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At present, the British music scene is ready to burst at the seams with the vast amount of talented bands heading out of the shadows, cast by their American couterparts. Tonight is Goodbye are one such band, and with their gorgeous EP 'Castles' released in June, it's hard to understand why we didn't pay more attention much sooner.

OS: So, how did you all get together?
Ant West (Vocals): It was two years ago... we all went to different schools and were in different bands and then we just sort of met and got together. I dunno... it just sort of... arrived.

OS: What are your influences and favourite bands?
Callum Hawes (Guitar): George, why don't you help out with this one?
Ant: We'll all go round the circle! Say your favourite band G...
George Lindsay (Drums): I listen to a lot of music; I don't really have a favourite band.
Callum: Ohhhh George! Come on!!
Ant: Come on G....
George: I really don't know.
Thomas Howe (Bass): I'm gonna put Blink 182 out there.
Ant: Yeahhhh.
Callum: Oh yeah! I'll second that motion.
Casey Roarty (Guitar) I'll third that motion!
Ant: Blink 182 is our favourite band and biggest influence.

OS: How is it for you being so young in a touring band?
Ant: It's cool. They've just finished college, so, we sort of toured while they were at college.
OS: Was that difficult?
Thomas: It was when we were at school... but then I left school, and then I went to college, and it wasn't that hard.

OS: Was there any pressure for you, because you're so young, to put the band aside and do something different or go onto further education?
Ant: I think we all knew what we wanted to do and we don't want to do anything apart from this. There was no other option, really.
Callum: There was never any pressure. We just never wanted to do anything else.

OS: You've been put into a couple of different categories, for example, young bands (like You Me At Six etc) and also the current British scene (like Kids In Glass Houses etc). Does it feel hard for you to break out of those categories?
Ant: I guess, 'cause like, with MySpace, there's so many bands on it now...but it's your music at the end of the day and you've got to draw away from other bands and that's what we're trying to do at the moment. We're trying to separate ourselves, but, it is hard when there are so many bands around.

OS: How is life on the road?
Ant: It's fun!
Callum: Tiring.
Ant: Yeah, tiring! We see Callum naked, like, twice a day, everyday. Four times today already!
OS: Have there been any rough times?
Ant: George had a baby! [The entire band laughs, George looks very unamused]
Casey: On a tour like this it's been pretty good times, really.
Callum: But there have been tours before like, pretty long ones, where we've been a million miles from home... like Middlesbrough... or Aberdeen! Like, the highest up you can get, that's when it gets a bit....
Ant: We went to Hull (no offence to anyone who lives in Hull) but, we went there and no one was there.
Casey: It was terrible.
Ant: It was the worst!
Callum: But, we come places like this and everyone's really nice and the shows are really cool.

OS: How do you find the shows up in the North?
Ant: Yeah they've been fun... the best crowds.
Callum: This one will probably be the best yet I imagine. With any luck!
Ant: The kids are really nice here. They seem to get into it pretty easily, which is fun.

OS: What's your favourite tour you've been on?
Callum: This of course!
Casey: Yeahhh, we've got to say this one.
Ant: Well I'd say the one with You Me At Six last year! We were both really small bands. The gigs were great but like, we were so young and we just partied til we died! This is more of a serious tour I guess, but, we're still having loads of fun.

OS: How was the trip to Ireland?
Ant: The trip?
Callum: The actual trip was death but Ireland was awesome!
Thomas: The Island of what?
Casey: Ireland!
Thomas: Of man?
Ant: No, Ireland!!
Casey: Ireland. Isle of Man!
Thomas: No but it's still an island. [Cue disapproving mumbles from the rest of the band] Okayyyy...

OS: Do you still enjoy being a support band or do you prefer headlining?
Ant: Ummmm... well I guess if you're the support band you get to play bigger shows like this one.
George: I think they both have their advantages really.
Callum: We like to headline tour; we don't wanna be the band that always supports but, then again, if we get the opportunity to play with awesome bands then... why not?

OS: Do you have one band that you would like to support in the future?
Ant: [Laughs] Blink 182? ...If they reform.
Callum: New Found Glory.
OS: Are you slightly jealous that You Me At Six did that?
Ant: Nahhh, they deserve it. But yeah! [Laughs]
Callum: We'd love to do it.
Ant: We are jealous! We wanna do it.

OS: What are your friends and family's reaction to what you're doing?
Casey: It's all good.
Callum: Supportive, yeah.

[At this point there is some random mumblings and laughing at Thomas, which leads
Casey to push him out of the interview. Two seconds later Thomas, on realising he can't get back into the building, returns back to the interview.]
Ant: You're locked out?
Callum: Haven't you got your pass?

OS: Do you all get on well with each other?
Ant: Yeah, well, apart from that guy who's just walked off! But no, we all get on fine with each other!

