of Metal Obsession. In the few seconds of spare time he has outside of this site, he also hosts a metal radio show over on PBS 106.7fm in Melbourne (Australia) and organises shows under the name Untitled Touring. You should follow him on Twitter.