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Being self-proclaimed 'dorky little high school kids', We The Kings began their band with the intent of grabbing girls. Now, however, they're grabbing audiences as they take to UK stages supporting Boys Like Girls and Cute Is What We Aim For. Organised-Sound were lucky enough to catch up with the band's brothers to talk about first-time festivals, Abbey Road and fish and chips.

OS: So, this is your first time in the UK.. .
Hunter Thomsen [guitar/vocals]: It is! We're so excited about it.

OS: How's it been going so far?
Hunter: It's just been going awesome, every show has been awesome, and the kids have been so good over here. We're so surprised because like, our CD's not even out over here and I wasn't even sure if you could get it on itunes, so just seeing kids sing along and going crazy to our set has been amazing.

OS: Your first show over here was Slam Dunk Festival in Leeds...
Hunter: It was! It was an amazing show.

OS: I heard you received a pretty good reaction?
Hunter: We did! I was so... We didn't know what was going to happen. We got out onstage and kids started going crazy, it was the biggest show - it was so fun. We had a really good time.

OS: It must have been quite nerve-wracking doing your first show in the UK to such a big crowd..
Hunter: Most definitely. It definitely was a little nerve-wracking I will say that!

OS: You played main stage too?
Hunter: Yeah, the Glamour Kills stage, it was so much fun. We were the first to go on that day as well so it was like, we did sound check right before we went on and then like, 15-20 minutes later... there was no one in there when we did sound check, but we went downstairs, got ready, drank some water and did some warm ups - came back upstairs and then there's 1500 kids filling the room. I was like NO WAY did they fill in that quick! I was so surprised. It was awesome though. It was very hot in there too because of all the bodies!

OS: Did you manage to catch any of the UK bands which were playing?
Hunter: I didn't really, the only one I did catch was Kids in Glass Houses, and they were awesome. They sounded so good, a very very tight band.
Drew Thomsen [bass]: Are You Me At Six British?
Hunter: Yeah!
Drew: I caught a few of their songs
Hunter: Yeah they were really good too, we actually got talking to them after we played and they were really nice guys.

OS: One of our team interviewed them last month..
Hunter: Awesome!
Drew: We love those guys
Hunter: Tell them we said hello!

OS: Is it weird opening the show, as you're pretty used to headlining now?
Hunter: We actually just headlined and it was our first time ever, headlining in the US. It was kind of a smaller tour too, but it was a lot of fun. I mean, we've been doing the opening thing for a year and a half so we're more used to that. I would say it was just like talking a step back, because we've come to a new country.

OS: Everything's moving quite quickly for you in the US..
Hunter: It's still moving very very fast. I hope it picks up here as we just came over here and what not.

OS: You had been around as a band for a while, but then you lost a member and put out your self-titled album out and everything blew up..
Hunter: Yeah it's been absolutely amazing.

OS: What caused the change of sound from your EP 'Between the Ink and Paper' to your self titled?
Hunter: I would say we had more direction; obviously we had some producers who are absolutely amazing - Sam Hollander and Dave Katz who are geniuses. They really put us in the mindset of where we wanted to bring our record to, they were like, "you guys are such good kids, everything about you is so awesome, why don't you represent that in your music, show the kids who you really are, so that they can relate" and so I think that was a big thing. We wanted to write about ourselves, our hometown.
Drew: Plus, the EP got a bit boring in parts.
Hunter: Yeah, it definitely wasn't as structured.
OS: I liked it!.
Drew: Thank you
Hunter: I think they both took exactly the same time to record too!

OS: What would you say is your favourite track off your self titled album?
Hunter: Umm.... I've said this in a couple of interviews, but there's not like, one song that we can pick. I think it's like, saying "oh this is my favourite child". I love all of the songs.
Drew: I love the ones that are fun to play.

OS: What do you think your next single might be?
Hunter: I think our next single is going to be "Secret Valentine". It's an awesome song, hopefully it'll drop and late fall [autumn] or early next year.

OS: There were rumours that you were coming back in autumn….
Hunter: We are coming back! We're coming back in September.
Drew: But we don't know who with yet.
Hunter: There have been some rumours... but we really don't know! People have been like "I know you know!" but we really don't! If I did know I would definitely tell you.

OS: So you just know that you're coming back..
Hunter: Yeah we're definitely coming back. It's definitely going to be a really good tour though.

OS: So what are your plans for the rest of the year?
Hunter: Well we get back from the UK and get about a week off, and then we actually tour out to warped tour with our friends in Cobra Starship, and then we start warped and we're doing all of the tour in the states, which is like 2 months long. Then I think we get a little bit of time off, maybe like a week, and then we come back over here!

OS: Didn't you win a battle of the bands, so you've played a date before...?
Hunter: Yeah we've played one day on warped tour
Drew: In our home town, which was amazing.
Hunter: but we've always wanted to go back out.

OS: So you've had a flavour of it, so what aspect of warped tour are you most looking forward to?
Hunter: I'm really looking forward to seeing all of that bands that are on it. Like, I'd like to see some bands that maybe I've never seen before, or even just going to see some bands that I have seen, maybe they've got some new stuff, and just hang out with everyone.

