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Nowadays, it's not often that an American band can be together for five years, release two albums - one of which hitting the Top 20 spot in US charts - and star in their own TV show... in a bubble, without visiting the UK at least once. However, that has been the case with US pop-punk heroes Cartel. How they managed this, I'm still not entirely sure, but with a legion of British fans waiting over three years for a UK show - most of the Organised-Sound team included - and a greatly received spot on the sold out Plain White T's tour earlier this year, I've got a feeling we won't have to wait too long for a return.

We were lucky enough to speak to half the band after their impressive set at the Newcastle Academy, and believe us, it was worth the wait.

OS: How is it knowing that there are some fans here solely to see you guys?
Kevin Sanders [drums]: Oh wow. Normally when we're doing playing, we'll get changed and go out to the front. Because, being first, we're like 'man, no one really cares about us.' We'll just walk out there, getting drinks and stuff. Then, someone'll go "Oh my god! I was here just for you guys!" and I'm like "really?!" Then, they'll buy us a drink and I'm like, "Yesss! I will take drinks."

OS: It's your first time touring in the UK. What took you guys so long to get here?!
Kevin: The exchange rate! No, I think that when we went from Militia Group to Epic, and they took over, they decided to focus their efforts on the States. We were like, "Well, that makes sense, but if it's doing well here, than let's put it out over there as well" but they didn't believe that maybe? Or they didn't to pay for that?
Will Pugh [vocals/ guitar]: It's weird thinking that, when we were with Militia Group, they talked about licensing the record to another record label over here, which is what a lot of bands do: just get another record label here. It's easy! But with Sony, it's such a big worldwide corporate piece of ...mess, I dunno
Kevin: Mess is a good word.
Will: It's just a mess! You have so many people going, "get this, check that, let's go there", so, we're only now just being released in places like Japan. It's a whole backwards thing, but hopefully that'll be resolved quickly, since we're actually being exposed over here now.

OS: What does it feel like to have a release in Japan?
Will: Don't know yet! The first time we went there, it wasn't quite out yet - I think we toured just before it was released: the EP on Militia. So, now it'll be the first time with a full length record out before we go. I'm sure the difference will be pretty big. Obviously here, we already have some fans, so it'll be nice to release the record here, then come back.

OS: How did you find tonight's show?
Will: It was good. You could tell there was a lot of people who didn't know who we are, versus some of the shows. Like, last night was just nuts, completely crazy. But, here you could tell a lot of people were like, "Ah, I've never heard this before!" It's good to have the two crowds mixed, because you need people that have never heard of you before.
Kevin: It feels like playing a show of old too, because you know, where you're come from it's like, "There was that one time, when people didn't know who you were, so you had to play super hard and try to win people over". And that's kinda what makes it fun.

OS: Is it strange being the first to play, since now you're so used to headlining in the US?
Will: It's a lot of fun. I mean, we haven't played in first in, probably, a solid two years. So, it's kinda neat to be back where you were, since it's a new country so, you get to start over again.
Nic Hudson [guitar]: It goes by so fast as well. Compared to headlining, where you play an hour, an hour and a half set, then you just play thirty minutes and before you know it you're like, "Oh, we're done?! Cool!"
Will: Plus, it's nice because at first, it was like, "We might have to scrape some change together to buy a cheese burger later", but now there's no pressure on us, so we can have a lot more fun.

OS: How has it been touring with Plain White T's?
Will: It's been awesome.
Kevin: They're super nice dudes. They have a really big fan base over here, so it's nice they brought us out. We've met them maybe once, two years ago on Warped tour and since then our paths haven't crossed much, so it's cool to actually do a whole tour with them. They're just really nice guys. Then, we know Boys Like Girls from the States, so those guys are just all good friends of ours too, so it's just been a really fun tour, especially since all the shows are sold out. Plus, we're in the UK for the first time and we're all just really excited to be here. Win win win win situation.

OS: So, last year you recorded your album whilst in a 'Bubble' in the middle of New York, for Dr Pepper's TV show 'Band in a Bubble'. How did you get involved with it?
Will: Basically, Dr Pepper came up with the idea and put it together. Then, Epic, I guess, had been a label they had close ties with, so Epic came to us with the idea, to which we said okay. Obviously, that's a long story short there, but that's how it all came about. The actual process of it was really crazy.
Kevin: It was really different. It's hard to explain, because, no one that I know - other than these guys - has gone through something like that, which is kinda one of the reasons we did it. This way, I have that story where I can go, "That one time, when me and my friends were trapped for twenty days in a place", but it was a cool experience. It was fun and different.

OS: Was there a particular pressure on you because of it?
Will: Not really. Because it was a recording session, we kinda felt like we had something to do. Whereas if it'd been like, "Alright, you're gonna go sit in this thing for twenty days. Have fun," it would've been like "Argh, we've gotta be cool all the time!" So, I think it was a lot better because we had something to focus on and it made the time pass by. The pressure was all on making sure everybody got their stuff signed outside. Everyone would come and put stuff through the door; sometimes there'd be two hundred people just waiting, but sometimes there'd be five people outside, catching a tan. It all differed, but that was the hardest part; just making sure that all of the fans were pleased, while we were actually still trying to get work done.

