KEY POINTS:
Canadian band Alexisonfire are named after a porn star, play heavy tunes like Boiled Frogs and generally sound like the kind of guys you don't want to get on the wrong side of. But they're pretty good at making friends.
"There's a certain camaraderie that comes with playing
in bands," says the band's screamer, George Pettit. "We make friends with lots of bands, especially Canadian bands. You find the cool locals and try to help them out because it's tough getting out there."
Since forming five years ago when all their other bands "failed simultaneously", Pettit and fellow vocalist Dallas Green, guitarist Wade MacNeil, drummer Jesse Ingelevics and bassist Chris Steele have been getting out there the old-fashioned way: through constant touring.
They are now signed to a US label and have won fans through festivals such as the Warped Tour, and gigs throughout Europe with Rise Against.
On Tuesday, they make their New Zealand debut as the headline act at SolidSonic, the inaugural, punk-rock and hardcore "mini-festival" at the Studio, with Kiwi bands the Rabble, City Newton Bombers and the Bleeders.
The band's third album Crisis, a splintering collection of hardcore, hints at what should be an explosive live show.
"We give it 110 per cent. It's all pay-off," says Pettit. "When I was a kid and going to shows, I went because it was this huge release. It didn't matter what happened that week, I could just go out, rock and have a great time.
"And that's what I feel like we're trying to provide. We just keep it real upbeat and real fast and play a lot of bangers and get kids singing along. There's no rock posturing, there's no costume changes, it's just bare bones."
It's a gig made possible by the surge in popularity of the screamo genre, says Pettit. If you had to pin them down, which he's loath to do, Alexisonfire tend towards a more straight-up hardcore sound, incorporating elements of punk-rock, emo-core and pop.
But his vicious screaming is tempered by Green's more soulful style, a contrast that is particularly obvious on a song like Mailbox Arson. Even their MySpace bio says they sound like "a guy with a pretty voice getting into an argument with a guy who is kind of upset about things".
Obviously, Pettit's ain't the pretty voice. "Oh y'know, when someone gets in your car and tries to change all the presets on the radio I get upset," he deadpans.
"And I get really bummed out when I hear Paris Hilton on the radio. There's lots of things to be upset about but I'm in too good a mood to go into it."
He has only lost his voice once, he says, and that was on their second American tour. He must have the right screaming technique. "I guess so. If the right technique is slamming beers and staying up late. That's not my advice to people. You should probably do stuff for [your voice] but I'm the wrong person to ask."
The band's collective good mood is another defining aspect of Alexisonfire, who usually look pretty goofy in their photos. The name is just as funny unless you happen to be looking them up on Google, in which case you get a whole lot of info on a lactating contortionist.
"We're constantly taking the piss out of one another and joking around. When you're within arms' reach of people over five years, you develop a really warped sense of humour. There's loads of laughs going all the time. We all get along really well. So we always try to present the fun, funny side."
