Pop punk music is alive and well says Simple Plan

Simple Plan has a simple plan for its show in Kuala Lumpur next month – make sure that everyone, from the front row to the last, leaves with a big smile on their faces.

The Sept 7 concert at KL Live will be the Canadian band’s fourth show in Malaysia, having played here in 2004, 2005, and 2012.

“We’ve been in KL many times, and we always have a fun time there. There are a lot of Simple Plan fans there, and they are always super-welcoming,” said the band’s drummer Chuck Comeau during a phone interview from Los Angeles.

“We’ve got a new album, so we’ll be playing some new songs, but also a lot of classic Simple Plan songs from all five albums. The set list is very high energy, in your face, intense, and really fun.”

Since it was formed 15 years ago, Simple Plan has managed to keep the original lineup together – Comeau, vocalist Pierre Bouvier, lead guitarist Jeff Stinco, rhythm guitarist Sébastien Lefebvre, bassist David Desrosiers.

The band has released five albums to date – No Pads, No Helmets…Just Balls (2002), Still Not Getting Any… (2004), Simple Plan (2008), Get Your Heart On! (2011), and Taking One For The Team, which was released February.Comeau reckons that the reason the five of them have managed to stay together for so long is because they were friends first before forming the band.

“We come from same place, grew up together and have a lot in common. We’re still best friends and still very passionate about what we do. We’re on the same page, have the same goals and vision … we’re friends, first and foremost,” he said.

Taking One For The Team still retains that classic Simple Plan pop punk rock formula.

Still, even the most tightly-knit group needs some time off from one another. Latest album Taking One For The Team was released five years after their last one, which Comeau said was a result of not wanting to put out something that was half-hearted.

“We toured the previous album (2011’s Get Your Heart On!) for a long time, about two years, then we took a break for a few months,” he said. During that time, Comeau got married and welcomed a son last year.

“When we started writing again, we thought it would write itself faster initially. Then we realised that this is an important milestone for us – it’s our fifth album, and we were not even supposed to be here that long!”

Also recognising the fact that there was not exactly much excitement for a new Simple Plan album, they decided to take their time to craft a good album instead. “We wanted to make it for fans who really care about the music. So we couldn’t put out an average album – it had to be a good one,” Comeau said.

While Taking One For The Team still retains that classic Simple Plan pop punk rock formula, Comeau said that they were also keen to try new things on it.

“There were songs where we wanted to do a throwback (to our early days), like Opinion Overload and Kiss Me Like Nobody’s Watching,” he said. “And then there’re songs like Singing In The Rain, which are a bit more outside the Simple Plan box, but when you put it on, it still sounds like they belong to this band.”

This year has seen a resurgence of sorts for pop punk rock bands; Simple Plan, Green Day, Blink 182 and Good Charlotte all released albums this year. Comeau reckons it’s because that style of music invokes a certain nostalgic yet meaningful feeling amongst music fans.

“Our style of the music is always been an honest, no bulls**t style, and people still appreciate that. I think a lot of the bands from our era like Green Day or Blink 182, were able to connect to our fans in a deep emotional way, and that’s why the songs still resonate today.

“There is something in the music that still means a lot to a lot of people,” he concluded.

---

Simple Plan will be playing at KL Live @ Life Centre, Kuala Lumpur, on Sept 7, 8.30pm. Tickets are priced at RM188, RM288, and RM388. Visit http://ift.tt/1bNLODv, http://ift.tt/1OoUHRB or call 03-9222 8811 for more details.

Source : Star2.com