INTERVIEW: Incendiary speak to us about their upcoming first ever Japan tour dates

One of the joys of running a website like this is to use it as an excuse to get in touch with bands that you really REALLY fucking like. Incendiary most definitely has been one of those bands that for the past few years have had a record Cost of Living that is on non-stop rotation throughout the day, any day, every day. I remember the first time I heard the band, the vocalist instantly gave me a Snapcase type of vibe in his similar higher pitch delivery instead of the more guttural/tough guy sound that is more synonymous with this heavier style of hardcore. The music the band puts out there, Cost of Living showing SIGNIFICANT growth compared to their first record Crusade, is a pummelling riff heavy assortment of music that shows more sophistication then your run of the mill hardcore tracks. The band is clearly trying to do something different with the sonic tones they create, and if you look at the insane world that we currently live in, the anger in the music more then matches the dismal state of affairs. Lyrically too, the band holds nothing back in their perception of the downward spiral we’ve been heading in.

In short, the band ain’t out there to brighten up your day. The band is out there for you to rage to.

Anyway, if you’re wondering why an American band is being featured on a website that is most definitely about promoting Asian happenings – it’s because Incendiary recently announced their first ever dates in Asia as part of this year’s Bloodaxe Festival to be held in Japan in September. As soon as the announcement was made, the internet out here blew up. People were stoked up and down Asia with of course the main conversation being why aren’t the band playing anywhere else besides Japan.

We took this opportunity to shoot Brendan some questions about this and got into a conversation about a few other things including a certain President Cheeto. Enjoy!

What’s up Brendan! Dudes out here are going nuts with the announcement that Incendiary is on this year’s Bloodaxe Festival – the same year that you guys are putting out a new record as well. Can you tell us how you’re feeling about this and how it all came together with Koba and crew?
Touring Japan has been a goal of ours for years and I feel like we’ve just been trying to find the right time for it to come together. Justin from Closed Casket Activities (our label) talks to a lot of the guys from Alliance Trax and had a chance to meet a bunch of them when he went over there with another band. I had met Koba the last time we played Rainfest in Seattle and we instantly hit it off and kept in touch. We are beyond excited to go there, especially with a new record coming out.

Yeah the timing couldn’t be better! With your first trip out to Asia what are some things you guys are hoping to experience in terms of culture both in and out of the world of hardcore? I mean come on – how could you not be stoked to be able to check out shows by bands like this in Japan while you’re there!

Wow…..no words for that video man! Outside of hardcore I’m looking to experience the city of Tokyo and learn more about Japan’s history and culture. My background at university was in anthropology so a passion of mine is traveling and experiencing new people and cultures . I’m looking forward to being in Tokyo as well as seeing some of the Japanese countryside. Oh and eating the food.

In terms of hardcore specifically, I am really excited to see Loyal To The Grave again as well as hopefully discover some new Japanese bands. I saw Sand a while back at the Superbowl of Hardcore in New York and loved them. Hoping they can play too!

With your love for traveling and experiencing culture, I’m sure most Asian hardcore kids are going to wonder if any dates outside of Japan will be added on this run?
Unfortunately not, we don’t tour full time so this is all we have the availability for this time around. That said, we very much would like to play other Asian shows in the future, especially in Southeast Asia.

Wouldn’t make sense to interview a band from the States and not bring up the current political climate in the US. I’m sure that you understand that as we are members of a global community we probably all have some pretty strong thoughts about your current president and his rhetoric and what he stands for. What are your thoughts as you now sit three months into his administration?
My “thoughts” on our President is that he makes me sick and ashamed to be an American. It is utterly embarrassing to be a global citizen and have that stigma attached to our country. His candidacy stands as a last attempt by an aging establishment to try and keep things the way they are and ignore the how we’ve evolved both as a society and a country.

That’s why I think it’s so important that people travel. Meet as many people as possible and have conversations with different people to help broaden their perspective. More people should play in touring bands! Last question – now that the new record will be out soon and you have this Japan tour, what’s next for Incendiary?
We would still like to get to some places we haven’t been: Southeast Asia, Australia, etc. We are on an increasingly limited time schedule but we continue to play new places and experience new things. This record will be released in Japan as well so I’m hoping more people in Asia will have an easier time getting it! Thanks for the support and check out our new record on May 5th.

Info about Bloodaxe Festival to be held in Tokyo on September 23 can be found in this flyer: