soundCHECK 38 – March 18th 2010

The blueprint for taking the rock and roll bull by the horns in North Devon has been torn up and redrafted by Severe:Zero.

They’ve only gone and booked a US tour.

“We’ve got a gig the night we fly in – it’s gonna be mad”.

I’m talking to Luke Bond from the aforementioned post-hardcore heroes. Their tour starts with three nights in New York. New York! If I had the chance to take to the stage in the Big Apple the rest of my life would just be a footnote. I could die happy.

“We’ve been saying we wanted to do it for ages,” explains Bond of the band’s aspirations. “We thought ‘Why not just get out there?’ At the beginning of January we got serious about it.”

But how did they book the tour? The pastoral vistas of North Devon are about as far dissevered from the bright lights and yellow taxis of NYC as is imaginable.

“I’ve been working my backside off. It’s all about phone calls. Loads and loads of phone calls.” Bond reels off his tour-prep routine at dizzying speed. “Emailing MP3s, posting demos, ringing promoters, checking routes, checking venue specs, checking the venue’s right for the date.”

It sounds epic. But a chance encounter with Jason Gruen of US based Prelude Publishing ten years ago made everything that little bit easier. The story of their relationship is one of online romance, but not the kind you’re thinking.

“He’s just a random guy I met on the internet. He messaged us through MySpace saying he liked our music and we’ve kept in touch. I’ve met him a few times, he’s a really nice guy.”

It would seem there’s another hero in this trans-Atlantic gig-booking frenzy: British Telecom. “For £5 a month I get 10 hours of calls to the US”. Perfect.

But saving money on calls is one thing. Funding a tour is quite another.

“We’re paying for it completely off our own backs. We’ve saved up, paid for our flights, and hired an RV.” And well may it sound trite, but the fact that the Severe:Zero boys are prepared to book and fund their own US tour speaks volumes about their ambition and resolute DIY attitude.

Their last gig on these shores is next Friday (26th) at Inn On The Square in Barnstaple. They’ll be hoping to get as many people through the doors as possible to help make sure they don’t waste away in the US. Do what’s right and show your face. Not just because Severe:Zero are a goosebump-bringing, adrenaline-spiking live proposition, but because you’ll be doing your bit for one of North Devon’s most rousing and talented bands. Support comes in the capable form of Moving Targets (myspace.com/movingtargetsuk).

As my conversation with Bond ends, I ask how he’s feeling about his impending adventures. “I’m really excited. I just want to make sure we make the most of it and have a blast,” he explains. But then he reigns himself in with the poise of a man with steely determination. “But I’m worried if I get excited I’ll get sloppy. I can’t let that happen.”

Anyone that’s ever seen Severe:Zero perform live will know he has little to worry about.