Rekindling The Flame With BRANDON BOYD From Incubus

Interview by Kris Peters
Since their inception in 1991 US rock outfit Incubus have defied
the laws and conventions of music by shading outside the lines and
creating their own brand of sonic retribution.
Their music was different and experimental, while still maintaining
a rock-infused underbelly that provided a meaty backbone that stood
tall through a myriad of musical disparities that combined to
create the perfect sonic storm.
With three consecutive albums that pushed the envelope further than
ever before S.C.I.E.N.C.E. (1997), Make Yourself (1999) and Morning
View (2001), Incubus and their music quickly gained global
attention and transformed what was once a personal odyssey into
more of a worldwide phenomenon.
Such is the band's enduring legacy, they have re-recorded Morning
View and will release it on May 10 with the title Morning View
XXIII, but first they are making a long overdue return to Australia
for a run of shows with fellow rockers Live this April.
As well as five national co-headlining shows with Live, Incubus
will also appear at the inaugural Lookout Festival, an outdoor
event on some of the country's most iconic stages alongside Live,
Birds Of Tokyo, Eskimo Joe and The Superjesus.
HEAVY was fortunate enough to speak with Incubus frontman Brandon
Boyd on the eve of the tour.
"I think this is probably the most extensive tour of Australia we
will have done," he smiled. "I could be wrong about that, but I
don't remember having played… I think it's eight or nine shows by
itself, just in Australia. I'm excited."
This will be Incubus' first trip to Australia since 2018, so we
cheekily ask Boyd why the band has neglected us for so long.
"(laughs) Something happened in the world sometime after 2019 that
made it so travelling was really tough," he replied. "I don't
remember exactly what it was, but something happened that kept us
off aeroplanes and stuff (laughs). We're sorry it's taken us so
long, but we're really excited to make our way back, and we're
thrilled to be able to do these shows with the band Live as
well."
On the subject of Live, we ask why they were chosen to be touring
partners with Incubus on this run.
"This is something that honestly would not have occurred to me," he
measured, "to put our bands together to do this. It came through
other channels to potentially pair us up to tour, but when we heard
about it being a possibility, all of us were very enthusiastic
about the idea because Live was one of those bands when I was
growing up that just had some bangers. They've got some tracks that
are just killer, and I've actually never seen them play live, so
it's pretty awesome to go on tour with a band that you enjoy, but
you've never had the pleasure of seeing live. So this will be my
introduction to them formally."
In the full interview we discuss the tour in greater detail,
Lookout Festival and playing with Australian bands, what has
changed in the 6 years since Incubus last toured Australia, the
different excitement he gets from playing outdoor festivals
compared to indoor arenas, re-recording Morning View, how well the
music from that album has stood the test of time, if and how crowds
respond differently to the songs from that album two decades later
and more.


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