It has been a long time since Hellogoodbye last graced our shores all the way back in 2008. However, with the recent release of their brand new album 'Would It Kill You?', upcoming appearances at the Slam Dunk Festivals alongside a UK headline tour, it seems as though they're planning on making up for lost time. We had a quick catch up with front man Forrest Kline just in time to prepare for their visit. Get ready!

OS: First off, how're you today?
Forrest Kline [vocals, guitars]: Doin' great. A lovely california day as always!

OS: It's now just a week or so until you return to the UK for the first time since 2008. How are you feeling about your trip?
Forrest: Can't wait. I can't believe so much time has passed. We always felt really good in the UK. I love the vibe everywhere. I never drank before a little while ago and honestly I'm sorta excited to experience it a little more like a local (ie. with a few drinks.) haha.

OS: It has been a while since you were last here, so what can audiences be expecting from the shows, and what are you expecting from audiences?
Forrest: It's sort of an off-the-cuff kinda thing, thank goodness. Keeps things fresh. If you've heard our new record I think it'd give you a good idea of what the vibe of the show is, only just ever so slightly more rowdy. UK audiences are always a little more rambunctious (had a few drinks?), that's usually totally welcome!

OS: A lot of the headline shows are in intimate venues. Are you looking forward to returning to those kinds of settings?
Forrest: I think that's where I feel most at home. My favorite shows to see are those ones, it always sounds better. Maybe because you're hearing more of the band on stage and a little less PA, but I dig it. And it's got its own natural energy.

OS: Hellogoodbye have generally been a little quiet for the last couple of years, especially in regards to the UK: can you fill us in on what you've been up to?
Forrest: Well, there's a long tale about legal battles and record label problems. I spent a long time working on this recent record though. We kept saying, "Let's wait to go back to the UK, till this record is out". We knew we'd go, but we didn't know it would be as long as it was.

OS: There have been a fair few changes in line-up more recently, so how has that changed or affected the dynamic of the band itself?
Forrest: Yeah, there's a little bit of a revolving door especially of drummers haha. Joe and Travis were so helpful in making 'Would It Kill You?' what it is. The dynamic is really good because we're all here because we wanna be and we think it's super awesome to travel and play music. We all get how lucky we are to do that. And we're all real good friends, its nice.

OS: You recently released your second full-length 'Would It Kill You?' Just generally, how are you feeling about it? Should we look forward to hearing a lot of songs from it, or will you be mixing things up with new and old?
Forrest: Yeah. I'm so proud of it. It's been out for a little bit here in the States, so I'm just starting to get back in the swing of creating. For a while I kinda felt like the record was my opus. I said a lot of stuff I needed to say and did a lot of things musically I needed to do. I'm just really proud so I want people to hear it. We play a lot of stuff from it, but we, of course, pepper in all the old stand by's. 

OS: It's also going to be your second time at the Slam Dunk Festivals - your first being back in 2006. What are you looking forward to most about your appearances?
Forrest: Playing fests is always rad cause a lot of people will be hearing you on accident without any preconceived notions. We've been flying around America playing colleges here and there, and it seems like every time we get on a plane Reel Big Fish is there, so it'll be neat to run into them again haha.

OS: Thank you very much, and we are very excited to see you soon.
Forrest: Nice, excited to see you too (you specifically and the UK collectively!)

Hellogoodbye play the following UK dates:

May 27th 2011: Sound Control, Manchester w/ The Dangerous Summer and Gold Motel

May 28th 2011: Slam Dunk Festival North, Leeds

May 29th 2011: Slam Dunk Festival South, Hatfield

May 30th 2011: King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow w/ The Dangerous Summer and Gold Motel

May 31st 2011: O2 Academy 2, Bristol w/ The Dangerous Summer and Gold Motel

June 1st 2011: O2 Islington Academy, London w/ The Dangerous Summer and Gold Motel

June 2nd 2011: HMV Library, Birmingham w/ The Dangerous Summer and Gold Motel