by Lexi Bissonnette
Cyberpunk band Pop. 1280 got their start back in late 2008/early 2009 when Chris Bug and Ivan Lip got together and began to write. Since then they’ve been through some changes – new members, general growth and growth in their music.
“We have members that know how to play their instruments and we’ve become better songwriters and have moved away from some of the obvious influences,” says Ivan Lip. But that wasn’t all that changed. “We’ve all gotten more better looking, I’d say that was a good one, ” he jokes.
Lip says they’ve begun to move away from traditional influences for their music. But, he thinks one of the big influences was singer Michael Hutchence and his group, INXS. “They had a lot of songs that make people want to dance and we like that.”
After the recent release of Imps of Perversion, the band took to the road for a west coast tour. This tour has meant a lot of new stops and a tour of Canada for the first time. “It’s been good, the tour has been really good.”
They’ve been having a great time going west, which they have only done once before. Lip jokes that there were two things that make the tour great. “I would say playing with our friends, like in Chicago is always good. Anytime we get more than two drink tickets per person, that’s good.”
With 2013 drawing to a close, the band has had a successful year with their tour and album release. Lip says that they’re looking for a repeat next year, they already have a European tour booked and songs being written for an LP.
