Volbeat's new bassist left for tour 12 hours after birth of his son

A promotional picture of Volbeat
Volbeat with Larsen

Volbeat bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen has revealed how he left his wife and one-day old son behind to take the job with the Danish rock outfit.

Larsen was brought in to replace Anders Kjolholm and was confirmed as a full-time member in May of this year. And while the opportunity was one he couldn’t turn down, it meant he had to miss out on some important family time.

Speaking at Heavy Montreal, Larsen says: “On 11 April we had a son and 12 hours later I was flying for the US tour. Having a small kid back home is kind of hard. But my wife is really into it as well, she is supporting me all the way.

“I miss them. This was the beginning of a real long tour, like six or seven weeks. And I haven’t been away from my wife for that much in 11 years.”

Larsen’s relationship with Volbeat mainman Michael Poulsen goes back two decades and he previously filled in for Kjolholm briefly when Volbeat were still an up-and-coming young act. He still performs with his punk act Parasite too.

He adds: “I played in local Danish bands. I’ve been known to Michael for like 20 years since the death metal days in Denmark. We hung out and have been in contact ever since.

“In 2006 on Volbeat’s first European tour, I was asked to do a session job because Anders couldn’t make it. Volbeat was not that big and we were opening for two other Danish bands, very small stages and venues, but that was great.

“Later on, when Anders was back, my band also opened for Volbeat on other tours.”

Larsen arrived too late to mark his mark on Volbeat’s current album Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie, but he is looking forward to the next album when it comes.

He says: “Of course I have some ideas but the new record was recorded without me. My contribution will be on the next album.”

The full interview with Kaspar Boye Larsen will appear on an upcoming episode of One On One With Mitch Lafon. A shortened version can be heard below.

Volbeat tour the UK with Alter Bridge in November.

Volbeat remaining 2016 tour dates

Aug 11: Pittsburgh Stage AE, PA
Aug 12: Detroit Masonic Temple Theater, MI
Aug 13: Columbus Express Live, OH
Aug 15: Tulsa Brady Theater, OK
Aug 16: Dallas The Bomb Factory, TX
Aug 20: Minneapolis US Bank Stadium, MN
Aug 21: Madison Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall, WI
Aug 23: Des Moines 7 Flags Event Center, IA
Aug 24: Brookings Swiftel Center, SD
Aug 25: Fargo Scheels Arena, ND
Aug 27: Edmonton Rexall Place, AB
Aug 28: Regina Exraz Place, SK
Aug 30: Calgary Grey Eagle Event Center, AB
Sep 05: Seattle WaMu Theater, WA
Sep 06: Spokane Star Theater, WA
Sep 07: Boise Taco Bell Arena, ID
Sep 09: Salt Lake City The Complex, UT
Oct 19: Herning Jyske BAnk Boxen, Denmark
Oct 26: Oslo Spektrum Arena, Norway
Oct 27: Copenhagen Forum, Denmark
Oct 28: Hamburg Barclaycard Arena, Germany
Oct 29: Berlin Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany
Oct 31: Munich Olympiahall, Germany
Nov 01: Linz Tipps Arena, Austria
Nov 02: Vienna Stadhalle, Austria
Nov 04: Innsbruck Olympiahalle, Austria
Nov 05: Geneva Arena, Switzerland
Nov 07: Stuttgart Schlayerhalle, Germany
Nov 08: Zurich Hallenstadion, Switzerland
Nov 09: Cologne Lanxess, Germany
Nov 10: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Nov 12: Leipzig Arena, Germany
Nov 13: Oberhausen Koenig-Pilsener Arena, Germany
Nov 14: Brussels Forest National, Belgium
Nov 15: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
Nov 23: Manchester Arena, UK
Nov 24: London O2 Arena, UK
Nov 26: Nottingham Motorpoint Arena, UK
Nov 27: Birmingham Genting Arena, UK
Nov 28: Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, UK
Dec 01: Glasgow Hydro, UK
Dec 02: Leeds First Direct Arena, UK

Volbeat's Michael Poulsen: Lineup change feels like troubled marriage

Stef wrote close to 5,000 stories during his time as assistant online news editor and later as online news editor between 2014-2016. An accomplished reporter and journalist, Stef has written extensively for a number of UK newspapers and also played bass with UK rock favourites Logan. His favourite bands are Pixies and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Stef left the world of rock'n'roll news behind when he moved to his beloved Canada in 2016, but he started on his next 5000 stories in 2022.