Openside on Fall Out Boy and dealing with impostor syndrome

Openside have been announced as the support act for Fall Out Boy in 2018. Photo / supplied

Openside singer Possum Plows is a massive Fall Out Boy fan. The 23-year-old credits the band with the reason they began playing music, and says their earliest songwriting was "most derivative Fall Out Boy copy you could imagine". So it's no surprise that Plows is fizzing with excitement; Openside have just been announced as the opening act for Fall Out Boy at Auckland's Trusts Arena in March 2018.

"When I found out they were coming I was gunning for that support so hard, so the fact that we can share the stage with them, I can't even process it. It's blowing my mind," says Plows.

Plows has seen the band in concert three times, while drummer George Powell, also a fan, has never - he was only 16 when they last played New Zealand, with an R18 show at the Powerstation. Going from die-hard fans to the supporting act of a favourite band may seem like a whirlwind journey for some, but for Openside, it's a logical next step in their career; they've already opened for Ellie Goulding, 21 Pilots and All Time Low, and they played the inaugural Auckland City Limits Festival in 2016.

Landing the Fall Out Boy gig follows the release of their brand new single I Feel Nothing, a masterful heartbreak banger that's the first taste of what Plows calls "the new Openside". The band worked with Leisure members Djeisan Suskov and Josh Fountain on the song, which was written and recorded essentially in one session. The track embraces a more electro-pop sound than their earlier work, which Plows says was a step towards figuring out how to evolve with the tastes of teenagers in 2017.

"That was a big part of the conversation; getting the essence of emo music and pop punk music but making it modern pop as well ... the actual soundscape is different, but the emotional intention underneath is the same."

As well as Suskov and Fountain, Openside have been working with songwriters overseas, including expats such as Chelsea Jade and Boyboy. Their earlier work was pieced together by the band members, with Plows the primary lyricist and guitarist PJ Shepherd working on the instrumentals, but working more collaboratively with other songwriters has been eye-opening for the four-piece.

"It's been a revelation. It seems quite straightforward, but it made the writing so much more focused ... and way more fun. Everyone has a stake in it too; it belongs to all of us," says Plows.

Openside: "[The] soundscape is different, but the emotional intention underneath is the same." Photo / supplied

Though the Fall Out Boy slot is only the latest big gig they've landed, Openside are staying grounded. Plows says the thrill of opening for international artists doesn't wear off, and although they focus on staying professional, their nerves remain high.

"It's like impostor syndrome, especially when you're playing at a big show like that. You're like, 'Is this real? Am I supposed to be here?' You kind of feel like you snuck in.

"But if it's someone that you really love and respect, it feels like a step towards some sort of credibility because they're the people that you looked up to, and you're at a level where you get to play on stage with them. You're like, 'Whoa, I'm actually doing this.'"

Openside are playing a show at Lot 23 on September 9, and opening for Fall Out Boy on March 7, 2018.

LOWDOWN:
Who: Openside
What: New single I Feel Nothing
When: September 9
Where: Lot 23