Interview by Kris Peters
Australian metal outfit Dream On Dreamer were an international sensation in the early part of this decade, playing, amongst other things, 24 different countries and sharing the stage with bands such as Avenged Sevenfold, Pierce The Veil, Memphis May Fire, A Day To Remember and plenty more.
With four chart-topping albums to their name, including the highly successful Loveless (2013), it seemed the world was there for Dream On Dreamer's taking.
Until, seemingly out of the blue, the band announced that they would be parting ways after eleven years together in February 2020, citing the need to focus on their personal lives. It came as a shock to their fans far and wide, with the April 2020 album What If I Told You It Doesn't Get Better threatening to be the last we would hear of this promising band.
In June 2023 fans received the news they had been hoping for when Dream On Dreamer announced they would be reforming for a national headlining tour which dutifully sold tickets by the bucketful and ensured Dream On Dreamer now had a reason to remain.
That decision was vindicated later that year when Dream On Dreamer were announced - along with Sienna Skies - as national supports for Of Mice & Men on their 2024 Australian tour, reportedly hand-picked by the band themselves for the honour.
Now, with only weeks remaining before the first show kicks off in Adelaide on February 23, HEAVY managed to track down guitarist Zach Britt to find out how the band is feeling about the upcoming tour and what they have planned for the near future.
"We're pretty pumped," he enthused about the tour. "It's been a while since we had a run on the field. We've been on the bench a little while and we're really excited. We're excited to get out there and stretch our legs again. It's always fun just hanging out, especially as we've gotten older and not toured non-stop all the time. It's really nice when we get to do it now, and we appreciate every time. Of Mice & Men are such heavy hitters… it's a privilege when you get to play with bands like that. I think the more we've grown up now, the more we appreciate these tours. There was a lot of tours that we didn't really take stock while we were there, and now I think back to a lot of them and think 'oh my God, I wish I was a little more present minded' (laughs). I think now we're just excited to make the most of it and get out there."
In the full interview, Zach talks more about the tour and what is expected of Dream On Dreamer as a band, being personally selected for the Of Mice & Men shows and how that feels, having two Australian bands as supports and the flow on effects for Australian music, how he controls the nerves leading into shows of this magnitude, the band's fresh approach to playing and touring and how he thinks it will benefit them in the future, announcing the comeback last year and what changed to make the band try again, how it felt to be welcomed back with open arms by the fans, proving a point to themselves and others, new music, future plans and more.