Wild Beasts Weather Touring Woes Around the World

Wild Beasts frontman Hayden Thorpe tells Spinner that his band's recent world tour, which included stops in the US, Australia and Europe, was packed with highly memorable experiences. While Thorpe says that it was "a joy to celebrate" the release of the British indie band's 2009 sophomore album, 'Two Dancers,' on the road, he admitted that the tour was not without its very unique problems.

At a February show in Los Angeles, for instance, drummer Chris Talbot badly threw out his back and couldn't walk. "We had to carry him to the drum kit," says Thorpe, "and afterward we had to carry him to his bed." Despite the setback, the band's first L.A. show went off without a hitch. "The audience blew us away," says Thorpe. "It was like a Hollywood reaction, if that exists."


Later on the tour, bassist Tom Fleming was stricken with food poisoning while at a service station one night in Holland. Because officials at the station assumed that he was just another drunken bystander coming from Amsterdam, Fleming and the band had to wait six hours before receiving any kind of help.

"We had to cancel our show that night, and we were lucky not to have to cancel the tour," says Thorpe.

Fortunately, Wild Beasts have soldiered on and kicked off a string of festival sets this summer. Following overseas appearances at Glastonbury, Roskilde and Latitude Festival, the band will return to the US to play Lollapalooza on Aug. 7.

Out of all of the band's festival appearances this summer, Thorpe is especially looking forward to Green Man Festival, which comes to Brecon Beacons, Wales on Aug. 21 and features the Flaming Lips and Joanna Newsom among its headliners.

"I saw [Joanna Newsom] at one of her first shows for 'Have One on Me' and now I know the ins and outs of the album, so I can't wait for that," Thorpe says. "It's every musician's dream to be the top name of a festival, but with Joanna and the Flaming Lips playing, I wouldn't want to be after them."