A Chat With Cancer Bats: The Metalheads You Can't Keep Down

On April 21, 2025, Cancer Bats' current tour brought them to Indianapolis, Indiana. They played a killer set at Black Circle, a local metal bar on the Northside, after which they retired to a nearby hotel for the night. That's when they had a close encounter with Circle City's infamous crime problem. Their van was stolen, and though it was eventually recovered, all of their gear as well as merchandise, personal belongings, and the van's catalytic converter were missing. 

The next day, the band started a GoFundMe to help them get their tour back on track. In just a few hours, they had reached their thirty-thousand-dollar goal, but the goodwill didn't stop there. Music gear giant Sweetwater loaned the band all the equipment they would need to continue the tour, and their van was fixed up by a generous mechanic by the end of the next day. After witnessing this incredible coming together of the music community, I knew I had to talk to Cancer Bats about it. I got in contact with the band to have a chat about the incident and the tour that brought them to my neighborhood. 

UPTIGHT: How did Cancer Bats come together?

Cancer Bats came together in 2004 when our singer, Liam, and former guitarist, Scott, wanted to start a band that would sound like some of their biggest influences at the time–bands like Entombed, Refused, and lots of other hardcore bands they grew up listening to. Drummer Mikey and I (bassist Jaye Schwarzer) joined in 2005 and 2007, respectively. 

UPTIGHT: Who are some of your influences as musicians?

I feel like we have the core bands we've always loved, like the bands mentioned already, but also there are bands like HateBread, Propaghandi, the Melvins, tons of stoner rock groups, and obviously Black Sabbath. 

UPTIGHT: Cancer Bats has been around almost twenty years now; what have been some career highlights?

We've been a really fortunate band over the years. When we started out, we just wanted to play music and go on tour. It's crazy to us that all these years later we've been able to have supported bands like GWAR or to have played huge festivals like Download in the UK or gotten to play shows in places like Nepal, China, or Australia. 

UPTIGHT: We haven't seen a new LP since 2022's Psychic Jailbreak. Is there anything new in the works for fans to look forward to?

YES!! We're currently working on new songs for the eighth Cancer Bats record, and it's going really well. We have a new guitarist, Jackson, and it's been awesome to bring him into the fold. It's been such a blast to bounce riffs off of each other! 

UPTIGHT: Will we be hearing anything out of Bat Sabbath (Cancer Bats Black Sabbath themed side project) in the near future?

Bat Sabbath will ALWAYS be around. We just did a couple of shows up in Alberta, Canada, which ruled. I'm not sure when we'll get to it again as we work on the new Bats record, but it's not going anywhere. 

UPTIGHT: Your tours have taken you all over the world. What have been your favorite places to play?

Honestly, we love going everywhere! Different countries and continents bring their own different vibes from one to the next, but we're never really having a bad time playing. The UK has always been huge for us, and obviously Canada goes off. But spots like Czechia, Spain, Australia, Germany, France, Scandinavia...we love going and playing allllll those places. We didn't play in the US for a long time, but we've been getting back down here a lot more lately, and we've been loving it!

UPTIGHT: Do you have any dream venues/locations you want to play in the future?

I'm not sure about venues, but we've definitely always wanted to get to South America; it's just never worked out to be able to get down there. 

UPTIGHT: Your current tour is taking you across the states. Is there anywhere in particular you're looking forward to visiting?

Oh, for sure! We have a lot of pals spread out across the US that live in some of the spots we're playing, which gets us extra stoked to get out there! Places like California or Texas, it's been way too long since we've been there, or somewhere like Florida, so we’re looking forward to that.

UPTIGHT: What can you tell me about the incident here in Indianapolis on April 21st?

Well, it was pretty heartbreaking, really... We went to get in the van and instead just found a small pile of glass left from it being broken into. Fortunately, the van was found by the police, but the trailer was long gone. It was full of all our gear, all our merch, and a couple of suitcases which belonged to myself and our friend Joel, who has been out rolling with us. We were very lucky to be able to get the van back, so we weren't totally stranded (chuckles), but yeah, we're all really gutted about the lost gear. 

UPTIGHT: How did it feel to have the metal community rally around you in your time of crisis?

It has been such a huge help! But talk about an emotional rollercoaster, (chuckles). We were feeling so down and defeated, and then friends and fans just started reaching out via text or social media, offering help and support. It was overwhelming, and I feel like we're still trying to process the highs and the lows. But it's been absolutely incredible and inspiring. 

UPTIGHT: Is there anything you would like to say to those who lent a helping hand during this trying time?

Absolutely! Honestly, we will never be able to thank everyone enough! It made us realize we can pull together and keep going because we are literally surrounded and supported by some of the best people out there! Someday, we'll figure out how we can properly repay you all. We love everyone so damn much. 

UPTIGHT: Other than your run-in with our crime problem, how was your time in Circle City?

Oh, it was awesome!!!! The venue, the Black Circle, was fucking awesome. Hailey, who did sound, was great to work with; Nate, who ran the bar, was a great dude who looked after us all and turned me on to a locally made bourbon made by Loom. I think that was it. We ate at Paco's Taqueria, and it was great! We saw some old friends who live in the area and made a few more pals while we were there. It was honestly such a great vibe; the show ripped! It sucks that the robbery happened, but we can't let it diminish the good time we had beforehand. 

Cancer Bats are still going hard on their tour. In the wake of the onslaught of good faith they have seen from their fans, they have pressed down harder than ever before, ripping across the country in a cloud of heavy metal. Catch them coming to your local dive soon, and in the meantime, stream their music wherever you get your tunes.