Good Charlotte have helped carve the trajectory of pop punk for almost 20 years. From blaring their angsty anthems under a thick layer of eyeliner from the stages of Warped Tour to sitting meticulously behind the mixing-boards of the next great up and comer, they’ve acted as a guiding hand and voice of reason for misfits and mallrats everywhere.
Celebrating their legacy, present and future, the band are making a welcomed return to Australia this March, bringing their outcast anthems to Download Festival and a string of sideshows.
“We were hungry and motivated,” Benji Madden tells us, as he ponders the early days of the band.”None of our families had money.”
By the early-noughties punk had been commodified to the nth degree. Pop punk in particular, meant big business for labels. Teens donning cargo shorts and skateboards were hungry for music that pandered to their impending sense of insignificance in a world that focused on heavily on plastic superficiality and bubblegum pop perfection.
We were hungry and motivated – none of our families had money
Good Charlotte took this crowd under their wing, acting as the voice piece for a generation who found solace in the confines of a mosh pit, expression in the form of punk jumps and catharsis in the words of both hope and cynicism.
“We were kids that had this opportunity and we didn’t want to waste it. We were in a position that was a little different to other bands – their parents were supporting them, or they they had a fallback. We really didn’t have a plan B, we wanted to have worldwide success.”
Bursting out of the gates in 2000 with their self titled debut, Good Charlotte solidified themselves as sure-fire leaders of an oversaturated scene that was then at the height of its mainstream vitality. Their self titled debut, that was eventually certified Gold in the US was inspired by the goal of wanting to assist their parents, which Benji believes set them apart from their peers.
“The work ethic and mindset really came through on the first record, my goal with the first record was to just buy my mum a house, the start of diving into the business and trying to be smart came from.”
We really didn’t have a plan B, we wanted to have worldwide success
Although musing on how their “fighter spirit turned off” critics, it clearly attracted clout from those who mattered most. Fans found solace in the album that musically played the tropes of octave-chord riff worship, galloping drums and huge singalong choruses with this fresh and nuanced perspective. Shortly after the band found themselves on tour with acts like blink-182 and Bad Religion, which in the pop punk world, means you’ve pretty much hit the big time.
“We playing 300+ shows and we genuinely wanted it, and we were making the most of our opportunity. That may have turned some critics off, but fans really related to it.”
By the time their multi-platinum second album The Young & The Hopeless was released, the band were experts in the school of hard knocks. Spawning four massive radio hits, the record has acted as gateway album for many-a pop punk fans, and become one of Good Charlotte’s biggest successes.
“There’s something amazing about desperation and having your back against the wall, and it really brought out the best in us. That fighting spirit is felt on our second record, the Young And The Hopeless.”
Going on to explore emo and electronic soundscapes on The Chronicles Of Life And Death and Good Morning Revival, it’s the moments of hardship which Benji explained acts as the main motivation behind inspiring and nurturing the next generation of pop punk superstars.
There’s something amazing about desperation and having your back against the wall, and it really brought out the best in us
“It really bred a lot of compassion for artists who are in or were in that situation, because that experience comes back in a big way.”
The brothers manage pop punk stalwarts Waterparks, atl-rock lifers Sleeping With Sirens and alt-pop up and comers Chase Atlantic, who he describes as “incredible”. As a creative team, they’ve had a hand in writing alongside Tonight Alive, 5 Seconds Of Summer and All Time Low, crafting hook-laden tunes that cut to the core of what the genre is all about – fun.
“To do that, it makes the bad things that you went through worthwhile because you get to share that experience with younger people” he says of mentoring younger acts, having invested in the genre as experts on sticking to their guns, making the right moves and whilst writing seminal, catchy tunes in the process.
Taking from their initial financial hardships, Benji described what it’s like to ensure the band’s they take under their wing are imparted with a certain level of knowledge to take on the constantly changing industry.
Trusting there’ll be an audience out there that will appreciate it. That’s what artists need to focus on the most
“When you’re sitting in the studio, talking about life and helping them make their next move, plan their careers and businesses, that’s what I love.”
In a fickle industry, Benji’s greatest advice to artists, “Trusting there’ll be an audience out there that will appreciate it. That’s what artists need to focus on the most. That’s what I try to focus on when producing an album and making my own music.”
Despite the band’s many ongoing successes, it’s still their humble beginnings which still ring most vivid to the band.
“Going out into the world and having to learn some of the hard truths – and at times it was hard – but I look back on it really fondly, and I’m proud of how hard we worked.”
Good Charlotte + Neck Deep + Falling In Reverse + ISSUES
Supported by Chase Atlantic
Monday, 26th March 2018
Hordern Pavilion, Sydney (LIC/AA)
Tickets: Live Nation
Wednesday, 28th March 2018
Riverstage, Brisbane (LIC/AA)
Tickets: Live Nation
