Beat Magazine, major sponsor of the upcoming 2012 Pushover Festival (March 12 @ Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne), wrote up a little feature on Tonight Alive, one of Pushover 2012′s main headliners! Push Over Festival is only in a couple of weeks so if you haven’t yet, grab yourself a ticket via Moshtix now.

There are certain times within entertainment when a performer plays a venue so naturally that they almost seem indigenous to said venue. Consider a bejewelled Elvis Presley playing against a backdrop of American excess in Las Vegas. Or the blue collar prophet himself, Bruce Springsteen, breathing life into a depleted New York City after 9/11 in Madison Square Garden. While Jenna McDougall would likely concede that her star status is nowhere near that of the above two performers, she understands the importance of a fitting venue in rock’n’roll. And with Tonight Alive, the five-piece jet engine of a pop punk act, McDougall has found that venue: Push Over, an all-ages smoke and alcohol free festival.

“It’s vital!” says McDougall of the importance of maintaining healthy all-ages music festival. “I don’t know where I would be without having grown up in such a thriving local music scene. It provides a safe place for everyone, somewhere to belong, somewhere to let your music grow, somewhere to find yourself. I owe a lot to all-ages shows and festivals myself, so it feels really special to be a part of such a well-known and respected organisation.”

While the music of Tonight Alive does feature some edgy hooks, it’s a largely polished and benevolent sound, with McDougall’s catty, Avril Lavigne-esque vocals providing the heft. And it has young punks banding together with balled fists in the air.

The band’s debut full-length album, ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’, is an infectious listen which is likely due in large part to the surroundings it was created in. Recorded over two months in Los Angeles’ famed NRG Studios with Mark Trombino (Blink-182, Jimmy Eat World) McDougall can’t speak highly enough about their time in Los Angeles.

“We had the time of our lives there for a totally different reason as to why it’s famous. We lived in a house together for two months, recording and skating; it was a dream come true! The weather was flawless and the memories we made there are untouchable.” Read the rest of this entry »

United States: Tonight Alive hold a full-page spread in the latest issue of monthly music-zine Alternative Press. The April 2012 (#285) issue, with old tour-mates Breathe Carolina gracing the cover, features AP’s annual ’100 Bands You Need To Know’ special and is available at all good newsagents on March 1 or you can subscribe now at AltPress.com.

Charismatic pop-punk quintet Tonight Alive formed in June 2008, the day before front woman Jenna McDougall’s 16th birthday. At the time, she wasn’t looking for a new project; in fact, she was just trying to help pal Cameron Adler keep his “really dorky punk-rock” band afloat. “[That band] had a few line-up changes and had no options left for a singer,” McDougall says. “[Cameron] wanted me to try out, and I wasn’t exactly reluctant, but I wasn’t like, ‘Oh yeah, I want to be in a band,’ because I was playing my own acoustic music at the time. Anyway, he asked me to give it a shot, and I liked how it sounded and so did the guys.” Very quickly, Tonight Alive built a fanbase by playing youth centers in their hometown of Sydney, Australia – even though they often played shows with metal bands instead of similar-sounding peers. (“We never really fit in,” McDougall says lightly.)

After releasing two well-received EPs, the band hunkered down in Los Angeles with producer Mark Trombino to record their full-length debut, ‘What Are You So Scared Of?‘. Released in the U.S. in February, ‘Scared‘ possesses carefree energy, spiky guitars and perky tempos; think a sleeker version of Paramore’s debut, ‘All We Know Is Falling‘. Constant touring will keep Tonight Alive busy in 2012; tracking album No. 2 might also be on the cards. “I feel like our sound has changed even since we recorded this album,” McDougall says. “I’m ready to move on. Structurally and musically, [our new music is] a bit more mature. It’s also darker. And we’re excited about it because it’s more emotionally driven.”

• Alternative Press › Magazine | 100 Bands You Need To Know in 2012

We were really lucky to grab a few minutes with the lovely Jenna from Tonight Alive, just before she stepped onstage to support the Young Guns at The Muni Arts Centre, Pontypridd. Check out our interview above…

• YoungPromotersNetwork › Tonight Alive Interviewed By YPN

United States: Tonight Alive have been confirmed to join the festivities and play shows as part of 2012′s South By South West celebrations in Texas! The Aussie pop-punksters are going to play three live showcases as part of the festival in March while showing thousands of Texans what they’ve been missing out on! The first showcase kicks off on the 16th of March at 2pm at the PureVolume House, which will be a free all ages show proudly presented by online music community Buzznet. That same night Tonight Alive will hit up Dirty Dogs Bar (21+) to play another showcase presented by Fearless Records The following night the band are on the roster for Alternative Press‘ 7th-annual ‘100 Bands You Need To Know‘ all-ages party at Red 7. This means the band are playing 3 shows in the mere span of 24 hours! It’s going to go off, so be sure that you’ll be there!

• SXSW › Alternative Press – ’100 Bands You Need To Know’ Party
• SXSW › Fearless Records – SXSW Showcase
• Buzznet › SXSW Day Party

Jason Tanamor, editor of Zoiks! Online magazine, had an interview with Tonight Alive‘s lead singer, Jenna McDougall and questioned her about the new album and their slot on Warped Tour. Read it below!

Real quick, where did the name Tonight Alive come from?
A few months after we formed, our first show was coming up and we’d recorded a handful of demos to get out on the Internet. We were making a MySpace page but didn’t have a name for it so one night after rehearsal we all sat down on my bedroom floor and brainstormed. We wanted something catchy that would reflect the energy of our sound and Tonight Alive seemed to work in our favour!

The band is from Australia. How different is the music landscape there versus the United States?
A lot smaller! We love Australia but the music scene struggles. In the states there are so many places to play and so many people to play to. Back home TV and radio don’t support bands in our scene, leaving just about everything up to the band. This isn’t exactly a bad thing but nothing is really made any easier out there. We’ve made a name for ourselves by touring our butts off and that’s the way we plan to keep it!

There seems to be a lot of pop/punk bands that feature a female lead, with Paramore and New Years Day to name a couple. What separates Tonight Alive from other punk bands?
I think the fact that there is nothing preconceived about our sound, look or demeanor stands out among other bands. We’re in this for all the right reasons and Tonight Alive has never been about anything else other than the love of music. We’re just real people playing music and I think our honesty in that is what separates us from other bands.

The new album ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ drops Valentine’s Day. What can fans expect from this album?
It has something for everyone! It’s fun, it’s aggressive, it’s real. If you know or like our earlier stuff, ‘What Are You So Scared Of?’ is a steady progression from the first two EPs. If you don’t, check it out, every song has something different to offer.

Tonight Alive was just named to Warped Tour 2012. How did the band get involved with Warped?
By the time Warped Tour comes around we will have toured the states three times in one year, not including Warped! I remember the day of our first show in 2008 a conversation I had about it, saying all I wanted was to be on Warped some day. In the past year we acquired management, booking and recently signed to Fearless Records in the states and I think the hard work and relentless touring has paid off. We couldn’t be more excited for the summer!

What can fans expect from your live show?
A lot of energy, fist pumping and mullet jumps [laughs].

• ZoiksOnline › Jenna McDougall of Tonight Alive Talks New Album and Warped Tour 2012