So it seemed that a lot of the kids on this tour have been following the tour around, turning up from 9am in the morning, a lot of them have already spoke to the band via e-mail prior to the tour; the digital age has become a major force with 50 million My Space users alone telling each other what is hot and what is not. Will completely believes that there is a new force, a 21st century punk rock ethos at work. ”Oh it’s so true, this would not have been possible even five years ago, for us to come and play big tours like this in the UK and sell out our own shows. If you notice that five or ten years ago it was all major labels and their bands, there was a few indies that did ok, but they did not really compete. It got a bit stale for a while but now you have Victory and others like Fuelled By Ramen who have Fall Out Boy, all these apparent little labels who are shifting units because kids are able to send each other links by e-mail or instant messenger, you can’t stop word of mouth, you cant stop the street, especially if you can tell someone and say ‘hey you can listen to it right now’, double whammy. It’s like the old cassette tape days, it’s a generation movement that’s exciting to be a part of, the kids are so into it, they sometimes know more about me than I can remember. They do their research, they delve into what you are all about and if they like it, they love it. When you meet them they really can hold a conversation with you, like this t-shirt I am wearing, this girl read how I dig Edward Scissorhands and she got this shirt and gave it to me!.”

Will admits sometimes there are no answers, and sometimes you don’t need them. “Were not getting played on the radio, so it’s not a bunch of fickle people who dig one song because it’s catchy, tonight is a sold out show, it’s a lifestyle. I have tattoos, I got a lot of them, mostly done in Seattle, some of them in other parts of the USA. I just dig that and kids who come to the show love to talk tattoos. I watch movies, play console games, drink, fight, fuck, love, hate, feel pain, we are all the same, we all live the lifestyle. I’m those kids five years on, they are me five years ago watching my favourite band come to town and play, there will be kids here tonight who will form a band because of it. You will talk to them in five years and they will say, I was at the Aiden show and I just knew that was what I wanted to do. Believe me, what goes around, comes around, I speak to them in a language they understand, I am them, they are me. If we can bring it back to basics; bands sometimes get too big; rock bands need to be friends, hang out, support each other, pass on cool info about great music sites, magazines, radio etc, then the scene will just continue to grow. I have to admit that this is a dream, I never thought I would get to come to the UK, I love it out here, and the reaction has been awesome. It has a feeling of being involved in something bigger than me, of us, of my band. I woke up at noon today and the bus was surrounded by kids!” I end by asking Willwhat is it like being in Aiden in 2006, he sums it up in four words: “It’s just awesome!.”

So we leave Will to get ready for the show, and what a show they deliver! ‘Die Romantic’ is an anthem waiting to happen, the band give their all, they also like everyone on the tour, hang out at the merch stall post-show to have photo’s, sign stuff, chat. Victory records have a whole bunch of FREE sampler CDs that they give away; this is the real deal, this is now, this is Alternative music at it’s best, this is Flaming Youth 30 years after ‘Punk’ rock. I never thought I would see the day, but fuck me, this has been one of the best days of my life; I used to be those kids, I used to care more about rock ‘n’ roll than life, then life caught up with me. Well, tonight I gave it back, believe in this, it isn’t no media made-up bullshit, get on the train, it’s a non-stop to nowhere! Just like it should be…

Jj-2006.