What happens on tour…ends up on myspace. “Because it gets rowdy.”

The first time I witnessed an Angelas Dish gig, it almost felt like it was my own private show. The organisation of the event was poor and the turnout was no more than 20 people. (And that’s being polite). But that is all part of touring. “That night at Pakenham some of the people were so keen to see us, they were right up the front. So we were like ‘We can’t suck, there are people who really want to see us’.”

Currently touring with Thirsty Merc, the boys arrive at the Peninsula Lounge and all four members – Michael Harris (lead vocals, guitar), Joshua Harris (guitar, vocals), Peter Clarke (Bass) and Scott Mitchell (Drums) – head to the band room for a chat.

On the previous night, the Corner Hotel gave the boys a welcome reception. On Michael’s calculation, this particular Thirsty Merc crowd was 75% females and the male proportion often accompanying a lady.

Before performing the slightly harsh track “Lock You Out” from the EP My Body is an Ashtray, Michael introduced: “This next song is about our bass players ex-girlfriend. He broke her heart. And all the girls were like boooo and I was like no she broke his heart. Yay!” The boys laugh and Michael recalls…I’ve got to get out of here with my balls!

Women and the band’s personal relationships influence heavily on their EP releases. “If you’ve just broken up with somebody then obviously almost 80 per cent of what you write is going to be about that. That emotion takes over you,” lyric writer and vocalist Michael explains.

He continues: “With the EP Lie Die, 4 of the 7 songs are about the one person, totally. I didn’t rip her, It’s just what it was. She didn’t bother listening to the CD until probably 6 months after it was out, which by that stage it was a year after we had broken up and I was well and truly over it.

“She told me ‘Once I heard it, it all came back, heartbroken again’. She couldn’t stop listening to it and it got to the point where her friends had to take the CD off her…stop screwing with her head.

“I felt really bad, like I had done something evil…for like 5 seconds and then I was like fuck you!, they all laugh.

And it was Pete’s ex who inspired “Lock You Out”. “Yeah, I did change all my passwords, my emails, internet banking…(Scott) Why did she have your internet banking?” Good point.

Where would all these songs come from without us girls? But don’t worry, they got grilled by a lot of unimpressed mothers.

It’s evident that extensive touring can strain any chance of a steady relationship. But this has been a major strength for Angelas Dish in gathering a sizeable fan base, who keenly await the album. And amongst all the great bands they have toured with, sharing the stage with Australian favourites After the Fall was not only a professional success but a personal one.

“When we go away together, it’s just like taking your best mates from home, even though they weren’t our mates before we started touring. Their bass player is our neighbour now. He just bought a house behind ours,” Michael explains.

And although the prestigious support slot on the 30 Seconds To Mars tour led to mass exposure for the band, the human bonding was not quite the same. “Oh yeah, you definitely feel like you’re a piece of shit,” they all laugh.

“Jared Leto is like a full on A-list. On tour they have their crew and he has his crew. It’s kind of cool seeing what it would be like and meeting someone who’s like that,” says Michael. And Leto definitely keeps his distance. “He shook our hands after the last show with a rubber glove.”

His approach: “Hey guys, thanks for doing the tour – while he’s putting on a rubber glove – and then he held out his hand (to shake hands). “That was such a moment for me. I was like awesome. I wish we could have put that on the digicam. That would have definitely made an episode.”

Michael speaks of the movie the band is creating for fans to check out on the net. They were meant to be filming on this tour, but unfortunately the device was left behind. The plan is to “just film everything and there’s got to be at least 3 or 4 minutes worth of quality footage.”

“It get’s rowdy. It just does. Like last night everyone’s drunk, there’s girls back stage…we’ve seen heaps of stuff.” But the lead man was getting away with leaving it at that. And Pete’s worth on tour is soon identified. (Pointing to him) “This dude here brings the rockstar stories. Every rock band has got that dude.”

Michael continues: “Pete is the first to get arrested on tour.” And Pete then explains, “A security guard picked on me and I picked on him back…(Michael) And then he picked on you back and you ended up in the back of a paddy van!”

The boys enjoy a laugh throughout. “Pete’s not bad.…(but) there was one night where he jumped the bar and was handing out bottles of spirits,” Josh shares and the boys animate at the thought of such stories.

Pete had earlier described his lead vocalist as part of the brother “A-team” in terms of dealing with the press. And when these stories come to life, all 4 members laugh and enjoy the moment. But Michael’s persona as the lead is confirmed and his experience with the media evident. “You are getting the best out of us actually,” he analyses.

When it was time to say a few words on the quite man on the end, Scott pleads softly “Oh, be nice.” Too which Michael is. “He straightens it out. Sometimes I look at him and feel like I’m a bad man. If Scotties bad, it’s a rowdy night,” they all laugh.

But Pete makes up for his rockstar antics with his ability to cook. “Yeah, he is kick arse at that!” But if hungry jack’s is on the menu, Scott’s halo reappears…“We are all like oh yeah! He’s like no man, I’m eating lettuce and…”

There is bound to be a few of those stops travelling around the country in one small van. “If we’ve got one show in Melbourne it usually takes 3 or 4 day,” explains Josh. This quickly amounts. “In 2006 we did about 110 shows and last year we recorded an album and only did about 30. Basically I reckon the last 3 years we have averaged about 7 months on tour, Michael says. But they don’t plan on driving across the Nullarbor anytime soon…“or the bass straight!” adds Scott.

Similar to the time touring absorbs, recording an album that is worth the effort doesn’t happen overnight; hence, the significance of the title War On Time. Time seems to be a reoccurring theme amongst the chosen songs and the war element fits with today’s society. And although it can be a challenge for Michael to not analyse every bit of the album and just appreciate what they have created, hopefully in due course he can.

It’s a scary thought but “I see it as the last 5 years all in that one disc,” adds Scott. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars and here it is.” So, finally for Michael and the boys it’s time to try and “sell this bad boy”.

Angelas Dish support The Hot Lies on the fasterlouder tour next month.

War On Time out March 8th.