AS much a case of too much too soon as the rock press picking at a scratch until it became a sore, it does seem rapid risers Paramore nearly came unstuck as shows were pulled and everyone ran for cover.

"It was definitely blown out of proportion," said Josh Farro when we caught up with him on an American tour co-headlining with Jimmy Eat World. "You get to kind of expect that, but sometimes bands have to cancel shows. We cannot go on forever. There's a point in every band's career when you've got to take a little time off and be selfish.

"For the last four years we've been giving everything we have to everyone who comes along, accepting every opportunity."

Having turned in two huge-selling albums - All We Know Is Falling and Riot! - and toured relentlessly, it seems the young band from small town Tennessee and fronted by the lens-loving Hayley Williams maybe weren't quite ready for the attention and demands that came their way.
While Josh says they don't seek sympathy he admits cracks did appear. So they took a month off, thought about their lot and even sought counselling.

"It was time to go home and unwind, but even in that month it was still not truly time off because our manager and agent booked more shows and video shoots. There were still little gaps in there to relax.
"Things just got pretty rough, pretty personal. It was causing all this stress and unnecessary drama between the whole band. It started to eat away at us.

"It wasn't healthy and was making us miserable, especially me. I was having a hard time sleeping at night. Everything seemed to be falling apart."

For a band that sings songs often close to the bone or the hearts of their fans, there was something a tad sickening about musicians at the top of their game being the subject of so much angst at the hands of a dream realised.

Hailing from Franklin, 20 minutes south of the country music capital Nashville, Paramore arrived on the scene wide-eyed and with few expectations. And, it seems, ill prepared for the furore their albums on the forward-thinking Fueled By Ramen label would cause.

"Franklin's an amazing place, beautiful hills," says Josh.

"We played a school talent show and our church. If you had told us four years ago when we were playing in a basement we'd be headlining Give It A Name and festivals we'd have probably gone 'yeah, right'.

"It's gone by really fast and we did not know what to expect. We were a bunch of kids making music and suddenly we went on the road.

"I was pretty naïve - we all were - to think it wasn't work. It was like 'oh, it's a rock band, it'll be fun'. But 10 per cent of it is playing music. That's the whole point. It can burn you out. It is supposed to be all about the music but we only get to play a couple of hours a night."

With second album Riot! consolidating their role as one of the leading names in a new generation of rock outfits - as displayed during two afternoons and nights of bands at the London and Sheffield duel-venue Give It A Name indoor festival this Saturday and Sunday, Josh says Paramore are altered but still very much together.

"Giving up was never an option," he confirms. "You tell yourself 'this band is never going to break up' but know you cannot control it; if you had asked us as a friend we would probably have said there's a good chance it could happen. But we wanted to fix this.

"It was really confusing not knowing how anybody felt - everyone went their separate ways. But we all came out stronger.

"Communication is always tough to learn; nobody is ever perfect at it. We are getting better at it.

"It's still a little tough. Everyone came back and there was this awkwardness. It's a weird dynamic; it's not like it was. Then our songs are pretty emotional."

But for Josh, at least, playing live puts all the other stuff, including their recent Grammy nomination, in the shade.
"On stage...I feel on top of the world. It's an unexplainable feeling."
Paramore headline on Sunday. New single That's What You Get is out on Monday.


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