Interview: Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire – Spotlight Report

Last here a decade ago, Memphis May Fire sure know how to leave fans wanting more. As they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder, so the band will be returning in July to grace us with their presence and put on an epic show.
Spotlight Report sat down with superstar frontman Matty Mullins ahead of their Aus tour with Atreyu to talk about the band’s growth, their busy schedule, Matty’s wife and so much more.
SR: It’s been 10 years since you guys were last year.
MM: Yeah.
SR: I can’t believe it’s gone that quickly. I remember seeing you then and it does not feel like it was that long.
MM: Yeah, it’s been forever. You know, a decade is crazy and we are so excited to get back.
SR: I’m so glad to hear that. I was going to ask if you’re excited, if you’re looking forward to the shows.
MM: Yeah. Oh my gosh. Like we’ve been wanting to come back for so long and just waiting for the stars to align, it makes it tough with all the growth that we’ve had in America over the last few years. We’ve done so much here, and it seems like any time the opportunity to come over there would come up something else here would take precedence, and we’re just so excited to finally have a plan set in stone to get back to Australia.
SR: Yeah, I’m actually really surprised that you can fit us in because we’re so far away and because you are so busy … just looking at the things that you’ve done in the last 10 years, I don’t know how you have time for anything.
MM: It’s crazy, I know, I know. But we make it happen, you know, and I wish that we would have been back sooner than this. But I’m hoping that this is just the beginning of us coming back a lot more often.
SR: On the same thread of you being such a busy man, you’ve launched a solo career, a grooming brand, a mentoring not for profit, you’re now the touring frontman for Anberlin … Do you have super powers? [Laughs]. How do you have time in the day to do all of this?
MM: [Laughs] It’s crazy, I know. Like literally. In between I have had like I don’t know, six or seven of these interviews today and in between each one. I’m just like closing zoom and opening logic and working on recording stuff and it’s just, yeah, it’s just a constant balance of everything all at once. And we’re just doing it. It doesn’t look possible on paper, but every day if you just take a step or two, it’s you’d be surprised what you can accomplish, I guess.
SP: And again on that subject, how do you guys make so many music videos? How do you fit that into your schedule as well [laughs]?
MM: You know, on the last record before this, we had done a video for each song kind of all in the same setting. So we went out to LA. And just shot, you know, on the same set for every song. And this time around, we wanted to kind of have a similar idea, but to be able to create different worlds that we’re in for each one and it’s been cool to do that. You know, like we definitely want to be able to pair a visual with every single song. I just think that’s important, you know, and music videos don’t necessarily recoup themselves. You end up spending money and not making it back, but at the end of the day, like if there is somebody in a foreign territory that doesn’t get to see us live for some reason for them to be able to go and watch a music video gives them at least a sense of what it might be like. And that’s super important, so we try to put emphasis on it.
SR: Oh yeah. I think – at least for millennials, I can’t speak for any of the other generations – that music videos are really important and we spend a lot of time watching them over and over again.
MM: Yeah. And you know, like we definitely see that and we know there’s value in it. So we try to carve out, you know, whatever time it’s going to take to make sure that videos are locked in for the whole record and it’s always a conversation with the label. They’re like, you know, Are you sure you need that many videos? And I’m like, yes, I’m certain, but I think it’s … regardless of whether it’s recouped or not, it’s money well spent and we’re really excited to have that kind of content. It’s available, you know, instead of just listening to the album all the way through when it comes out, you can go and watch the album all the way through, and that’s cool.
SR: Yeah, it was actually a conversation I was having with a friend of mine, and he was saying how great it is that you guys have so many music videos cause not all the bands put as much emphasis into that as you guys do. And we were just impressed by the work you put in.
MM: Yeah, I appreciate it.
SR: What are you guys looking forward to doing while you’re here … outside of the shows?
MM: As much as possible. I think there’s a couple days off. So we’ll hope to, you know, see as many sites as we can. I love food, you know, like I love trying different food in different places that we go. So that’ll be a big focus of mine, you know, going out and not necessarily eating like at tourist spots, but more so eating you know at places where the locals tend to go to that’s kind of what I am on the hunt for. But yeah, you know, maybe check out a little bit of the nightlife maybe, some nature related things … I guess it just depends on what the schedule allows for.
SR: Well, hopefully it allows for a few things for you because it is a long way to go.
MM: Yeah, it is a long way to come. It’s the furthest way to come actually. So we’re looking forward to it.
SR: Speaking of nature, we are obviously quite known for our wildlife down here. Are there any animals that you’re hoping to see – or any that you’re hoping you don’t see?
MM: You know, we did the whole kangaroo and koala thing last time we were in Australia, which was awesome and I would love to do it again. Definitely hoping not to have any encounters with any lethal spiders or snakes, you know, but if we do, I guess that just adds to the stories we can tell. So as long as we make it out alive [laughs].
SR: [Laughs] You should be fairly safe cause you’re mainly going to be in the cities.
MM: “Fairly safe” … I don’t love that. But yeah, we’re excited for sure. And you know, I’ve got some friends in Australia and we always joke back and forth and send all the memes about all the crazy stuff you guys have out there, so it’s a lot of fun to poke fun at it, and maybe it would be amazing just to see something deadly. So I guess we’ll see.
SR: I think it’s a lot rarer than people make it out to be.
MM: Okay. That’s good to know. Good to know.
SR: What are the deadliest animals you have back home?
MM: Oh well, I mean I think we have so much of the same stuff that you guys have, but you guys just have it on such a larger level. You know, it’s like we might have deadly spiders, but they can fit inside your shoes, whereas you guys have deadly spiders that are like the size of your head [laughs]. I think you know how they say everything’s bigger in Texas … it’s like, well, everything deadly is bigger in Australia it seems.
SR: I can’t totally disagree with you. I find the spiders here terrifying even if they are harmless. That’s probably the thing you’re most likely to see when you’re here.
MM: Yeah, which I don’t love. So we’ll see.
SR: Just keep your eyes open for them and apparently they’re more afraid of you than you are of them [laughs].
MM: Yeah, I don’t know. Sleep with one eye open, huh? Alright.
SR: Yeah, you’ll be fine then [laughs]. And obviously you here for the shows themselves. You guys are really known for connecting with your audience and having these really high energy shows that are somehow also quite intimate. And I know this is true because I’ve seen you guys. So what can we expect from this tour?
MM: I mean, it’s been so long since we’ve been back that I think it’ll be an entirely new experience for anybody that comes out to the shows. You know, what we’ve learned and what we’ve adopted into our live show over the last decade is endless, it seems. We obviously have a tonne of new songs, even old songs, that would be new to you guys in a live setting, right?
SR: Yeah!
MM: So you know, we’ll try to make the set list as diverse as possible and give everybody something, and we’ll definitely be pushing the new album Shapeshifter while we’re over there as well. So you can expect to hear a lot of songs from that.
SR: That’s really good because it’s [the currently released songs] are doing quite well down here. Everyone is loving it.
MM: Awesome. That’s great.
SR: We were we were talking earlier about the growth of the band since you were last here. We haven’t really spoken about it in detail yet, but your sound has evolved like over the years as well. Would you consider that shift in sound a reflection of your growth personally and professionally, or is it just that you’re interested in exploring different things? Or I guess it could be both.
MM: Yeah, I think it’s all of the above. You know, especially in [our] recent music we have been not fearful to explore new boundaries, and I think there’s just a new level of understanding of how to explore new things as a band while still maintaining the core of who we are, you know. And so we’ve tried it in the past, in ways where we’ve gone too far and it hasn’t worked. And then as of recent, it just seems like we’ve kind of figured out how to touch on new things and explore new options without losing touch of what makes us Memphis May Fire, you know. And so this new record is very much that. It’s very diverse from front to back. Every song is different from one another, and we love that about the record. And so we’re psyched for the whole thing to be out and for people to hear it.
SR: I can definitely see that. Despite the change, you guys still have a very you sound. This record is still very Memphis May Fire no matter what different elements you bring into it.
MM: Yeah, I appreciate that. We are definitely excited about where we’re at currently and all of the things that are to come. You know, “Shapeshifter” itself as a song is by far the heaviest Memphis song we’ve ever put out. And we also have songs that are coming that are on the opposite end, that people don’t expect it all. And that’s exciting to us.
SR: That’s one of my favourite things when I’m listening to a record and you’ve got, you know, both ends of the scale. I really love hearing that range from bands.
MM: Yeah, Awesome. Well, I think you’ll enjoy it then.
SR: I’m really looking forward to hearing it [in full]. Sorry, I’m just going to sidestep again quickly to Anberlin. I would just love to know how the whole thing came about.
MM: Yeah, yeah. I mean, it’s as kind of abrupt and crazy as it might seem to somebody on the outside looking in it very much it was that way for me too, you know. I would never in a million years have dreamed of joining another full time band. I would have just laughed at it, right? Because it seems impossible, but when Stephen called me and asked if I would take over … That band has such an important part in my life and has been a part of so many vital moments in my relationship with my wife and my early years in music that I knew that no matter how hard it was to do both, I would always regret saying no if I did. And as challenging as a schedule can be, I am thankful every single day for the opportunity and everything that’s happened since … you know, the new Anberlin songs that are out with me, people seem to be enjoying and that’s really cool.
I know that they have a really big presence in Australia. I’m looking forward to going back to Australia with that band as well. And so yeah, it’s been really cool and there’s definitely a lot, a lot to come in the Anberlin world.
“…the new Anberlin songs that are out with me, people seem to be enjoying and that’s really cool…”
SR: I think one of the coolest things for me is the reminder that you guys can be fans of other bands as well and that something like this can be a dream come true for you. It’s just cool to hear that a band is so important to you and who you are. Like it would be for us.
MM: Oh, for sure, for sure. I mean, that’s kind of the pathway that brings anybody to this point as an artist, is being inspired by other bands and especially in early years, the bands that you go out and see before you know anything about the music industry or anything about you know what it all takes. It’s just to be kind of wowed or awed by a live show or by a song that touches you a certain way, or is able to say something for you that you never were able to piece together yourself. It’s like those things are so magical and so magnetic, and to be able to turn that into, you know, a career and in doing it yourself is something so special. And so yeah, it’s cool. And the Anberlin thing is so full circle for me. It doesn’t feel real, and I hope it always stays like that because it’s really … it’s a big blessing.
SR: It’s really nice to hear that. And it’s nice to hear when people who’ve been in the industry for a while can still talk about it, like it’s magical and exciting.
MM: Yeah, for sure. I think perspective is everything and that’s something I’m learning more and more the older I get. And so I think there’s magic in everything, if you’re willing to see it, and especially in this crazy lifestyle that I have, there’s a lot to stress about or there’s a lot to be excited about. And you got to kind of choose which path you’re going to be on.
SR: And on that note, I mean we’ve been talking about it all already – obviously you’ve got your album coming out, you’ve got tours, you’re growing in America and the world. I was just wondering what’s next for you personally and for the band.
MM: Oh man, everything all at once [laughs].It really does feel like that. My wife and I are gonna be moving to a different a different house over the summer. So that’s in the mix of all the craziness. Memphis has a crazy tour schedule and so does Anberlin. Anberlin‘s doing the 20 years of Never Take Friendship Personal tour in 2025 as well.
So those that tour and the Shapeshifter tour will kind of butt up to each other and become one long stretch for me. So yeah, I’m just excited to do as much touring as we’re doing and hopefully to sprinkle in some time at home and especially in moving houses. You know that can be kind of crazy. So yeah, it’s a lot. A lot’s going on, but it’s all cool things.
SR: It all seems pretty cool, except for the moving. That sounds very stressful.
MM: Yeah. Never a good time.
SR: Yeah. But hopefully it goes nice and smoothly for you.
MM: Yeah, yeah. Once we’re settled in, we’ll be really stoked.
SR: Your wife seems like she has super powers as well, so I’m sure between the two of you, it will go really well.
MM: It’s unreal. Yeah, she’s if there’s anybody in the world busier than me, it’s her and she is wildly talented and gifted. Beautiful. Driven. The whole thing. Yeah, she’s a powerhouse. Anybody that knows her in real life is just like, how are you real? You know, it’s pretty crazy.
SR: Wow. It really sounds like you guys are a match made in heaven.
MM: Oh yes, thank you.
SR: I’d better start wrapping up just because I know you’re a busy man, but I wanted to ask if there’s any particular song you’re looking forward to playing while you’re down here?
MM: Yeah, I mean, you know, just me living inside my own skin, really excited to play the stuff that we haven’t even got to play yet, like “Shapeshifter” and the song “Paralyzed”, I think is such a cool song live. As for what we will be able to put in the set list over there … Hopefully you know a good amount of old stuff and new stuff. It’s hard to say exactly what’s gonna be in the set list at this point, but definitely the song itself – “Shapeshifter” – is going to make its way into the set list for sure, and that’s going to be a crazy one live. I’m really looking forward to seeing how that goes over.
SR: Yeah, I’m looking forward to seeing that too.
MM: Awesome.
“…it’s definitely going to be a better show than whatever you saw 10 years ago…”
SR: I’m not sure how much say you have in your set list, but it’ll be interesting to see what you guys get to fit in.
MM: Yeah, I mean, we don’t have much say in how long we play for, you know, like it’s a that’s all just determined by the tour package itself and how late the venues can stay open, things like that, but as far as the songs we put in there, that is up to us, so I guess I would have 1/4 of the decision, you know, because all four of us are going to have our own specific ideas and preferred songs. We’re usually pretty good at coming to an agreement and hopefully this won’t be any different.
SR: Yeah, it’ll be really good to see how it all comes together.
MM: Yeah, for sure.
SR: And one final question before I let you go. Are there any parting words you’d like to say to you Australian fans before we see you next year?
MM: I love your accent so much. I cannot wait to hear all of you speak when we get over there and thank you for having us once again. We’re very excited! I’m sorry it’s been so long. We’re gonna make it worth it. Come out. Hang out Memphis May Fire and Atreyu. We’re going to have so much fun and it’s definitely going to be a better show than whatever you saw 10 years ago. So I’m looking forward to giving that to you.
SR: [Laughs]. Well, absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they say.
MM: Yes, yes it does.
SR: And thank you for saying our accents are wonderful. I’ve been cringing inside this whole time because I can hear how Australian I sound next to you.
MM: Oh my gosh, I love it. The Australian accent is the best accent. It might be the preferred accent among all accents, and I just love listening to Australian people talk, so it’s going to be cool.
SR: Thank you. I feel the opposite way [laughs]. I can’t. Actually, when I’m talking to someone with any other accent, I feel like I need to tone mine down.
MM: Yeah, well, don’t. Be proud of it. We all love it.
SR: [Laughs]. Thank you. It’s been so nice chatting to you. Thank you so much and I’m really looking forward to seeing you back.
MM: Yeah. Likewise. Thank you for having me on. We’ll see you in July.
ATREYU + MEMPHIS MAY FIRE
THE CURSE 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR JULY 2025
Wednesday 9th July BRISBANE, Triffid
Friday 11th July SYDNEY, Manning Bar
Saturday 12th July MELBOURNE, Northcote Theatre
Sunday 13th July ADELAIDE, Lion Arts
Tuesday 15th July PERTH, Magnet House
Tickets: https://thephoenix.au/atreyu-mmf/