OS: There's a lot, so obviously you can't cover all of the bands, but which are you most looking forward to seeing?
Hunter: I know there is a lot, but I would definitely say “Gym Class Heroes”. We've just played with them back in the states a couple of weeks ago
Drew: They're great guys
Hunter: All of them are so awesome. Very very cool guys and their set is so good. So so good. They're doing so well and they're such nice dudes. Plus “the academy is” are writing a new record right now so I can't wait to hear some new stuff off of that.

OS: So who would you say, currently, is your favourite American band on the scene?
Hunter: Currently?
Drew: That's a tough one!
Hunter: That is a tough one. I'm trying to think right now! The Cab is doing very well. Cobra [Starship]'s record is doing very very well, love those guys. But erm. Other acts which are coming out? There for Tomorrow, they're doing really well; they're Florida boys like us. So I really hope they do well.
Drew: Just Surrender is one of my favourites
Hunter: Yeah definitely Just Surrender. That's what I'm listening to mostly.

OS: One of the bands that you're friends with is Boys Like Girls, and you toured with them on their first headline tour in the states….
Hunter: That tour was so much fun.

OS: So is it nice to come and support them as friends and as a band in the UK?
Hunter: Most definitely. It's been really awesome, we've been with them since, I mean, they were on their first small headline ever and it was really small crowds. It was us, we were opening, then it was self against city and the boys like girls as headlining - we've known them for like two years now. It's awesome to like, come back with them.

OS: Had you toured with Cute Is What We Aim For before?
Drew: Nope
Hunter: We had never toured with Cute before, and this is the first time we've ever really met them and they're the nicest dudes ever. I really appreciate every person in their band.

OS: You've only been on this tour for a couple of dates so far, but already a lot of kids are coming out to see you. .
Hunter: It's been great.

OS: Both of those bands have already toured the UK before, Cute did a headline tour and Boys Like Girls supported Plain White T's, so do you think taking the audiences reaction to you guys from this time round....
Hunter: I'm definitely looking forward to coming back in the fall and seeing how much it's grown. You know, like I'm very very excited for it and I heard our record was going to be released here in maybe a month or two.

OS: That's the big thing though; you haven't even got a record out here yet.
Hunter: After it's out hopefully everything will start progressing more and building more. I'm just so looking forward to coming back. I appreciate every kid here - they're amazing crowds.
Drew: Hopefully everyone down here will all come back!

OS: Most people only really know you from the buzz you've created over the internet too, but by the time you come back in autumn, many will have seen you.
Hunter: Yeah hopefully they will have picked up the CD, and the fan base would have grown a little bit.
Drew: That'll be the true test, as a lot of people have heard the songs online and haven't seen us yet. So all the kids show up and already have an idea of what we're about.
You need to do a headline tour.
Hunter: Most definitely!

OS: Plus, you're playing London Friday night. I heard one of you guys had a Beatles tattoo?
Hunter: Oh I am obsessed with the Beatles!

OS: Are you going to visit Abbey Road?
Hunter: I have a tattoo on my arm of that. I have to go there, I've been asking everyone where it is, I didn't really know where it was. I really want a picture of us like, walking across the street.
Panic at the Disco recorded their latest album there.
Hunter: Really?! That's awesome. I would do anything to be in that studio.
I'm pretty sure you can go and visit.
Hunter: I would really love to go. It would just be amazing.

OS: Is there any other sort of sight seeing that you want to do whilst you're over here?
Hunter: I want to see the tower of London! That's where all of the jewels and crowns are. I would love to just go and see all of that
Drew: I want to see Stonehenge.
Hunter: Yeah definitely. My big thing is that I want to swim in Loch Ness. But I don't think we're going near there on this tour. We're going up to Scotland, Glasgow, but I have no clue whether that's anywhere near Loch Ness. It's amazing just to see, I mean, we were saying just today about the beers here. There was a beer which said it was first made in 1366 and I was like... that was made even before America was thought of! I mean, that's incredible.
Drew: Everything is so much older over here.
Hunter: It's great to see some of the heritage; it's incredible, really cool.
Have you tried any of the UK food yet?
Hunter: Not really! We've just been stopping at spots off the interstate so it's just been like Burger King and stuff that we would normally eat but I still need to try fish and chips, that's one thing I've heard. I've heard some good places down the street that have it but I haven't got down there yet. That's the one thing I really want to try. Travis had Shepherds Pie the other day and said it was really good so I want to try that out. I'm a big fish fan though, so fish and chips would be awesome.

OS: Have you got any plans for your next album yet?
Hunter: I mean we've definitely been writing that process never really stops so we have a couple of songs already started. We're just keeping them kind of in garage band working through the stuff, but I don't know when we're actually going to be able to record again.
Drew: We've got everything there but no plans.
Hunter: Yeah we haven't heard, but we're just waiting for the next time we can go in so we can spend some more time in the studio and really put some, I mean, me and my brother here and big tone fans. We're fanatics about the actual sound of the record so; I would love to spend a little more time on that. Work with different people... maybe go to abbey road studios... see what it sounds like over here!

OS: You've already achieved so much as 'We The Kings', but what would be your ultimate goal as the band?
Hunter: I don't know... I would just like, I appreciate the fact we can do this for as long as we can and if we can do it.
Drew: Keep it consistent.
Hunter: .. and travel around the world, like this is the first time I've ever been across the pond per say, so just getting to travel. Maybe Africa? Or you know different parts of the world. Australia. Anywhere would be amazing.