OS: Do you feel that the record was influenced by the experience?
Will: Musically, no, I don't think so. I mean, our last record 'Chroma' was actually recorded in a short amount of time. So, it wasn't really pressured in that sense.
OS: Wow, that's fast.
Will: Yeah, it was really fast; too fast. I think we're gonna be really pleased to do another record and stretch it out! And, see what that's like, since each one's been really fast so far. I think the way it [the new release] was received was effected by the Bubble. It was such a strange thing to do surrounding a record - some people were real stoked on it, then some people were kinda wary of it. I think that it made people think about the scenario.
Kevin: Like, when people judged the show, and took a stance on that, it was almost that if you hated the show, you were gonna hate the record. But it was like, "Woah woah, don't do that! That's a stupid thing to do!", but unfortunately, that's kinda what happened. So, that kind of sucks for us, but it's still an experience that we had fun with. I'd do it again.
Will: I think it did expose us to a lot of different people too and that was the point: to go in there and do something that had never been done before, and to have people drawn to it that had never heard of us before, just because of how crazy it was. It's really the most a band can ask for, like, random third party exposure. It worked in that sense. I mean, time will tell, but right now, we're still having a great time.

OS: How do feel 'Cartel' and 'Chroma' differ to each other?
Will: I think it's just coming from two different places. 'Chroma' we wrote before we had any success at all, and, I was nineteen when I was writing some of those lyrics, so between that and now being twenty three writing some of the new lyrics, it's different perspectives lyrically. I think that influenced the music a little bit too. I really think that half the new record could have been the third part of 'Chroma', and then the other half is this new thing that we're trying to produce. I think it's er, it's good different, but very different.
Nic: I mean, you don't wanna hear the same record twice.

OS: Is there any certain place you look for inspiration?
Will: Just everyday life really. Being alive is such a crazy thing anyway. I mean, we don't have a message or a political statement to make, or anything like that. We don't have a cause. I think we're just about ... just 'be cool' would be our mantra, I guess, and take it easy. I think that really translates in our songs because it's really not about anything in particular: just actual emotions and how you deal with them. 'Burn This City' was about getting out of our hometown and how that felt, but looking back on it now, you can look at those lyrics and go, "Man, we were stupid!" just since we were sixteen and seventeen years old. We were awesome and it was great time! But, I think looking back on different things is the best way to write. I think personal perspective is the only way you can portray meaning to people, and I feel that we have a good connection with our fans in that way - different people come up to me for different songs and say, "Oh, that song 'Runaway' really helped me through my Mom dying" or "It really helped me through my girlfriend breaking up with me." That's two totally separate things and I think it's nice to have that personal touch to it. It allows people to be able to feel it a little bit more. I think that's where we draw our inspirations; that connection we have with people we play music for.

OS: And, are there any artists that particularly influence you?
Will: All of 'em! We recognise and respond to just a bunch of different types of music, between the band. If you went down our iPods, it's ridiculous, the stuff we listen to.
Kevin: Yeah, it's a wide variety. That's better than picking, like, one band, or one genre to pick from to influence, or we'd sound just like that. But, we have such a melting pot of bands that it's hard to label us as something. We write so many different types of songs; rather than having a record full of twelve "Oh right, yeah, pick it up!" songs, we'll slow it down for you and write a ballad here and there. We'll have an electronic songs, and a piano song.

OS: So, what would you say is your favourite track from 'Chroma' and the self-titled album?
Will: Uhhh...
Kevin: I'm gonna go 'Burn This City' on 'Chroma' and I'm gonna go 'Georgia' on the self-titled. They're both about where we're from, and with 'Burn This City' and 'Chroma' it was about leaving our hometown and moving to Atlanta, which is the capital, to go to college and start a whole new facet of life. Then, the second phase of that song would be 'Georgia', which is about leaving the whole state, and trying to explore the United States. So, they both relate to a certain time in our lives where we're basically experiencing changes. I think, we relate to those songs the most because it's a personal experience that we all went through.
Will: Yeah, that was good.
Kevin: Yeahh, I felt that.

OS: So, what have you got planned for the rest of the year?
Will: Haha, probably a lot of plane flights.
OS: As long as they're to the UK!
Kevin: Abso-fricking-lutely.

OS: Have you ever considering doing a headlining tour here?
Kevin: We'd love to! I mean, this is obviously the step one of many. It took us so long to get here, we don't think it'll ever take as long to come back which is a good thing. That's the thing: we're having to go back and connect with the people that were our fans, that are now almost old fans, like "Wow, I've been waiting for you guys to come here for almost three years." Jesus, I mean, we have so many fans back home that have been fans for three years and have seen us nine times. But, we're gonna come back, sooner or later, and work on more songs and maybe do Warped tour... play with Boys Like Girls some more. Keep the party going!

OS: But, you will definitely be heading back to us?
Will: Yeah, this year for sure. We've talked to our booking agent and he's really been on about getting us back here for a headlining tour soon.
Kevin: With a good package, it could easily be done. I mean, these venues were playing now are massive.
Will: Yeah, we're not gonna be playing these venues...
Kevin: But, those guys are killing it! But yeah, with a good package, we could definitely come over here and headline. I mean, we've been talking to people, and the people who have heard of us before are like "Play this! Play that!" but we're like, "Shit, we can't." We've only got thirty minutes and, while Boys Like Girls play six songs, we cram in eight songs. Will ends up being like "This is this song. Nice to see you. Bye!" We just want to play as much as possibly can. So, hopefully we can come back and play more songs and please everyone. Then, in the meantime, between now and then, people can go back and do the research and learn the songs they don't know.