I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN
I Killed the Prom Queen (IKTPQ) were the leaders of Australia's metalcore scene. Their decision to call it a day in 2007 left their extremely loyal fan base shocked and dismayed. Fortunately, the Adelaide group have announced one last tour so they can say goodbye and thank you properly. Natalie Lorenz got nostalgic with guitarist Kevin Cameron.
IKTPQ has definitely become one of Australia's premier and finest hardcore/metal acts over the past eight years, and won't be forgotten in a hurry - how does that make you feel? It's great. We had a lot of stuff against us in the early days because the roads were not yet made for this kind of music or on the level IKTPQ and other bands can sit at comfortably now. We were a lot of people's introduction to hardcore/metal in Australia, and that inspired a lot of kids to start their own bands and get into live music as a whole.
What band did you wish you were in when you were young and impressionable? Silverchair! I was obsessed with them from ages 9-12, and that's the first reason I became vegan.
Do you remember your first gig with IKTPQ? Yeah, it was in Melbourne many years ago. It was a really intense, packed-in show and it still stands out even though we did a million gigs after that.
If you could do it all over again, would you still go through with the transition of Michael Crafter on vocals to Ed Butcher? Touchy subject, ha ha. I don't know. I think about it a lot. On a personal level our relationship with Michael didn't really alter; just at the time, in a band environment, it wasn't working so it felt right to rectify it. Unfortunately, this didn't work out to be the best decision in the long run, but hey, we gave it a shot and had a good run.
Was it a heartbreaking decision to end a band you were dedicated to right from the beginning? The band had pretty much been on tour non-stop for the past year or so when we decided on it, thus we were all run down. It was almost a breath of fresh air like, 'Yes, some time off!'. It took a week or so to sink in, when I think we all realised it was over and we would have to adapt to "normal" lives after being on the move constantly.
Have you got anything to say to all the IKTPQ fans who have stuck by you throughout the years? Obviously, a huge thank you. In retrospect, I've met so many kind people and had so many kind things said towards me and the band for just playing guitar for half an hour a night. It's awesome that so many people were into it. I guess I was naive to the fact during the time the band was running, but looking back it was all a great experience. So yeah, thanks everyone! Stay metal, go vegan!
June 5 at the Lake Kawana Community Centre, Sunshine Coast (all ages), June 6 at the Ashmore PCYC, Gold Coast, June 7 & 8 at Club 299, Brisbane (under 18 - 12pm, over 18 - 7pm). All shows with Bring Me The Horizon (UK), The Red Shore and The Ghost Inside (USA). |
