Forever Starts Here
PHOTO CREDIT: GEORGIA MOLONEY
Sydney pop punk band Forever Ends Here, have announced they are reuniting and hitting the road again for The Return Of Forever Ends Here Tour this July. FEH have even recorded fresh music for the occasion with the release of their first new music in five years, the new track ‘Cherry Chapstick’. We caught up with Forever Ends Here Vocalist and Guitarist Luke McChesney to ask him about the reformation of FEH, what fans can look forward to seeing on The Return Of Forever Ends Here Tour and if there is more new music to come.
It’s been five years since Forever Ends Here called it a day, was a reformation at some point always on the cards?
I think a one-off was always on the cards, but we never knew it’d turn into what it’s become now. The end of this year marks 10 years since we released From Where I’d Rather Be, which really is the EP that kicked things into motion for us and such a pivotal moment in the band’s career. We’d always spoken candidly about doing a one off club show for the anniversary, but the more we spoke about it, the idea grew into much much more.
“the scene has lost some great bands recently and I think people have been craving a bit of nostalgia. We have too”
What made now the right time to come together again?
When we split up in 2018 we were all in our early 20s. We were at an age where we were starting to live out of home and we had to consider what our career paths would be if not music. Sadly music does not cover rent as comfortably as you’d hope. We’ve had time now to set up our lives a little more. We’ve worked really hard to be in a position where we can now maintain that stability and pursue the band simultaneously. It’s really the first realistic opportunity we’ve had to give it another go. On top of that, the scene has lost some great bands recently and I think people have been craving a bit of nostalgia. We have too. To put it all simply: it finally felt right again.
For those that haven’t heard your music before, what genre box do you put yourselves into?
This is an interesting question coming out of a 5 year hiatus. Towards the end of FEH I think we let industry advice reshape us a little too much and we got confused with what genre we really were. Looking back and now having the opportunity to make more music - I’d say we’re a pop punk band with a pop rock twist. That’s how we started and that’s what makes sense.
The band is hitting the road for the Return of Forever Ends Here tour in July, are you excited to be touring together and playing live shows again?
Excited is an understatement. Myself and Mav have played a handful of shows with our band Everchange since the last FEH tour, but that’s a different ball park. There’s been an FEH show sized void in my heart for years now haha. We can’t wait.
“We’re playing old songs, some deep cuts, some personal favourites, some fan favourites and more. ”
What can diehard fans look forward to experiencing at these new shows?
This is the most amount of work we’ve ever put into a live show. We’re playing old songs, some deep cuts, some personal favourites, some fan favourites and more. So much thought has gone into crafting the flow of the set, the arrangements of the songs and above all else, how we can make this feel like a reunion for not just us, but for everyone who has supported us along the way. I think there’s going to be a really special vibe in the room.
You have Perth’s Those Who Dream and Melbourne’s Belle Haven as supports for the tour, is this your first time working together?
We’ve known Those Who Dream for years now. They were actually supposed to play a show with us in Perth about 7 or 8 years ago, but the show was cancelled for reasons out of our control. We’ve kept in touch the whole time and catch up whenever Josh and Hazel are in Sydney. They felt like the perfect fit for the tour and we’re stoked to have them on board. Belle Haven are fresh company for us which is exciting! I’ve been chatting with David and we’re both stoked on the concept of a mix genre bill. I love all the latest music they’ve been putting out and I think our crowd will feel the same.
“There’s been an FEH show sized void in my heart for years now ”
Where was your first gig as Forever Ends Here? Was it a success or flop?
I have 2 answers for this. Technically speaking, our first show was a yard show in a friends backyard with about 20-30 people. It was sloppy as all hell so for our adult standards it would’ve been a flop, but we were teenagers stoked to be playing music. Our first proper show was a month later supporting Tonight Alive at the Annandale Hotel. Iconic venue and an iconic Aussie band who we shared some great memories. That one was a definite success.
Your bio talks of the growth you made over the last five years in regard to your musical abilities, does this mean we can look forward to new music from Forever Ends Here?
Definitely! We just released our comeback single “Cherry Chapstick” which i think is a great taste of what’s to come for FEH. Since the FEHWell tour, I spent some time in LA writing with some incredible songwriters and producers. I learned a shit tone. I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a writer and I’m so excited to continue applying that to FEH.
“We plan on jumping straight back into new music when this tour is over!”
Is there a release date yet for the new music?
At the moment we just have Cherry Chapstick which is available everywhere now. We’d hoped to get into the studio again right away but tour prep has been taking up all of our time. We plan on jumping straight back into new music when this tour is over!
Will the new music be a continuation of your pre-breakup music or an evolution?
I’d say it’s a continuation of 2014~2015 FEH with a modern sensibility to it. We’re excited to explore new ideas but it has to feel like FEH.
With a career that has already spanned from 2011 – 2018, what’s been the highlight so far personally? And why?
For me it would have to be our tour with Simple Plan in 2016. Crazy that it’s been 7 years. “No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls” was the first album I ever owned and I remember queuing all day to be front row at a Simple Plan show when I was only 11. That tour was a full circle moment for us and they were so lovely and welcoming. I turned 20 at one of the Melbourne shows so they brought me out on stage during their set to have the crowd sing me happy birthday. I walked backstage and cried happy tears for the first time ever haha. We also got to play some major bucket-list venues!
“Everything is so much more compact but still sounds great. Although that could just be that we were teenagers with no money back then so we couldn’t afford decent gear ”
Have you noticed any changes or differences in making music and the industry itself now that your back amongst it?
Definitely! Everything feels a lot more collaborative now. Back when we started it felt like co-writing was frowned upon. You weren’t credible unless you wrote everything yourself. Nowadays people are so much more excited to get in a studio together and share ideas which I love. Technology has come a long way too. It still feels crazy to me that we’re about to play an FEH tour with no guitar amps on stage haha. Everything is so much more compact but still sounds great. Although that could just be that we were teenagers with no money back then so we couldn’t afford decent gear haha!
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
We have quite a small crew for this reunion, but we owe a hell of a lot of credit to Jayden Roy - our booking agent. Jayden worked with the band many many years ago but we went separate ways before the band split. He’s now a part of Destroy All Lines and once he caught wind that we were open to a reunion he fought so hard to make it happen. It’s another full circle moment for both parties. We only get one shot at a reunion tour and we wanted it to be perfect, so we’ve been extremely picky and I’m sure Jayden’s wanted to tear our hair out a few times already haha. But he’s been working tirelessly to make this tour happen and we’re super appreciative!
“We’ve got all of our energy funneling into this tour at the moment but it certainly won’t be the last of us”
What's next for Forever Ends Here, what’s in the pipeline?
We’ve got all of our energy funneling into this tour at the moment but it certainly won’t be the last of us. We’ll be taking a very short break after tour for Kane to get Married (that’s news since the last FEH shows!) and then we’ll be working on new music, ready to come into next year with a bang. There’s cities we still need to visit and bands we’re looking forward to finally playing with. I’m excited for the future of Forever Ends Here
Tickets on sale now for The Return Of Forever Ends Here via Destroy All Lines.
Watch Cherry Chapstick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxxrBJngB38
Interview by Michelle Symes
June 2023