OS: Do you each have any particular personality traits that stick out?
Ant: G's the Dad! [Laughs] He wears a big hat which is... very Dad-like.
Callum: Tom's the...
Ant: Baby?
Callum: I dunno. The European guy?
Thomas: What does that mean?!
Callum: Just... French... he doesn't really understand.
Ant: If you didn't know, that's his Mum's top!
Thomas: Callum's the Serge!
Ant: Yeah. Android.
Thomas: No, he's just a human computer!
Ant: Ask him a question! Ask him a question about music.
Thomas: Not about music! About...
Ant: Business! About food!
Thomas: About food prices. About calorie counts!
OS: [After much thought, even though you couldn't guess that] What's the economy like?
Callum: Baaaadddd.

OS: So, what do you do when you're not on the road?
Ant: Scab off our parents.
Callum: Work.
Ant: Sit at home.
Callum: Garden!
Ant: Yeah, we all garden for money. For the devil. Beelzebub!
George: Just work terrible jobs and see our girlfriends.
Ant: Dude, you've got a well good job!
OS: So you have part time jobs outside of the band aswell?
All: Yeah!
Callum: All kind of manual labour type jobs.
Ant: Tom, you work for a truck agency, don't you? He drives trucks around...
Thomas: I crashed it.
Ant: You crashed it?!
Thomas: Yeah. I got fired.
Ant: His hair got in his eyes.

OS: Did you enjoy making 'Castles'?
Thomas: Very much.
Ant: It was good.
Callum: Good fun!
Ant: It was a good build.
Callum: Yeah, we built a castle.
OS: What's your favourite track from it?
George: Nobody Cares.
Ant: Oh yeah, G. Nobody cares!
Casey: Fire In The Hole.
OS: What's been the live reaction to the new tracks?
Ant: It's been cool. We put up 'Brain', which is on MySpace, so kids are starting to know that one.

OS: Did you enjoy making the video for 'Brain'?
Ant: Yeah, yeah! It was very....
Thomas: Painty!
Callum: It was a fifteen hour day. Horrible.
Ant: But a good horrible!

OS: You re-recorded and changed around the track 'Beauty and the Beast' (now titled 'Noughts and Crosses'.) Did you think there was any risk in that, since it's one of your more well-known songs?
All: Yeah, definitely, yeah.
Ant: We felt... well, we wanted to fit it on with the CD...
Callum: But we didn't think it went well the old way.
Ant: It was a bit pop-punky.
Casey: It didn't really fit with the vibe of the CD. We wanted it to have more of a flow to it.
OS: Have you played the new version live yet?
Ant: Yeah, we played it.
OS: What was the reaction?
Ant: It was cool.
Thomas: Some people are like, knowing the words, nodding up to the chorus and then are like 'what?!'
Ant: Yeah, they're like 'Romeo Juliet... WHAT?!' As soon as the doo-doo-doo's come on they're like 'oh right!”

OS: How was headlining the 'UK Now' stage at Slam Dunk Festival this year?
Ant: That was awesome.
Casey: Amazing.
Callum: Yeah, that was one of the best gigs of the year so far.
Ant: It was a turning point.
Casey: We weren't expecting that reaction. It was a nice surprise!
OS: Was it nice to be the headliner?
All: Yeah!
Ant: Yeah, it was cool to be, like, the main UK band.
Callum: We've always had a pride in being British, so it was cool to be headlining a UK stage.

OS: What's your view on the current British music scene?
Ant: It's cool.
Callum: Thriving!
Ant: Loads of bands... loads of competition.
OS: Is it weird for you suddenly having British competition whereas before it was mostly American bands that were prominent?
Ant: Yeah. But then you get British bands playing American music.
Callum: I dunno. People will like what they like.
Ant: White white white.
Thomas: You could just cut that up into some insane...
Ant: Rap?
Casey: Racist?
Thomas: Yeah... racist saying!
Ant: Nah I'm not being racist! That was the Warburtons advert! I hope they got that!
Casey: It's Hovis Best of Both, actually.
Ant: Sorry, Hovis Best of Both.

OS: Have you got any plans for the rest of the year?
Callum: Tour tour tour. White white white. [Laughs] Bread bread bread.
Ant: Callum! Don't say 'white white white' all the time!
Casey: Just touring basically...
OS: Any plans for another headline tour?
Callum: At some point.
Ant: Later.
Casey: Yeah, yeah, definitely!
Thomas: Secret one.
Ant: Oh, secret one!
Casey: No one's gonna know about that, are they?
Ant: Only you guys.
Callum: You're not supposed to tell them that.
OS: Any festivals?
Callum: We're doing Wakestock festival on this tour. Twice.
Ant: Which is good. We're playing with Mark Ronson.
Callum: Then wakeboarding! G's gonna do some wakeboarding, aren't you G?
Ant: No, he's babysitting.
George: I don't do wakeboarding, what are you talking about? I tried it once and couldn't do it. Actually no, I tried water skiing.
Callum: They're completely fucking different, George!
George: Actually, I don't know what I tried!
Callum: Anywayyyyyyy...

Tonight is Goodbye will be touring the UK this October.