Greta Van Fleet say they expected to be playing bars for a 'lot longer'

American rockers Greta Van Fleet have reflected on their fast rise to fame, noting they expected to be paying their dues for a lot longer than was necessary.

Over the last few years, there has been plenty said about Michigan rockers Greta Van Fleet. Whether it’s their ’70s revivalist style, or the frequent comparisons to Led Zeppelin, the young rockers have been turning heads wherever they go.

Having released their debut album last October, the group made their Australian debut earlier this year, before they were forced to cut their tour short due to health issues.

While the group have since rescheduled their tour dates for September, it appears that it still shocks the group that they can play large-scale venues around the world this early into their career.

Speaking to The Orlando Sentinel recently, guitarist Jake Kiszka explained that the band’s sudden popularity is both “overwhelming and exciting”.

“I don’t think we expected to graduate to these venues that we’re playing now so quickly,” Kiszka explained. “It’s been overwhelming because of that.”

“Equally overwhelming and exciting to experience all of these people from different countries we never expected to see coming to hear our music play.”

Despite this, Jake Kiszka noted that while the band’s music sounds purpose-built for stadiums, their “big” sound has been part of their sound since the group’s formation.

“We write in that sense because it’s what we like and what we’re trying to achieve, to make that sound big,” Jake Kiszka continued. “But we’ve played in bars around our home and that’s something we expected to be doing a lot longer.”

“But it’s cool to be in the larger venues. From my perspective, there’s nothing more powerful than being at a sound check at a larger venue and strumming a chord and hearing that ring out.”

“We were aware of the fact that we were going to be influential mainly to young musicians,” Kiszka later added. “That seems to be the chain or evolution of how music works and will always work.”

“But yeah, that was another thing that we didn’t expect to hit yet at the stage that we are now.”