Now effectively Brit-rock-royalty themselves, As It Is are on the verge of something exciting and new – and you can find them at this year’s Slam Dunk.
Hello Patty! How’s it going? What’ve you been up to today?
Hello there. Personally, it’s going particularly well today, because I was reunited with my best friend and bandmate Ronnie Ish yesterday – it’s the first time we’ve seen each other since February 2020 – and it was the warm and fuzzy reunion that I’d hoped it would be. Today, however, we’re not doing a whole lot else besides catching up, iced coffees and horror movies.
How have you been spending time during lockdowns?
So I picked up a few new hobbies, and promptly put them back down, never to touch or look at them ever again. I learnt approximately forty words in Japanese because I abandoned learning any new language for the foreseeable. I suppose I’ve been exercising and eating better lately, which feels pretty cool, at least for now. Mostly though, I just hung out with my fiancée and our pets every day, living the same day over and over again mostly, and it was lovely.
How has not being able to tour properly over the past year or so impacted you?
It was hell. I won’t sugarcoat it; mentally, I was terribly unwell and still am, but I’m working on that. I missed my job very much, so much so that I actually stopped listening to music completely; it became a really painful reminder that our industry was hurting and that I had no idea when I’d next be seeing the band, our crew, our friends or our fans. So, Slam Dunk is going to be intensely emotional for me, and I know that I’m no different to everyone else who will be rocking up that day.
Were there any events you were especially sad about missing out on?
We had some exciting shows and tours that were promptly thrown in the bin, so that was sad. There were weddings and birthdays and holidays that I would rather have spent with my family and friends, but otherwise, there weren’t too many things. When I’m home, I like to stay home, so there weren’t many other plans that required cancelling.
When was the last time you performed live? How was it?
We were out in Japan and Australia in February 2020. They were our first shows without Ben, and we didn’t realise they would be our last shows with Foley. They were, however, a whole lot of fun, and apart from the evening that I spent overnight at a hospital in Sydney, I would love to relive everything about that tour.
Are you ready for festival season to kick back into gear properly? Have you had much time to rehearse?
We haven’t been under one roof since those shows in Japan and Australia, so I’m still looking to that opportunity in the fast-approaching future. In the meantime, I’m going to continue going for long runs and practising our setlist alone in my bedroom.
Are you having to take any extra pandemic-led precautions to play your upcoming dates?
I warmly welcomed both vaccines into my arm, and I’ll be re-entering the UK as safely and responsibly as possible. It’s still a little scary and strange for me to imagine playing shows again, but I’ve missed it terribly, and I can’t wait to pick up where we left off.
You’re performing at Slam Dunk soon, are there any other acts on the bill you’re looking forward to seeing or catching up with?
We’re definitely all looking forward to a long-overdue reunion with our friends in Roam, Waterparks, Trash Boat, Mayday Parade, State Champs, With Confidence and Doll Skin.
Do you have anything special planned for your set?
We’ll be playing a couple of our new songs for the very first time, and I honestly can’t wait to perform these ones live. Apart from that, if running around on the main stage doesn’t make me collapse from exhaustion, that’ll honestly be pretty special too, fingers crossed on that one.
What else have you got coming up? Any exciting plans in the works?
All that new music we were writing and recording throughout the pandemic is slowly trickling out into the world. We’re extremely proud of it all, and we couldn’t be more excited to share these songs and this record with everyone.
Slam Dunk takes place on 4th September at Leeds Temple Newsam, and 5th September at Hatfield Park.
