Simple Plan Talk Throwbacks, Collabs and More at When We Were Young

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Simple Plan burst onto the music scene in the early 2000s and quickly became global pop punk sensations. Formed in Montreal, Quebec, in 1999, the band has rightfully earned their place as pioneers of Y2K pop punk. Known for their infectious melodies, relatable lyrics, and high-energy performances, Simple Plan has had a prominent and consistently growing impact on the pop punk, emo and alternative rock genres. We sat down with vocalist Pierre Bouvier and guitarist Seb Lefebvre at When We Were Young to chat about everything from the past to present including their latest collaboration single with Jax and the dream of doing another tour with Good Charlotte.

CC: What was the first festival Simple Plan ever played?

Seb: The first we ever played were the Warped Tour dates back in Montreal and Toronto back in 2001 before our first album was even out.

Pierre: We passed out our demos there.

Seb: And on the smallest stage there — we were completely unknown, but we had a great show and fun time.

CC: So staying back in 2001 for a minute, what were your AOL/AIM screen names?

Pierre: I actually don’t remember…

Seb: I had a very old email that I used for MSN messenger and I believe it was DoggyBad182...

CC: Is that a nod to Blink?

Seb: Of course!

CC: If you could go back in time 20 years ago and give yourselves one piece of advice what would it be, if anything?

Pierre: Hang in there, the best is yet to come — we’re still here 20 years later, playing in front of huge crowds and selling out tours. All of those moments that we had a lot of doubts of what we were doing… just steer the course.

CC: Totally, and life gets bumpy at times…

Seb: Of course, but I think overall the trajectory has been upwards which has been remarkable and probably one of the biggest reasons we’re still doing what we do. It seems right now is better than ever.

CC: I know some of the other bands in this realm have taken longer, more prominent breaks, as have you — but the consistency was still there, maybe not as evenly spread, but as you said, the slope has been steady.

Pierre: We’re slow, but steady!

CC: Fast forward to now, we are loving the newly released re-record of “Iconic” featuring Jax — is there anyone else here at When We Were Young you’d want to collaborate with?

Pierre: Well, it was important for us to have a girl featured to show that women can be iconic, too… so probably The Veronicas.

Seb: Who would YOU like to see?

CC: I would love to see an updated re-release of “I’d Do Anything” with the Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) cameo (again) or probably Good Charlotte — my ultimate pop punk power duo.

Pierre: I wish they were more active. I think another Good Charlotte and Simple Plan tour would be bananas! But, they’re busy businessmen, which is still awesome.

CC: Absolutely, and they’re thriving in what they’ve been doing on that side of the industry. Thanks for chatting and you know we will always be out to your next show!

You can catch Simple Plan on tour across Europe, United Kingdom and Australia starting early 2024. Let us know if you’re headed to a show and tag us to share! Check out their upcoming tour dates here.

Photo and interview by Nikki Phillips [ Instagram | Website ]

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