We Came As Romans Live In SG: The Show Must Go On

Ever dreamed of living the life of a rock star?

Well, imagine having to fly a torturous 23 hours straight just to get to your next concert venue, before discovering the unfortunate news that the lead singer of your band has to miss a show due to passport issues.

This was exactly what We Came As Romans (WCAR) encountered on their way to Singapore. We met the band members just hours after they landed here – True enough, following a personal Facebook video announcement of his travel mishap, Kyle Pavone (vocals) was absent at the roundtable interview.

However, the show must go on.

After local opening bands I, Devotion and Decipher SG, WCAR went on to play the same set as planned, on 20 May 2015 at St James Power Station. They did not compromise the quality of their sound, which was impressive, considering that they were a man down for their Singapore show.

L to R: Lou (guitar), Andy (bass), Dave (vocals), Josh (guitar), Eric (drums). Photo: Julia Yeo for Popspoken

POPSPOKEN: So Kyle won’t be performing today due to passport issues, which is an absolute bummer. How do you guys deal with such last-minute absentees?

Joshua: Thankfully for our band, we want to emphasise a message and not just one person, so Kyle missing the show tonight is upsetting but will not compromise the quality of our show.
Dave: I’m covering for Kyle tonight. I’ve been taking lessons on vocal conditions, you know, incase Kyle blows his voice on tour or any emergencies like that. It’s not something I can do a year ago but now I can.

Sheryl from Popspoken interviewing WCAR. Photo: Julia Yeo for Popspoken

POPSPOKEN: How do you find Singapore so far? Did you guys do some sightseeing today? What were your impressions of Singapore prior to coming here?

Andy: Today we walked around by the water, saw the Singapore flyer, and oh yeah we want to try the chilli crab.
Dave: I like to research countries before I come. The time that we spend in every country is limited, so we just want to party with the locals and enjoy our night.

Photo: WCAR Facebook

POPSPOKEN: You guys covered pop music like I Knew You Were Trouble by Taylor Swift and Glad You Came by The Wanted, which also proved to be crowd favourites among your audiences. Can we expect more covers of pop songs from WCAR?

Josh: We always tell ourselves that this is going to be our last cover but always end up doing more. We all listen to pop songs and we all like pop music on the radio.
Andy: Taylor Swift is great, we haven’t seen Bad Blood yet but heard so much about her new music video… Actually, she covers a lot of people too. She covered Fall Out Boy in Chicago. Maybe she’ll cover us one day, with our “To Plant A Seed” or something! *laughs*

Photo: WCAR Facebook

POPSPOKEN: So here’s an issue on concert security… Recently there was a viral video of Jenna McDouggall from Tonight Alive pulling apart a security guard from a fan, who got pinned down and almost beaten up by security just because he tried to come on stage. What is your take on this?

Dave: We’ve had to stop our set before because someone got knocked unconscious. It’s unfortunate but it happens. We want everyone to go crazy but also take care.
Josh: The common misconceptions with security is that the venue people are in charge, not the band. It’s not our job but we hope someone will hire the right people to do the right job, if not it gives us the band and our managers an unfair bad name.
Dave: Security tried to fight us before, which was weird because um, we’re the band? It happened in El Corazon, Seattle like three times.
Andy: Because we’re here, you get a job. We gave you a sold out show and now you want to fight us? *laughs*

POPSPOKEN: How do you stay inspired after almost a decade of making music?

Dave: I think it helps that we all just love doing this. To travel, play music and meet fans all over the world.
Andy: I think the more you grow up, you realise a lot of great and awesome things but also a lot of shitty ones as well. It makes you want to write and say something about it. Just real, day to day things that inspire us and make us reflective.
Josh: No matter what hardships we face, our problems and grievances are left backstage whenever we perform. It’s almost therapeutic to play shows, and this keeps me going.

POPSPOKEN: So will we be seeing some of these real emotions on your new album?

Andy: Definitiely! Our new record very defining for the band, very tall, representing of a time to speak out more.
Dave: It’s going to be released soon, with teasers to be released a week from now. Watch our social channels! We have a new producer this time, so it’s gonna be different.

Photo: WCAR Facebook

POPSPOKEN: Name a band you guys would love to tour with.

Dave: I think we all collectively like Linkin Park. Oh, and Underoath!

POPSPOKEN: Lastly, how would you like WCAR to be remembered?

Dave: We just want to be remembered as a band focused on our message to the world. Our lyrics and our message.

Set list and guitar picks fresh from the stage! Photo: Sheryl Teo for Popspoken

In this digital age where music is already so readily accessible, the element of encounter and interaction when going to concerts is possibly what propels both the fans and the artists to keep going to shows. Most concert-goers can agree that apart from a night of live killer music, going to concerts for fans also means finally being face-to-face with the artists that they love, to hear what they have to say about their little corner of the world.

WCAR proved to be a band that understands this, as evident in how they took at least an hour after their Singapore show to take pictures and hang out with fans outside of the venue. What a real, authentic band – unshakeable and truly full of hope.

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Cover Photo: Handerson_Yau Photography
Special Thanks: Inokii Metal Store

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