On Somehow Avoiding Negative YouTube Comments

Brisbane based punk/hardcore outfit Stepson have just released a slamming new single Come With Me to much fanfare. The song's dramatic accompanying video raced to an astounding number of YouTube plays within a short period of time and the band's bassist/vocalist Jayden Ridley, speaking from his home town of Casino on the far north coast of New South Wales, is just as happy with something that it didn't achieve.  

"It's been really good so far, we're loving the response," he enthuses. "It got 20,000 hits on YouTube on the first day. And I don't think I've seen a negative comment about it. The internet's usually a pretty tough place. YouTube comments hurt my head sometimes, so we're doing all right." 

The band have been extremely busy in their brief three years of existence, releasing multiple EPs and singles on top of extensive touring, and they have now made the decision to take the next big step as a band. "We're currently writing and working on our debut full-length, which is pretty exciting," he reveals. "So this is the first taste of what's to come. In saying that, this single is not the album single, it's just a standalone song at the moment. But we're working towards the full-length, which we're hoping to record at the end of the year." 

Before that happens, however, the band have a major tour to get through in support of the new single, and this takes them through to mid-August and covers much of the Eastern Seaboard. "They'll be the biggest headline sets we've done," he says, "so we're planning a few extra goodies to try to step up the live show and really make it something special, something we haven't done before." 

Any hints on what those new "goodies" might be? "We're just going to try to step up the production," he states, "and bring in a few older songs that we haven't played in a while. And then of course we've got the new single. It's all still a work in progress, but it should be fun." 

Ridley is just as excited about the line-up they are taking out on the road with them, especially since he and the band are fans of more varied bills; bills that don't feature soundalike band after soundalike band. "The thing about us is that we all really enjoy mixed bills," he says. "There's nothing worse than going to a show and watching the same band four times in a row with different band members.  

"We've got Stateside who are a female-fronted rock band, and then there's Aburden, who are a pretty exciting up-and-coming band." 

He feels that his band grows another leg live, beyond their studio recordings, while still ensuring that they get up close and personal with their fans. "If you like our songs on the recording, they're even better live," he opines. "We're a big band on being intimate and involving the crowd. So if you like our songs and know the words, come and sing them with us."