Interview by Kris Peters
California based party starters Drain have had a love affair with Australia ever since making their debut visit as support to Comeback Kid in early 2023. So much so that the band has been here once a year since then, and is set to continue that trend when they hit our shores as part of New Bloom Festival with Balance & Composure from March 8.
Not only that, the good time hardcore outfit have also announced a string of sideshows with One Step Closer, kicking off a couple of days earlier on the Sunshine Coast on March 6.
Drain have quickly built a reputation based around their fun-tinged live performances, throwing the world of hardcore on its head by treating the music as an outlet for good times and frivolity rather than the pure state of aggression for which it has become known. With a recent album Living Proof to promote, plus a yearly obligation to fulfil, frontman Sammy Ciaramitaro joined HEAVY to fill in the blanks.
"It wasn't at first, it was just for fun," Sammy replied when we ask if Drain first started having fun with the crowds to combat the seriousness and aggression of hardcore music. "We lived by the beach and I said hey, I'll bring a boogie board to the show, it will be kinda sick. Eventually, at a certain point, we stopped, but other people would bring them in (laughs). It's still fun. But at a certain point with the pool noodles people actually hit the guitar strings so we can't play. I still have fun with it but now we just turn up. We're gonna bring the energy. We bring what we bring, you bring what you bring, and we're gonna collectively rock it out. Whatever that looks like. It might be a little different every day. It was just to have a good time. We did it for fun, but now what we like more than anything is stage dives and when people sing along. That's my favourite part."
In the full interview Sammy talks more about what fans can expect from their shows, the importance of enjoying your music, One Step Closer and why they were chosen as supports, what he loves most about Australia, the early days of Drain, new music and more.