As It Is In Concert
An exhilarating pop-punk band based in Brighton, England, As It Is brandishes all the energy frontman Patty Walters displayed in the viral videos that first earned him attention. The difference now is that he and his band are making their mark with original songs rather than the covers that were the former YouTuber's forte.
Born in Minnesota and raised in the U.K., Walters began his music career when he uploaded an acoustic version of Joshua Radin's "Winter" in 2009. Along with his charming vlog entries, his channel featured the teenager singing and performing songs by heroes such as All Time Low, Fall Out Boy, and The Starting Line. Walters' cheeky screamo renditions of songs from Frozen and The Lion King were just as startling.
Though the videos garnered more than 30 million views, Walters regarded his online fame as a means to an end — his goal was always to launch a band. Named after a lyric in a song by Have Heart, As It Is formed in 2012. After several tours of the U.K. and Europe and the release of four EPs, the band signed with Fearless Records in 2014.
As It Is released their first album — ‘Never Happy, Ever After' — in 2015 before playing every date on that summer's Warped Tour. Full of bristling and anthemic pop-punk, ‘Never Happy, Ever After' reached No. 14 on Billboard's independent albums chart. A second album that showcased an equally bracing yet more personal songwriting sensibility for Walters — titled ‘Okay' — topped the Heatseekers chart in 2017.
Recorded in Texas with producer Gene "Machine" Freeman, ‘The Great Depression' arrived in 2018. Brandishing a heavier sound that bridged the gap between As It Is' brand of emo-punk and the more metallic style of past Freeman clients like Lamb of God, the songs again saw Walters write frankly about his mental health struggles and those of people in his life.
In the single "Hey Rachel," he recounted his sister's experience with anxiety and depression. That combination of musical attack and emotional candor made for As It Is' strongest album yet. The critics at Dead Press! named ‘The Great Depression' one of 2018's 10 best albums.
Together with his bandmates — guitarist/vocalist Benjamin Langford-Biss, bassist Alistair Testo, and drummer Patrick Foley — Walters builds on that momentum with a new slate of dates for As It Is in the U.S. and the U.K.
