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Fur Patrol.
Fur Patrol haven't had the easiest of times since relocating
from New Zealand to Melbourne three years back. A record company
that either didn't know or care what to do with the band, and
radio that wasn't willing to add their singles (and if you've
heard Andrew or Lydia - the most-played song in NZ in
2000, no less - you'd know just how strong they are), on top
of a touring schedule that would reduce most bands to tears
saw them questioning, if briefly, what they were doing.
"We've had some pretty dark moments. It did get to a point about a year and a half ago when we were quite dysfunctional as a band - we were so disillusioned with what was happening, and it did look like there was no light at the end of the tunnel," explains drummer Simon Braxton. "So we actually sat down and had a meeting and said either we're all into this or we're not into this - and if we are all into this let's get at it with renewed vigour and if not let's just stop. And we all agreed that we really love doing it and wanted to be in the band, and we wanted to make this music. So that was a turning point really, and we decided to just get stuck in and fuck it - whatever happens, we really enjoy doing it. Which is sort of where Precious is coming from to a degree, it's definitely a song that says 'Fuck you - we really love it and believe in it. We're gonna do our own thing and if you like it great, and if not, well, your loss.'"
Precious is the first single from their new album 'Collider'
and you probably already know it. It's the frantic guitar-and-female-vocal
track that Boost Juice are using in their new TV campaign ("It
allowed us to pay the rent for a couple of months," Braxton
laughs). That level of exposure is certainly a great start to
their relationship with new label Universal. "Everybody needs
excited people working with them otherwise you tend to bog down,
and Universal have been really excited from the get-go," he
confirms.
'Collider' is the second album that you were hoping Fur Patrol would release. Where debut 'Pet' had a mid-pace feel from start to end, 'Collider' kicks in with the aforementioned Precious - instantly rockier than anything the band have ever done. It's something Braxton attributes to their environment. "We were naturally inclined that way, we've been able to develop that rock to a degree over here. It's definitely more encouraged in Australia than in NZ. We're all more confident musicians now: we've had the opportunity to play more shows since we've been living in Australia, so that's resulted in more confident musicianship for a start. And we're three years older than when we made the last album so there's definitely more perspective."
Having a demanding producer was also a major factor in the more muscular ("Muscular! We've been to the gym, we've been to the music gym - the rock gym!" laughs Braxton) sound. "Mark Wallis definitely pushed us to accentuate the dynamics. He said 'look, if you're gonna rock out let's really rock it, let's get it really fucking snarly and really heavy; and if you're going to be delicate and beautiful let's strip it right back and take it down to the bare minimum of what's absolutely required' - which in some cases was just vocals and bass. He pushed all of us to play better than we've ever played before. He certainly did with me. He used to be a drummer, so he rode me like a bitch! He freaked me out, I thought he was picking on me, but then I realised it was actually a vote of confidence - he's saying you can do better than what you're doing... when I finally got my head around that it was great, really inspiring. But he definitely helped us bring out those dynamics - those highs and lows and different colours."
Those highs and lows are the key to the album's impact. Julia
Deans has really developed as a singer - a spiky mixture of
menace and sensuality - and the increased ability of Braxton
and bandmates Steve Wells and Andrew Bain to play around her
- shifting from the groove of Get Along to the delicate
Into The Sun to the killer guitar pop of Fade Away
gives the album more finesse than 'Pet.'
It's been a while since their last visit, but the Furries have graced stages in Adelaide quite a few times up to this point. They're heading back for the album launch, after playing along the East Coast. "We've been having great fun. We're on tour with Spiderbait at the moment and we've been lapping up their crowd. Their crowd are really open-minded and they've been giving us lots of good vibes, so we've been absolutely loving it." They may hail from the land of the long white cloud, but this is one band that tours the old-fashioned Australian way - long, hard, and almost entirely by road. In fact, they're probably more Oz than most Australian bands. Braxton laughs at the absurdity of this.
"It's ridiculous, isn't it! But at least we're using hire vehicles now. Our van broke down. It was our Ford Econovan, it just shat its pants about six months ago - the engine blew up for good. So we said 'right, we can't do this any more, we're just gonna hire vehicles.' It's more expensive as it turns out, but at least we know we're going to get to the gig. It was touch and go with the old beast, and you don't want that added stress. So we're travelling in relative luxury although we're still firmly attached to the ground. Our next step is the private jet..."
May the gods of hire vehicles guide Fur Patrol safely to Adelaide.
Wade Howland
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dB Magazine presentS Fur Patrol at the Enigma Bar on Sun 25 April. See Prize Frenzy™ for giveaways.
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