Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands winners, Midfield, are gearing up to take the stage at Van’s Warped Tour DC in just a few days. Their path to Warped Tour was somewhat unexpected; having thrown their hat in the ring among so many incredible bands, the win was tremendously meaningful and just a bit surprising for the Philadelphia pop-punkers. I, for one, am well and truly stoked to catch these guys in action; it’s sure to be a fantastic set.
Midfield’s origin story picks up at the end of founding members Matt and Kurt’s prior project, Falcon Punch. They began releasing music as Midfield in 2018, survived a few lineup changes and the Covid pandemic, and began to really pick up steam again in 2022. 2024 brought the release of Midfield’s first full-length record, also marking the start of a rapid ascension in the scene. More recently, the band released a single in collaboration with Ben Dehan and free friends; coming soon fans can expect lots of new music and some super rad tours and event appearances. After that… the sky’s the limit for the energetic five piece. Probably fair to say we won’t be calling Midfield “under exposed” for much longer.
Keep scrolling to check out my lightning round interview with Midfield; be sure to follow along on socials (@midfieldpa on Instagram and @midfieldofficial on Tiktok), and tune in to Spotify and Apple Music. Don’t forget to save the Under Exposed playlist on Spotify to listen to my favorites from Midfield and the rest of the Under Exposed lineup!
Interview
Cameron Conrad sits down with Matt, Kurt, PJ, Will, Sam, and Midfield
What is your favorite memory from Warped Tours past?
That is such a tough one! But I'd have to say when I first went to Warped in 2012, my dad drove my best friend and I down to Holmdel in New Jersey, and insisted on me bringing a lunch box with a sandwich in it. As a 17 year old dude at the time, I was devastated by this very uncool variable happening. Luckily when Sleeping with Sirens' set started that day that lunch box got completely leveled by the crowd surge 30 seconds in. I then realized why having lunch was important.....
Who are you most looking forward to seeing perform at Warped Tour DC?
I'm genuinely a fan of this entire lineup really! But I have an incredibly soft spot for the metalcore side of the tour every year, so seeing Varials would be my top pick. And of course The Story So Far!
If you could jump on stage and join in any set this year, who would you choose?
Seeing Fox Lake on the lineup this year really stoked me out. All of their songs are in constant rotation at my house whenever I'm taking my dog out, doing chores, or looking for good bass tone inspiration. Definitely them!
If each of you was a Disney character, who would you be?
Scar from Lion King 100%
Changes by the day but normally we settle on Captain Hook. Because Kurt writes hooks...yeah we know it's dumb
Stitch of course
Mushu from Mulan. My spirit animal.
Tinkerbell, clearly
If we gave out high-school superlatives today, what would each of you win?
Prom King, and most talkative
Most sarcastic
Most likely to be a cutie patootie
Most likely to lose his hair (derogatory)
Sweetest smile and most likely to be president of the debate club.
Who has the weirdest tour habits or pre-show rituals?
Matt - He likes to blow bubbles to warm up his voice now? It's a new thing he just adopted out of nowhere too. He runs out of the bubble soap every time we have a show lately....
Any new music or upcoming tours we should know about? Anything brewing behind the scenes you can give a hint about?
We have been writing since last year! I can't reveal too too much just yet, but this release will be later on this year. We're in the process of getting the masters back right now. I don't think we can hold on to these songs for too much longer, we're beyond excited with how they're coming out! In regards to tours, we're still in talks of filling out the rest of our year. But I can say that this will be our busiest year the band has ever had!