They may have formed just under three years ago but Bristol’s The Following Announcement has squeezed more into their careers so far than most other bands manage to do in their lifetimes. Tours in the US, shows at Liverpool’s The Cavern and support slots to make you drool, the Bristol trio have done it all and now with 2009 stamping its way in, the band are out to make sure that theirs is a name that trips off every music fan’s tongue with ease. Room Thirteen caught up with Matt James Davis (MJD) to find out what his plans for the new year are whilst unearthing some tour secrets, discovering whats it's really like to tour in the US and how opening for your favourite band can sometimes have hidden disappointments.

R13:For those who haven’t come across you yet, can you tell our readers a little bit about The Following Announcement?
Matt James Davis:We’re three guys from Bristol that’s been going almost 3 years now playing our version of anything good!

R13:Your music has been described as “surf punk”. Do you think this is an accurate description or would you describe it as something else entirely?
MJD:I can’t remember when it was we picked up the name “surf punk”. To me surf punk is more like No Use For A Name, Nofx. I would say more pop punk.
So many labels and names for things I have no idea what we are!

R13:There seemed to be quite a lot of demand for you recent album, ‘In Secret Places’, with some places actually selling out. How did it feel to realise that people were so eager to get hold of your music?
MJD:Amazing. We had no idea we would be selling as many as we have! Just today I was on the phone to the lads cause all our t-shirts have sold out for Christmas. Can’t believe it. Thank you everyone!

R13:You’ve had the chance to play the legendary Cavern in Liverpool in the past. Were you nervous at all about playing a club with such an iconic status and how did it feel to actually play there?
MJD:Playing places like the Cavern is a dream to me. I remember all our parents came out to that show. I think when you play places with such history as the Cavern it adds something more to the show, you’re more nervous and you play harder!

R13:What other venues top your list for playing and where ideally would you love to play?
MJD:We love playing a place called The Canteen in Barrow In Furness. Funny place but we always have an amazing time. I’d love to play T J`s. Again that’s a club with a lot of history.

R13:You’ve just recently finished a long two month UK tour. How did it go? Any tour tales you wish to share?
MJD:Amazing thank you. We have a lot of story’s but none we can share! We had the most random time in this Corn Mill a couple of weeks ago. I think about 8 people turned up and we just ended up getting wasted and … umm … yeah we will stop the story at that point!

R13:Are there plans for a tour in 2009?
MJD:Def! We are just playing weekends in January then another 1 week tour with a big name in February.

R13:You’ve also toured in the US. How different was it having to tour there and how did our friends across the pond take to some punk courtesy of Bristol?
MJD:They totally run things differently. They don’t tend to share any equipment. However on the other end we got free beer and pizza too which was sick. Our music went down really well too, we were nervous about how it would go but we fit in well with the underground sound they have going on.

R13:You’ve had the opportunity to tour with some great bands including No Use For A Name. Who have you had the most fun with on the road and who would you love to tour with in the future?
MJD:No Use For A Name was just for one date. Had an amazing night, one of my fav bands ever. However I’m afraid the fame has gone to the heads of a couple of members. Can I say that?!

R13:What are your plans for 2009? Can we expect a new album?
MJD:We have a new E.P out late next year called “Pretty In Pink” . We have done a C.D of some sort every year since we started. In fact the last 2 albums came out within 10 months of each other. We’re just going to keep writing and see what comes up.

R13:Any chance of some festival appearances in the coming year? If you could play one festival, which would it be?
MJD:We should be playing a couple of festivals in the summer so keep a look out. I would love to play Reading. Who wouldn’t?

R13:As a new band trying to make their mark, how hard do you think it is to get your foot in the music industries door? Has the internet made things easier or do you find that it still comes down to old fashioned hard grafting on the gig circuit?
MJD:The internet has helped. I’m not into all this Facebook/Email stuff but it’s all helped us get to this point so I guess it can’t be that bad. I’m old fashioned, if we have a show coming up and I can get to it a day or 2 early and give out flyers I will.

R13:In the past you’ve thrown in some unusual covers into your sets including a version of Natalie Imbruglia’s ‘Torn’ with a new added twist. Are there plans to continue doing this and if so which songs would you like to cover live?
MJD:It all started out with ‘Hero’, we covered it a year back and then the ‘Torn’ cover came from nowhere. But who knows. I’d love to cover ‘Man In Black’ by Johnny Cash.

R13:You’ve been described as “like an English Green Day”. How do you feel about such comparisons?
MJD:I think that was a local Bristol mag that said that. We just hope people can relate to our tunes as much as they can bigger bands like Green Day.

R13:What hopes have you for 2009 and what would you like the band to have achieved in a year’s time?
MJD:2009 is going to be a busy year for us. We hope to get our name out even more and tour at least 4 months out of the year. And of course release a new CD and tour with some amazing bands!

For further tour information and to find out more about The Following Announcement check out their myspace page or else go have a listen to their latest album, ‘In Secret Places’ to hear for yourselves if the trio can really be confined to that ‘surf punk’ label.