cover story

Quoted headline 'We wouldn’t change ourselves for anyone!'

Opening summary....2010 has been quite a year for US AND THE LUNG! Here they explain how they're sudden success has changed their lives for the good as well as the bad..oh no wait! just the good!

start of the main story...It's been 2 years  since this UK based pop-rock band hit the big time, but Us and the lung say that  2010 has been their biggest year yet! After being founded by record label 'SlamDunk' in 2008, the band describe the last 2 years as 'non-stop madness'. After releasing an E.P several months after being signed which  included  songs such as 'shady love' and a cover of ‘long distance call’, the band slowly started to get noticed, they then went on to support Paramore in 2008 alongside You Me At Six which led to great success .March 2009 saw the band headline their own tour  for album '........', they then took time off to 'really find their sound and figure themselves out as individuals'. The band eventually released their next album '......' in \ January of this year which made it to number 9 in the top 100 UK albums, with songs such as 'we are here' and 'break it all' making it in the top 5 in UK and American charts. The band were then contracted for the warped tour spending most of the year travelling America as well as headlining Leeds Festival. Us and the Lung are currently in the UK for their '...' tour giving us the chance to speak to one of the UK's largest bands right now...

questions-

Hey Guys! So you’re just in the middle of your tour for ‘….’ How is it going?

Sera: Amazing! There really is nothing that compares to touring at all! Were only 5 dates in, and I’ve had some of the best experiences than on any other tour already! It feels good to be back in the UK and seeing people who have supported us from the very beginning

Rob: I agree, I mean this is where it all started, so obviously this is one of the best places to tour.

Mark: and the fact that we’ve sold out at almost every venue is something I never thought would happen, I think we’re just trying to take in the hype of it all, but still remember who we are as people.

Luke: Yeah, it’s easy to get caught up in the lifestyle of a stereotypical rock star, but were in it for the music.

So how has the increased success made you feel then?

Sera: I don’t think I can even put it into words! It’s the best feeling in the world! Like Luke said, it’s easy to get caught up into things, but as long as you know what you want and you surround yourself with the right people you can get to where you want to be. As a person I don’t feel any different because of the success, we wouldn’t change ourselves for anyone. I just feel so thankful that we have been given the chance to share what we love doing.

Rob:  It doesn’t feel real how much we’ve accomplished this year, I’m not saying that we haven’t worked hard for it And that we don’t deserve it, but hardly any bands are given the opportunities to do the things that we have and I feel blessed at how far we’ve come. We wouldn’t be here without Sera’s lyrics, and with them, the strive of the band and simply being at the right place at the right time, we can do what we love and it’s incredible.

Luke: Our fan base is so inspiring! That’s been one of the best things for me! And I’m grateful for how close we are as band, we’re like a family and if it wasn’t for how close we all are we wouldn’t be here today!

Mark: It makes me feel weird but amazing at the same time, I never thought I would be part of something like this, something so big! It can be stressful at times, it gets hard with everyone  thinking they know everything about you, and I think I can speak on the behalf of the whole band, that sometimes we just need a break.

What do think is different about ‘Us and the lung’ in 2010?

Mark: well apart from the success we’ve had, I think we’ve generally changed as people, before it was about the fun, well it still is, but were definitely more serious about things now.

Sera: As a person I’m more confident, I know what I can and cant do, but I just keep trying. As a band I think were all closer, and know each other more, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for these guys.

Mark: we’ve learnt that each one of us is very different, and thought it was a bad thing, but realizing that actually, there isn’t anything wrong with it was a really good point for the band, we’ve learnt to work together in a more positive way and it’s given us a great record.

Luke: It’s nice to watch the band grow but us within it to grow too. We’re still young and want to do our own thing, but were dedicated to this together and I feel that nothing can break that now.

How does it feel being away from your families a lot of the time?

Sera: now that is one thing that breaks my heart, I have always been close my family but being away from them has made us closer, I call my mum everyday, she inspires me in so much and supports me in everything I do,  I don’t appreciate anything as much as I do my family. This year I’ve been lucky enough to bring my best friend Jade on tour too. She’s always wanted to visit America so I organized for her to come to the warped tour. It felt amazing to be able to do something like that for someone.

Mark: It gets really tough being away from them, and being on tour has given me some of the loneliest moments of my life, but when I’m sat feeling sorry for myself I just think about the things I have and how lucky I am, Sometimes that’s all you need to do. Being in a relationship is also hard when you’re always touring but I have a girlfriend that’s amazing enough to understand that this is what I love.

Rob:  Although I miss my family everyday, I think about the fact that I’m making a better life for them, I can get them things that I wouldn’t of been able to get them before. I know presents don’t make up for being away all the time but it feels good to be able to give something back. I’ve found that relationships are hard to maintain in  this position though, you need to find someone that understands this lifestyle and its difficult.

Luke: I never really realized how much my family mean to me until we started touring other country’s, an I’m lucky enough to have the people in my life that I do, it’s good to have the support. It’s also made me appreciate my band mates more. Its good to be able to have someone who knows exactly how you feel.

As a band, do you think that being in the limelight you’re under a lot of pressure?

Sera: Sort of,  because we want to set a good example to our fans . I try my best to communicate with fans through things like twitter and inform them on what the band is up to, but no matter what I say on there, there’s always somebody who has something to negative to say about it. I cant please everybody, and at the end of the day I am who I am I cant change myself just because someone doesn’t like what I say.

Rob: I’ve definitely noticed that since the success of our last album and more people know who we are, more and more people look up to us. When you get into this industry, no one says that your job is to be a good role model, but you kind of feel like you have to.

Mark: Yeah, it’s easy to get involved with wrong sort of things sometimes, where people will complain about you, but were young, were learning and were just trying to have fun everyone mistakes.

How are you hoping 2011 will top your amazing 2010?

Sera: I honestly cant ask for anything more! This year has been so incredible and I’ve accomplished so much. I think were just going to have a break from each other for a while, as mush I love the rest of the band, it gets a bit tiring being surrounded by the same people all of the time. I also want to take some time to spend with the rest of my family, that I hardly ever see. Even though I’m living my dream there’s so much I’m missing out on . But seriously, what more could I ask for?

Rob: I agree, we’ve spoke as a band that we al just want to do our own thing for a while. Being in a band is not our only hobby, we have other interests, which no one gets to really see, which I guess is good it’s one of the small pieces of privacy we have left. I know that after taking some time off we’ll want to get straight back into it again though.

Mark: It’s quite hard to think about the future when everything in this industry is uncertain, we just try to take one step at a time, and focus on what were doing at that moment in time. Personally I want to try and settle down and sort of get my act together, buy a house, things like that. It’s okay to be able to go home to parents when you’ve finished touring, but I want to be doing this for a long time, and I want my own home to go to.

Luke: after this year I’m honestly ready to take on anything, I’ve grown up so much! We’re being careful about what we agree to as band because all we want to do is take some time out. Who knows, 2011 might be even better! But I cant think of anything that can top the things that happened this year.