Entertainment
Pierce The Veil’s Vic Fuentes on their return, UK tour and ‘beautiful experience’ of Living the Dream Foundation-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro
‘We felt stuck for so long.’
Pierce The Veil are back with a UK tour and new album on the way, after a long time out of the spotlight (Picture: Celina Kenyon)
Pierce The Veil have returned after a six-year hiatus, and are feeling ‘grateful’ the fans are still there for them.
The rock band had enjoyed major success on the scene since bursting onto the alternative charts in 2006, with six albums and countless tours under their belt.
Their biggest success, 2012 single King for A Day featuring Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn, found renewed popularity this summer when pop queen Lizzo shared a video of herself lipsyncing to the track on TikTok, helping lay the foundations for PTV to announce their return.
The group had been out of the spotlight following the departure of founding member Mike Fuentes, who left in 2017 following accusations of sexual misconduct; no public charges were brought against him and the band said at the time they were ‘respecting his decision’ to step back.
Remaining members Vic Fuentes, Tony Perry and Jaime Preciado are now preparing for the release of upcoming album The Jaws Of Life, as well as a UK tour that will bring them across the island.
Speaking to Metro.co.uk, Vic contemplated the busy schedule PTV have coming up, with the album release, his birthday, and the due date of his baby girl coming within days of each other in February – and admits they didn’t know how fans would react to their return.
‘We’re happy to be moving forward, to have forward momentum in the band and in life in general. We felt stuck for so long, it’s nice to be putting out music,’ he says.
‘I’m very relieved and excited and refreshed. And grateful too.’
The band are now a three-piece following the departure of drummer Mike Fuentes (Picture: Celina Kenyon)
Vic admits they were ‘unsure what was going to happen’ when they announced their comeback, and has been bowled over with the ‘kind of support’ people are showing.
‘It started with King For A Day going viral all over again, just as we were getting ready to put out new music. That kicked things off in such a fun and exciting and unexpected way.’
‘We’re super grateful that everyone is listening and that our fans have stuck with us and we’ve somehow gained some new fans in this process. We’re so relieved and grateful to be back. We were away for so long, we have a new appreciation for recording and live shows, and even just being in the same room together is so nice.’
As well as the old-school fans who have ‘stuck with’ the band, Vic says they’re noticing more and more that new people have discovered their music, saying it’s ‘super exciting.’
‘At our shows, we might ask if there’s anyone in the crowd where this is their first experience, and like 75% of the crowd just goes nuts. It’s like, wow – all these people who have been waiting to see us live. It’s something that will make your band feel re-energised and fresh.’
The three-piece are preparing for their sold-out UK tour which will take them across the island, with dates in Wales, Scotland and England, including two nights in London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town, which Vic says is ‘really important.’
‘We always want to keep coming back to the UK and playing over there. It’s a really important place to us – these UK shows are important to us.’
PTV are eagerly anticipating their return to the UK , with Vic saying it’s a ‘special place’ for them (Picture: Getty Images)
And while the gigs take place months before The Jaws Of Life is set to release, Vic teases they’ll likely have some new music out before then.
‘The whole album is done so we’re just trying to choose which ones we want to reveal to everyone first, to give everyone a good overview of the vibe of the record,’ he explains. ‘That will happen pretty soon.’
‘We put out Pass the Nirvana first, we wanted to come out with something that felt confident and had some high energy. Something a bit aggressive, to kick the door down and remind people that we’re back. It felt like the right song.’
Pierce The Veil are making their return amid a huge revival of the emo scene, and recently performed at When We Were Young Festival alongside juggernauts such as My Chemical Romance and Jimmy Eat World.
Reflecting on the energy of the shows, Vic said ‘it’s such a testament to how long we’ve been a band, how die-hard our fans are, how we’ve become a part of each other’s lives in this big way. When We Were Young was a good example of how big the genre is, how powerful it is, how deeply ingrained it is in people’s lives and how important it is to people.
‘It was really cool to see. When we first started the band the whole thing felt underground, it felt like counterculture and subculture. But to see the lasting impact of it and what it’s done and how many people it’s touched, it’s pretty amazing.’
As well as fronting Pierce the Veil, Vic is co-chairman and CEO for charity Living The Dream, which helps create ‘dream days’ for children and young adults battling life-threatening illnesses, and helps them spend time with their favourite bands.
The UK tour comes after the band played massive nostalgia-fest When We Were Young alongside the likes of My Chemical Romance (Picture: Getty Images)
The band had been involved with the organisation ‘long before’ Vic took over the reins, and he describes it as a ‘beautiful experience.’
‘We would meet [these kids] and hang out with them and they would watch us from the stage. It was a really tangible beautiful experience. We became hooked on Living The Dream because it was so real and we got to see it. We loved it.’
As co-chairman, Vic’s work involves taking young people having ‘a really rough ride’ … ‘to meet their favourite bands, watch from stage, have a full VIP experience.
‘It’s all about giving them a once-in-a-lifetime experience, to give them hope, and inspire them and energise them.
‘It’s amazing for the guest, it’s amazing for the band, everyone has a good time, It’s really easy to do too. Because we’re in the industry, it’s a matter of texting a friend and asking them to meet this kid. It’s such an easy thing but it makes such a huge impact.’
Asked if there was a particular memory from his time leading Living The Dream that was special to him, Vic recalled teenager Emily, whose story he happened across while watching the local news in his home town.
‘I saw her parents were doing a charity motorcycle ride for her, as she was going through cancer. I was just like “I think we can help her, I think we can do a Dream Day for her.”
‘I reached out and explained the programme and said “if you ever want to meet anybody we’d love to help out.” And she told me she loves blackbear. So we hit up blackbear and he was totally down and we ended up doing a Zoom hang with the two of them. He invited her out to a concert and gave her all these gifts and stuff.
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‘She was super special. She passed away about a month ago, she lost her battle. But she was so special and we were really happy to be able to do that and to meet her.
‘She really touched our lives and I’m sure she did blackbear’s as well.’
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