Good Trip, Bad Trip: The Xcerts

Suspicious sausages and complete c*nts…

Aberdeen-born and south coast-based, The Xcerts know a thing or two about being away from home even when they’re not on tour. The alt-rock threesome are on the road at the moment, though, both in a headline capacity and in support of Twin Atlantic. So, we thought it’d be a good time to get them involved in our Good Trip, Bad Trip series.

The Xcerts – Murray Macleod, Jordan Smith and Tom Heron – release their third album, ‘There Is Only You’, on November 3rd. From it comes ‘Shaking In The Water’, which you can check out below – just ahead of Murray’s tales from a decade-plus of touring.

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Best Trip…

“We visited Japan in 2009 just before our first record was released, and those were the first shows we had ever played abroad. We basically lived out our greatest Lost In Translation fantasies without the aid of Scarlett Johansson. Less romance, more bromance.”

Worst Trip…

“We drove from Poland to Italy in a day, which took about 19 hours in total. That in itself was brutal – but once we arrived at the hotel we were staying at, Jordan collapsed from exhaustion. We played the show in Italy the next night and a guy in the front row proceeded to call me a c*nt throughout our entire set. The worst. The absolute worst.”

Our favourite foreign venue…

Le’Bataclan in Paris is an incredible venue. We've only played there once but it was a very memorable evening. It was the last date on the Biffy Clyro tour and our families flew over for the show, which was really special. It’s a gorgeous theatre-like venue that was built in the 1800s and the sound in there is glorious.”

We're surprisingly popular in…

“Other bands’ vans and buses. Being a ‘band’s band’ isn’t exactly something we strive for or care for, but it’s been mentioned to us quite a bit in the past.”

Best or worst exotic foodstuff…

“While on tour with Frank Turner, I ate a bratwurst from a service station in Germany. It tasted odd, but I was hungry and figured that’s how it was supposed to taste. Fever dreaming throughout the day and vomiting on stage that night in Paris would tell me otherwise. I am now a vegetarian in Europe.”

The most interesting individual you’ve met on the road…

“I’ve met an awful lot of interesting people, but the one that comes to mind is Andrew Accardi from the band Robbers. His brother Vin is in Brand New and when we supported them on their UK tour, Andrew was along for the ride. He is a really smart dude and incredibly endearing. We shared some insane giggles and we even got him out on stage to play a song with us each night which was great fun – even though he outperformed all of us and made us feel very inadequate at playing our instruments.”

Worst on-tour injury, or accident…

“We’re not a very accident prone band, but I do remember Jordan hitting me on the back of my skull with the headstock of his bass when we were 16 years old. I ate dirt and hit the deck faster than you can say ‘ouch’.” 

My essential travel item…

“Currently, my essential travel item is a Frisbee. I prefer being outdoors rather than mooching about a venue all day, so a Frisbee is the perfect remedy to cure my boredom and get me outside. It brings everyone together, it’s great fun and it gets the heart rate going due to the exercise and most importantly the excitement. Fun for the whole family.”

My essential travel tip…

“Travelling really takes it out of you, what with all the late nights and early starts, so it’s good to grab some snooze when you can. Great for the mind. Great for the body. I consider myself a professional when it comes to grabbing zzzzs.”

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Photo: Steve Gullick

The Xcerts online. ‘There Is Only You’ is released on November 3rd. See the band live as follows:

October
23rd – Music Hall, Aberdeen w/ Twin Atlantic
24th + 25th – Barrowlands Ballroom, Glasgow w/ Twin Atlantic
28th – Academy, Manchester w/ Twin Atlantic
29th – Academy, Sheffield w/ Twin Atlantic
30th – Metropolitan University, Leeds w/ Twin Atlantic

November
1st – Institute, Digbeth w/ Twin Atlantic
2nd – Solus, Cardiff w/ Asking Alexandria
3rd – Roundhouse, London w/ Twin Atlantic
4th – Guildhall, Southampton w/ Twin Atlantic
6th – Junction, Cambridge w/ Twin Atlantic
7th – Oran Mor, Glasgow
8th – Beat Generator, Dundee
10th – Think Tank, Newcastle
11th – Corporation, Sheffield
12th – Waterfront Studio, Norwich
13th – Bodega, Nottingham
14th – Boston Music Room, London
15th – West End Centre, Aldershot

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