While befriending Hayley had once seemed like an unbelievably far-fetched goal for Meet Me @ The Altar, the U.S. pop-punk stars have been ticking off plenty of meaningful bucket-list items since their 2020 breakthrough. From releasing eagerly-awaited debut album Past // Present // Future earlier this year, to performing on late-night TV in America, touring non-stop and leaving a lasting impression on listeners like Aubree who are just beginning their journey into rock, the band are continuing to enjoy a whirlwind trajectory – one that’s keeping them constantly surprised, and yet impressively focused.
“We know first-hand what it feels like to be on the other end of that: to be the one inspired by someone else,” says Edith. “And it’s really, really cool that we get to be in that position now. And when it’s in-person, it’s really cool to give those fans that experience that we wished that we could have had.”
It’s an ambition the band will continue to realise throughout 2023, having also recently landed a support slot with Aussie pop-rock titans 5 Seconds Of Summer, touring arenas across Meet Me @ The Altar’s home country.
“We luckily have a lot of people that we work with that are close with 5SOS, and we’re very fortunate that some of them put in a good word – our team were on it, because that’s a dream tour of ours,” Téa says, gratefully. “We were just sitting around with our fingers crossed hoping that we’d get picked. Things in the mainstream world always take a long time – it’s so slow. And we were like, ‘Shoot, they’ve probably already picked someone else…’ but people said, ‘No, just hold out.’ And then we got it!”
“When we first formed, 5SOS were the band at the time,” Ada enthuses. “We always looked up to their success, and it was amazing that that could have happened. And then it’s the biggest plus in the world that we get to play Madison Square Garden, The Forum in LA… We get to play all of these huge venues that we grew up hearing about, and seeing these huge bands sell out. And now we get to be there with them! Literally the entire tour is just a dream come true. It’s amazing.”
“There’s lots of good, nervous energy going into this tour, because this is the biggest thing we’ve ever done,” Téa agrees. “It’s really cool that we continue to get opportunities that put us in a bigger spot and help us keep moving forward. We’ve been, and are continuing to be, very busy, so it’s a little chaotic. But at the same time, we’ve been doing this for a while, to get to where it’s now home for us.”
How do you mentally and emotionally prepare for a tour like this, though?
“Well, we all have our different methods,” grins Téa, “but I like to watch previous videos of the headliner’s set to really put myself in the space, and what we’re getting into. I don’t think we’re prepared for the amount of screaming we’re gonna hear, every single night.
“I’m not gonna lie,” she laughs, “after watching those videos, it made me shit my pants a little bit!”