New Jersey rock outfit The Gaslight Anthem are experiencing somewhat of a new lease on life.
Grabbing the attention of a global audience with their 2007 debut Sink Or Swim, The Gaslight Anthem rammed the point home with their second album The '59 Sound the following year, becoming the first band in British music history to appear on the cover of Kerrang! magazine without the magazine having previously written about them.
Three more albums followed, with 2014's Get Hurt ultimately turning out to be The Gaslight Anthem's last new music in almost a decade when they went on hiatus the following year. As the years passed with only a fleeting one-off show and murmurings rather than rumblings greeting any talk of another crack at music, it seemed The Gaslight Anthem had fired their last shot in anger before announcing a second coming in 2020 which led to the band's sixth release History Books that made an emphatic statement that The Gaslight Anthem weren't just returning for the nostalgia.
The long and tumultuous path has led to the engaging four-piece set to make the long trek to Australia in less than two weeks as part of Good Things Festival 2024 alongside Korn, Electric Callboy, Sum 41, Mastodon, Kerry King and a stack of others. HEAVY spoke with guitarist Alex Rosamilia to get a better feel for what to expect, starting by asking if he is packed and ready to go.
"Um…. I'd like to say yes," he laughed. "But no. I'll be doing that last minute, as per usual." HEAVY points out that with the amount of time The Gaslight Anthem spend on the road, the temptation to drag your feet in your rare down time would win on most occasions.
"Sometimes I just leave them in the bag for the next one," he smiled, "but there was too much time in between this and the last tour."
This will be The Gaslight Anthem's first trip to Australia in almost a decade, so we ask what has changed with the band between visits.
"You mean aside from us all getting married and having kids and starting a family," he joked. "That's probably the biggest change, and it's a pretty big change to have (laughs). It's crazy to think it's been ten years since we've been over there."
In the full interview, Alex talks more about touring life and the atmosphere amongst bands at larger festivals like this. He spoke about The Gaslight Anthem's headlining side shows as well, and how the sets will differ for fans and the different dynamics between festival shows and club gigs.
Alex gave us a glimpse into what fans can expect from The Gaslight Anthem live, giving new listeners three songs to check before heading to Good Things. We looked behind the band's hiatus and reforming the band and how the long layoff might have affected their confidence and cohesion. That led to a chat about their new album History Books and how it was received by fans plus how it represents The Gaslight Anthem moving forward and more.