Child Bite are joining King Parrot on a regional rampage

After stomping their way through the nation’s capital cities last December in support of their devastating new album ‘Ugly Produce’, King Parrot retain their insatiable work ethic announcing a new edition of their ‘Regional Rampage’ Tour for 2018. Lucky for us, they’re bringing USA’s Child Bite along for the ride on their first ever visit to Australia after releasing ‘Negative Noise’ on Housecore Records in 2017. We chat to Child Bite’s vocalist Shawn Knight.
Hey, thanks for taking the time to chat with Forte. Welcome to Australia! How did it come about for you guys to join King Parrot on their regional tour? Have you toured together before?
We’ve actually toured with King Parrot quite a bit in the States, roughly 80 shows together I believe. We always have a great time together. This regional rampage is so extensive ‘cause Youngy and the guys wanted us to get the most out of our trip. We figured this is the best chance we’ll ever get to tour Australia so we dropped everything and bought our flights right away.

This will also be your first ever visit to Australia! What are you most looking forward to seeing/experiencing while on tour? Is there anything that’s really intrigued you about Australia?

None of us know a tonne about Australia, so we’re kinda going in blind. Of course there’s images of koala bears and Mad Maxs dancing in our heads, but I’m really excited to meet folks and see what it’s really like. We’ll be hitting major cities and small towns, so I think we should walk away with a solid impression of what it’s really like there.
While in Aus, you are also playing Under The Southern Cross, a metal festival dedicated to all styles of metal. What drew you into the festival? Was it just good timing being in Australia at the time?
The timing just worked out! Youngy chose this time frame, and I’m pretty sure UTSC was a determining factor that the route was worked around. But we always have a blast playing festivals. I think we all enjoy the break from tour monotony.
You spent a lot of last year on the road, supporting Unsane and experimental trio BigIBrave, as well as Housecore labelmates Superjoint and DevilDriver. What do you enjoy most about being on the road, is there something in particular you look for in a band to tour alongside?
Our sound is kinda eclectic, so we fit with various styles of bands. We kinda just trust our guts; if it feels like a good time then we’ll do it. But especially if you’re going to be touring in the same vehicle as another band, it definitely helps if they are cool people and everybody gets along. KP are our Aussie brothers, so this was a no-brainer.

Tell us about Negative Noise. It’s being called a wild, forty-seven-minute assault and won the #33 of Decibel’s Top 40 Albums Of 2016. How was the creative process on this one? Will you be bringing most of these tunes to your upcoming shows?
I think half of our set is from Negative Noise, maybe more. The process wasn’t too crazy; different band members brought riff or song ideas to the band, and together we feel them out until they become a Child Bite song. The only thing that was weird this time is the fact that we were working with a producer, Phil Anselmo. We’ve always just self-produced, so it was interesting “finishing” these songs prior to hitting the studio, but still being open to any and all changes that might be suggested. It’s also the first time we ever recorded an album completely piece by piece. We’re usually on a tighter budget and crank stuff out live together.
Having released four full-length albums and ten EPs over the past twelve years, all featuring artwork by yourself, what keeps you guys going?
Mental illness.
You guys are also going to release Burnt Offerings this spring via Housecore Records – a two CD compilation of rarities culled from the last eight years of audio bedlam. What’s the idea behind doing this? Is it something you’ve always wanted to do, or is it more about tying up loose ends?
It’s definitely a self-gratifying project. Many of our random songs from various splits and comps are some of our best tunes. There’s something to be said about going into the studio to do two to three songs, versus a dozen or so. In that sense, this Burnt Offerings release is a hodgepodge of hidden gems.
We saw on your socials that while in Australia, you’ll be recording a track at Housefox Studios which will also be filmed. What can we expect from this track? How did this come about?
We learned a Lubricated Goat cover in honour of this tour, and thought it would be really cool to record it while in Australia. Youngy hooked us up with Milla at Housefox and they were on board! Should be a fun side project while travelling up and down the coast.
Thanks for having a chat! Are you ready for a good time because we hear (and have seen) King Parrot love to get wild?! Any last words?
It’s gonna rule! We’re at the airport now, filled up on burgers and conserving our energy for the upcoming insanity…
When & Where: Music Man Megastore, Bendigo – April 24, Karova Lounge, Ballarat – April 25, The Barwon Club, Geelong – April 26, The Evelyn, Melbourne – April 27 & Pelly Bar, Frankston – April 28.
Tickets via www.kingparrot.oztix.com.au.
Photo by Ruby Scholling