Interview by Olivia Gehrke
First off, congrats on the latest album! I really like it and it seems like there have been
some pretty positive reactions all around to it at this point.
Yeah, thank you.
So, you’ve just done some touring for “Songs for Our Mothers” in the U.K., and now
you’ve been in the U.S. Do you notice any differences in how the crowds react from country
to country to your music and the on-stage antics?
Well, we’ve done like two tours in America and the reception has not been as big as it is in like
Europe or the U.K. The third time around, I don’t know. Hopefully it’ll connect. We’ll have to
wait and see because we’re not going on tour for like another two weeks. We’ll be in Boston.
Oh yeah, it looks like it’s going to be the end part of the tour in Boston for the U.S. in May.
I think so. It’s like one of the last couple of shows. Yeah there are not many that we play here,
but the last couple of times we’ve went over and gone around the country there was about 40 to
50 people in the crowd. But in New York, L.A. and Chicago the reception’s always been pretty
strong.
That’s good. They definitely have more people coming to those shows I feel like. There’s
more of a scene for it—for people to come out to shows and just really get into it.
Yeah, but the people that do come normally like, not a lot of them dig it. Hopefully they’ve gone
home and told their friends so a lot more people come this time around.
Yeah, that’d be good! So, from my understanding, part of the new album was recorded
with Sean Lennon as like a co-producer. Just in general, what was this recording process
like and how did it compare to recording “Champagne Holocaust”?
We only recorded one song with him, which is alright, and his studio is like a really plush studio
up in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York. But the rest of it was done with our old
producer from our previous album. So, whenever it comes to songs, like about production
techniques or whatever, we only recorded one song with him so it wasn’t enough to go and really
tell what the difference was. But but he’s a lovely dude and his studio’s good and he’s got good
taste, but he wasn’t really the main producer on the album.
Just talking about this new album, some of the songs have been pegged as controversial
just because there were some references to fascism and Ike and Tina Turner. Were these
written to get reactions or were they kind of to bring these taboo topics to light? Or does it
do a bit of both?
Well, they might be controversial but they’re meant to be representations of things that are
actually current affairs, aren’t they? They’re not just to wind people up nonsensically. They’re
actually there to remind, or to point them in the direction, of things that are actually wrong going
on nowadays.
The topics of your songs, you were saying they bring about these larger, relevant topics. Do
you think that it turns people on to your music? Or turns people off to it, just because it
may appear controversial?
Well, I think it will alienate some people who don’t really understand those things, those topics.
But for the people that are aware of it, I reckon it will bring people in. It’s not that common.
It’s bringing fresh topics to this music scene. It’s not something that is commonly covered,
which is nice. It’s new, in a way—fresh.
You think they would be covered a bit more.
They should be at least!
Yeah, but they don’t seem to be, do they?
Not many bands I guess are bold enough to take that stance, I suppose, you know?
Maybe. Or maybe they’re just spoiled. I don’t know. Maybe they come from some bougie
upbringing and they just don’t care, I don’t know.
Right. Also this album, sound-wise, is noted for having an array of different sounds that
can vary from song to song, but still create that distinct Fat White Family album. Did other
artists influence any of the sounds on the album? Or was it kind of more of this creation of
the band’s mind?
Well like “Whitest Boy on the Beach” and stuff like that has some Laibach influences. Do you
know Laibach? It’s like a Slovakian band, I think. They write songs that mention fascism and
stuff. They played North Korea a lot last year. You know that band? Did you hear about them?
I think I’ve heard their name around before. Don’t know much about them though.
But yeah, that’s cool. Has the band evolved or grown musically or even
relationship/dynamic-wise since the first album, in your opinion, at all?
We have some other people in it. It’s a change in line-up. It’s mostly changed, yeah.
By the time you guys are in Boston, you’re kind of at the tail end of your North American
tour, as we mentioned. And it looks like you’re doing some European dates and festivals.
So what does the future hold for Fat White Family after touring this album? Or are there
even plans yet—are you playing it by ear?
We’re going to be doing it all year. I can’t really see beyond the end of the year, but hopefully
we’d start writing the third album and stuff like that. Do a couple of videos and we’re just going
to be touring extensively this year. Like Australia and stuff like that.
That’ll be cool. Have you been there before?
No, I’ve never been, so I’m excited to go there. We’re hoping to get to go back down to South
America too. But yeah just got hundreds of shows, just focus on them. Make sure we don’t all
die.
That’s all the questions I have for you. Thanks so much for your time and doing this for us.
Thank you, and I’ll see you in Boston.
Good luck on the tour and I look forward to seeing you guys then!
Fat White Family will be coming to Brighton Music Hall on May 4 with Dilly Dally.