TAKING DAWN recemtly finished up a headline tour of the UK and this was their first, not only in the UK but EVER! We sat down for a chat with frontman Chris Babbit about how the tour was for them and how it felt pooping their headliner cherry so many miles from home…

Last year was quite the year for you guys- what would you say are your top five highlights and why?
Kiss European/UK arena, specifically Newcastle when I jumped into the crowd for my solo during The Chain and this monstrous fan hoisted me onto his shoulders rather rapidly and most unbeknownst to me! I felt like Angus or Randy when they got the ol’ piggy back, which was pretty cool because in the Master Blaster scenario I’m NEVER in the Master seat. I was gonna say, “I’m never the guy on top”, but that’s just inviting trouble 😉

Being handpicked by Slash to tour with him in the States. ‘Nuff said.

Opening the main stage at Download…because on top of being beyond belief, it scored me stage access to watch Megadeth while they played to 90 thousand people.

Playing/hanging out with Stone Sour on the off-dates of the German Festivals (BEST dudes EVER)

Making a million new fans here in the UN-FUCKING-STOPPABLE and simply UNTOP-ABLE UK on the Airbourne and Kiss tours. Why? Because it allowed us to parlay our exposure into our current headlining run which has exceeded our expectations. We LOVE the UK.

How does it feel to be kicking off 2011 with your first headline tour? And here in the UK?
We’re ALMOST a real band now 🙂 The turnouts have been tremendous and I couldn’t have hoped for more animated crowds. Newcastle nearly caved the Academy 2 in. I thought we were going to go through the floor and collapse into the box office. It was MADNESS. The floor boards were like undulating ocean waves, and the microphone ebbed with the flow of the current until it finally slammed into my face and chipped my tooth. Waves of crowd surfers and endless chants…I was in fucking heaven.

What has been the best show of the tour so far?
It’s hard to say, because every show was just top fuckin’ notch. Glasgow annihilated, Leeds blew my mind, London was uproarious, Oxford was thrastastic, Colchester killed (though was the smallest turnout, as it was our first show there ever), Portsmouth a madhouse, and Wolverhampton left me bloodied and demolished, with half the crowd on each other’s shoulders. But as I previously illustrated it’s New Castle that inches ahead of the pack. Tonight is Liverpool, and we’ve been guaranteed big things from Crazy Cunts (these three AMAZING girls who saw us while they were following the Kiss tour and became die hard fans), who are, themselves, a trio of Scousers.

When you leave the UK you head home to prepare for Australia and Soundwave festival. What are your expectations for that?
I’m hoping it’ll be something like 6 back to back Downloads! lol. Download was the best time even and no matter what these shows are they’re going to be amazing. We love going down, so Down Under is going to be a pretty natural step for us.

Anyone on the bill you are looking forward to checking out?
I-R-O-N-M-A-I-D-E-N!!!!!! I had a blast with my boys in Rise to Remain last year @ Download and can’t wait to actually catch their set this time. Stoked to see our buddies in Dommin. I’m a huge Coheed and Cambria fan, so getting to see them as well as play with them on our “Sidewave” date with Slash. SLASH of course…duh. Even after touring with him I can’t get enough of Myles, Slash’s amazing band, and their shreddin’ set. But really, if I could only catch ONE band, it’d be Foxy Shazam, hands down. One of my fav new bands. I really hope to meet them.

It’s been almost a year since the album was released. Have you been working on any new music at all?
Quite a few new tunes. Getting harder and softer at the same time, Viagra ain’t got shit on us. All kinds of new stuff and plenty of classic Taking Dawn to keep you sated for the sound you know while whetting your appetite for new, exciting tunes. Big epic shit, and short lil catchy tunes that make std’s look hard to contract. We’re catchier than herpes.

What do you hope to achieve in 2011?
I’m hoping to qualify for food stamps. I think we’ll make JUST enough money to reach the poverty line next year. My real hopes? To get the exposure that this record will not only deserve but demand. Our debut went virtually unheard and we aim to rectify that on the second one…but we’ve got to record the fucker first, lol. Maybe THAT’S what we should worry about first, getting the damn thing done.

Any final words for the UK?
I FUCKING ADORE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!! Thank you for everything from the bottom of my metal encrusted heart, and keep spreadin’ the word like herpes in a whorehouse. We haven’t even left already we can’t wait to come back!

Taking Dawn’s debut album Time To Burn is available now. Pick it up from Play.com.