RSJ STAFF

This year, Mood Indigo, the iconic festival organized by the good people at IIT Mumbai, will host Simple Plan, those colossal modern punks all the way from Canada, who shall perform at an IIT near you. Mark your calendars, for December 22 is the day when they make their debut in India, and it’s all set to be an explosive gig.

And a little known fact – these guys have been together, no line-up changes or anything, since their inception way back in 1999. How’s that even possible? Well, simple really: turns out they’re all well brought up kids, and they’ve learnt how to keep their egos in check. Oh, and hours of group therapy, apparently! Check out our exclusive interview with the guys from Simple Plan, as they elaborate on their plans for future releases, the thrill of touring and lots more.

RSJ: What can one expect from your gig at IIT Mumbai for Mood Indigo? What’s in store for audiences who will be travelling from far and wide to see you guys live?

Simple Plan: A crazy rock show. We play all the fan favourites from all the albums, and try to turn the shows in to a big party. There's gonna be singing, and dancing… And we always keep a few surprises.

RSJ: Anything special planned for your first concert in India?

Simple Plan: We plan to enjoy the country as much as we can for the little bit of time we will spend there. Make friends, and eat some good food! We love going to new places. We were delighted when we got invited to play. 

RSJ: Aside from the gig itself, what else are you looking forward to on your visit to India? Any particular places you plan to see?

Simple Plan: I just want to walk around and soak it in. It's fun to see the big monuments and famous structures, but it's also great to meet some people and do what the locals do. 

RSJ: Are you working on a new album after the release of Get Your Heart On?

Simple Plan: We will very soon. The big 18-month tour just ended. We will take a few months to get back into “real life mode”, and then we'll start writing again. 

RSJ: How have you managed to survive the pitfalls of rockstardom and touring and performing and stayed together for so many years? What are some of the more fun things about touring?

Simple Plan: We keep ourselves grounded. And I guess we were well raised by our parents. None of us have enormous egos. That helps. And about touring, it's all about traveling, meeting the fans and playing shows! That's pretty much what we do every day. 

RSJ: In all these years, you’ve managed to steer clear of any line-up changes within the band. How have you managed to do that, especially today where bands goes through numerous changes? Has it been a conscious effort to do the same or did it just happen organically?

Simple Plan: Long hours in therapy. We solve problems as they come. We've gotten really good at it throughout the years. 

RSJ: You guys have stayed true to your sound over the years. Are there any plans of experimentation in the pipeline or are you sticking with the modern punk sound that you were so instrumental in bringing to the mainstream?

Simple Plan: I think we've experimented with every album. Or course, we sound like Simple Plan, but we have some ballads, some fast songs, some beats, some reggae, some heavy songs, some emotional songs… We do our thing, but it's important for us to have a wide spectrum. 

RSJ: Where does Simple Plan go from here? What’s the plan for the future (apologies for the terrible pun)?

Simple Plan: Ha!

We will keep putting out albums for as long as people care to come see us. There's gonna be a new album in the near future. We'll take the time to write it very soon.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity