The Amity Affliction have come a long way from their start as a relatively unknown Brisbane-based hardcore band practically living in their van as they slogged around Australia playing every show possible to arena-headlining behemoths. As frontman of the group, Joel Birch has seen a lot of the world in that time, and having struggled with mental-health issues and alcoholism much of his life, music has helped get him through. Now sober and father to a newborn son, he has never been in a better place—and he’s happy reflecting on the songs that shaped his touring life.
1. ‘Waterwings (And Other Poolside Fashion Faux Pas)’—Alexisonfire
We heard this for the first time when we were driving to our first show outside of our hometown, which was back in 2004. We actually nearly crashed before we even made it out of the city, which wasn’t great, but we made it in the end! That said, it wasn’t a good show at all, so not one I really try to remember all that much. This band was one of the first to introduce me to this style of music, and it made me hungry to hear a lot more.
This reminds me of the first big festival I attended as a fan, and I was a huge AFI fan back then so was listening to this constantly. The festival was actually the first time the Warped Tour came to Australia, and it was out on the Gold Coast. It was a pretty big deal at the time, though if I’m honest I’ve never enjoyed going to festivals much if I’m not playing. That said, this was the day that made me first realize how much I wanted to be in a band and play music.
On the first tour we did in America pretty much all we listened to in the van was Southern Californian punk. Guttermouth were probably on more than anyone else, and really I could have picked any song off their Musical Monkey album. We were one of five bands on that tour—there was Of Mice & Men; I Set My Friends On Fire; Woe, Is Me; and… wow, I can’t remember, I’d probably have to look at my tour pass! It was a fun tour, but it didn’t really win us a lot of new fans or anything.
On our first tour in Europe I was thrashing Rise and Fall pretty hard, which is really gnarly, aggressive hardcore that I still love. Hearing them always takes me back to that tour. We were out with Deez Nuts and they were already pretty successful in Europe, so the shows brought in about 500 people every night, which was very cool. However, I’ll always remember our first show in Italy where we had five people watching us and no one else even came inside the venue before Deez Nuts played!
We were supposed to play our first-ever European festival in Germany, which was Rock am Ring or Rock im Park, I can’t actually remember! But, only four bands got to play that day because there had been a lot of lightning strikes, and we were not one of them. I was feeling pretty sick, so I didn’t mind all that much. However, the Chilis did play, and pretty much everyone in our crew—except me, because I wasn’t drinking—was wasted and singing along, but they kept making up different words, which was hilarious.
We played a show in a venue that was a church in Philadelphia back in early 2013, and I went on an anti-religion rant before we played this song—which is also a pretty basic attack on religion, written when I was younger—and everyone went mental. That was the night I fell in love with Philly! It really was a great show from front to back; everyone there was into us and just went off, in fact that was a great tour all the way through.
7. ‘Home, Run’—Flood of Red
Most of the traveling I do is in a van or tour bus, but I actually got to take a short vacation with my wife between tours a little while back. After finishing the tour in the UK we went to Barcelona, and we were listening to this band a lot. It was so nice actually getting to stay in one place for more than a day, and get to really drink it in. We’d been touring a long time at that point and I was losing my mind somewhat, and this helped temporarily put it back together a bit.
Any song I’m listening to that makes me think of my wife always makes me miss home, though I think about home pretty much 24-7 at the moment because I live in paradise and things are really good. This is the one that most makes me think of her at the moment. It’s a depressing song but really beautiful at the same time. Having a son back home and being sober makes me so much more connected to real life, which is great, but at the same time makes me miss home even more.
I love this band, and this album will always remind me of being in a van and driving into Massachusetts for first time. I think that was on our third tour of the US, and it was with Pierce the Veil, letlive., and Miss May I, and it was such a great run to be a part of. I make a habit of listening to this song every time we’re heading back into Massachusetts; I really do love it there, added to which Have Heart are just a fantastic band and I love the association.
I’ve been to Indonesia to surf several times, and this band will always remind me of one such visit, because I was listening to them flat-out and honestly nothing else even got a look in. I’d been introduced to them a year earlier while we were recording our album Chasing Ghosts, and I just couldn’t get enough of them. The waves in Indonesia are great, and surfing in more places is something I definitely want to do—it’s close and cheap so I’ll always be happy to go back there.
We got stuck in the UK during the blizzard that seemed to shut all of London down in late 2010—we wanted to get home, but we couldn’t! It’s safe to say it was pretty lousy; it was too cold to do anything, everything was shut, you couldn’t even get a pizza. Everyone was just miserable, but this record helped my mood. Sad music listened to by sad people makes sad people happier, but I was still very glad when the airports reopened.
Leave a comment below and share your favorite travel soundtracks with us.
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With thousands of breathtaking options on offer, deciding where to holiday in Indonesia can be hard work. That’s why we’ve come up with 10 simple questions to steer you towards your perfect island partner.
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Lombok
Best for: beaches
The beaches of Indonesia are the stuff of castaway fantasies. There are literally thousands to choose from, but the place that best combines extraordinary beauty with the convenience of easy transport links is Lombok – you can fly direct, or nip over on a fast boat from Bali.
There are beaches on the island for every occasion, but the standout for many visitors is Mawun. It goes without saying that Mawun has white sand and stunning, turquoise water, but the bonus here is the seclusion of an enclosed bay. The beach is rarely busy, and at “off-peak” times there’s a very real chance of having it all to yourself.
Another winner is Senggigi Beach, where can sit on the sand and watch the surfers do their stuff (or, if you’re so inclined, borrow a board and join in).
Jimbaran or Nusa Dua, Bali
Best for: children and teenagers
Older kids will love Jimbaran in Bali for its range of watersports. Close your eyes and try not to worry as you send them off parasailing, jet skiing, water skiing or bouncing along on a banana boat.
If you want to take it down a notch, there’s snorkeling and learning about turtle conservation.
If you’ve got younger kids, you might want to stay at a family-friendly resort to make use of the various kids clubs. (It’s your break, too, and it’s easier to relax by the pool knowing that your child is being professionally entertained in a purpose-built playroom.)
If you’re trying to cater for more than one age group, you might want to take a look at The Westin Resort in Nusa Dua, Bali. They have a “teen zone” packed with PlayStations and dedicated clubs for both toddlers and younger kids.
Ubud, Bali
Best for: wellness
If your holiday packing is pretty much sun cream and yoga pants, and you like to come back from time away cleansed and invigorated, Ubud is for you.
Ubud is Bali’s center for healing, and in fact the name of the area comes from Ubad, which means medicine. This is the place to head for the full menu of luxury spas, Ayurvedic treatments, acupuncture or panchakarma programs.
Ubud is also Bali’s cultural nexus, and you can easily fill your days with temples and art galleries, ceremonies and dancing, and great cuisine.
After all that, enjoy a hedonistic four-handed massage before settling into bed to re-read Eat, Pray, Love.
Kuta, Bali
Best for: partying
With a reputation for good times, busy, crowded Kuta in Bali draws a young, energetic crowd ready to party.
Days are spent swimming, shopping, sunbathing or just chilling. Nightlife ranges from places where you buy beer by the bucket to the kind of upscale establishments where the barman takes care not to bruise the gin in your martini.
It’s not the prettiest of places on the island, or the most authentically Balinese, but it has an appealingly brash, good-humored vibe all of its own.
If hardcore partying isn’t your thing, you’ll also find a few quieter, less high-octane places for watching sunset turn into sunrise.
Yogyakarta, Java
Best for: cultural experiences
As it’s the history, culture and ceremonies of a new place that thrill you, you’ll probably find Yogyakarta the perfect destination.
This is the city where Java began, a place that was a powerhouse in the 8th and 9th centuries, and an opportunity for modern visitors to enjoy fascinating Javanese arts and traditions at every turn.
Beyond the urban sprawl are two of Indonesia’s most astounding archaeological sites: Borobudur and Prambanan. The Mahayana Buddhist temple at Borobudur boasts nine stacked platforms, six square and three circular, topped by a central dome, while the UNESCO World Heritage-listed temple compounds at Prambanan makes for a stunning spectacle in the style of Cambodia’s Angkor Wat.
Thanks to Yogyakarta’s surprisingly mild climate, a bit of exploring won’t leave you exhausted. That’s good news as there’s still the Sultan’s Palace to see, local silversmiths to admire in action at Kotagede, and endless pavement stalls selling the must-try local specialty gudeg: a stew of jackfruits simmered in coconut cream and served with chicken, egg or tofu.
Jakarta, Java
Best for: urban buzz
Beaches are OK, but who wants to spend a couple of weeks just lying in the sun? If you find lazing around a recipe for boredom, then your best bet is Jakarta.
From the aromatic, old-fashioned streets of Chinatown to the crazy nightlife in North Jakarta, you really can have any experience you like in this city of 10 million people.
You’ll find haute couture in Plaza Indonesia and the Grand Indonesia shopping town, but bargain hunters will be in heaven in the wholesale textile malls of Tanah Abang.
For a Jakartan market with edge, head to Pasar Santa on Jalan Wolter Monginsidi. This was a conservative indoor market until 2014, when it was transformed by a group of young entrepreneurs who wanted to use it to showcase their start-up companies. Now Pasar Santa has a unique mix of style-conscious places to eat, vinyl record stores, vintage clothing shops and cool coffee lounges. We promise you’ll go for the shopping and stay for the people watching.
Lombok’s Gili islands
Best for: diving
The Gili islands off the northwestern coast of Lombok are famed for their fantastic diving. The conditions are rarely difficult, the current is near non-existent, and you’ll pretty much always have at least 20m of visibility for spotting the first-class marine life.
Advanced divers will enjoy the deeper reefs, which have vast areas of pristine coral, swathes of hard corals and brightly colored fans.
A speedboat from Lombok’s main beach resort of Senggigi gets you to the trio of islands in around 20 minutes.
Trawangan (which everyone refers to as Gili T) is the funkiest of the three with chic bars and cool restaurants. Gili Air is more traditional and Meno is the least developed.
In recent times the waters surrounding Lombok have been intently watched by conservationists, so turtles are a common sight once again. You may also come face-to-face with a manta ray, reef sharks or even the rare Mola mola – the heaviest bony fish in the world, capable of weighing more than 950kg.
Not desperate to swim rapidly away from a fish that weighs much the same as your car? Fear not: there are endless colorful, pleasingly small fish pottering about in the shallows, too.
Lampung, Sumatra
Best for: wildlife
Lampung is an easy hop from Jakarta—take a 40-minute flight, or a seven-hour bus trip, your call—and you’ll soon be surrounded by what the World Wildlife Fund has called ‘one of the planet’s most biologically outstanding habitats.’
Elephants inhabit the rainforest of the Way Kambas National Park, while Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is home to Sumatran rhinos and tigers. The park is also famous for the many bird species that prefer foothill climates, as well as for several species of sea turtle that nest along its coastal zone.
While you’re in Sumatra it would be remiss not to give a few coins to help orangutans. There are now less than 700 in the wild, making them critically endangered. It feels unimaginable that orangutans share 97 percent of our DNA and yet could be extinct in 20 years.
The one piece of nature that you don’t want to see at its most magnificent is Mount Krakatoa. Happily dormant right now, the volcano holds the record for creating the loudest sound ever heard in modern history: its 1883 eruption was audible up to 3,000 miles away.
Nusa Dua, Bali
Best for: loved-up luxe
Many resorts in Indonesia are aimed at honeymooners, but the neatly groomed enclave of Nusa Dua in Bali turns the sense of seclusion and luxe up a notch.
Just 14km southeast of Kuta, it’s easy to get to, unlike some of Indonesia’s more remote beauty spots. (After all, nothing ruins a romantic holiday in paradise faster than three hours uncomfortably bouncing on a wooden speedboat.)
The beautifully quiet coastal stretch is home to an array of five-star resorts, fully mod-conned-up, with plenty of spas and options for candle-lit dinners on the beach.
Take a look at The St Regis, The Westin or The Laguna, which is encircled by a network of seven large, swimmable lagoons and pools.
Bali
Best for: when you can’t make your mind up
There’s a reason that Bali is the most famous island in Indonesia. It’s because it’s easily the best all-rounder, with a beautiful hinterland of volcanic mountains and rice paddies and some pretty outstanding beaches. There are so many that you can even chose your preferred sand color—soft and white in the south; exotic volcanic black in the west.
The Kuta-Legian-Seminyak strip is an 8km sweep of golden sand that’s well known as a weekend hangout for visitors who’ve hopped over from Australia. Now, however, it’s increasing in appeal to other travelers drawn to chic restaurants and designer shops.
Hardcore divers will gravitate towards Malibu Point for glimpses of sharks, tuna and manta rays, while snorkelers will enjoy Crystal Bay, where the clearest water in the region offers visibility between 30-50m.
Honeymooning couples head toward the luxury of Nusa Dua, party people take on Kuta and parents simply find one of the many child-friendly resorts and hunker down while the kids clubs do all the work.
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Question 1 of 10
1. Question
What is your personal paradise?
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Question 2 of 10
2. Question
What’s on your 90s pop mix tape?
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Question 3 of 10
3. Question
Which of these most appeals to you?
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Question 4 of 10
4. Question
After a holiday, is your camera filled with shots of:
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Question 5 of 10
5. Question
If your friends planned a surprise for you, would you like it to be:
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6. Question
Complete this sentence: “The buzz of a big city makes me feel…”
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Question 7 of 10
7. Question
A friend tells you they’ve spent the morning aligning their chakras. Do you…
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Question 8 of 10
8. Question
When you’re sitting on your suitcase trying to squash it closed, is it because you’ve tried to squeeze in: