July 29, 2025 • 17 mins
Interview by Kris Peters
Aussie punk legends Frenzal Rhomb are the gift that keeps on giving. Just like the Energiser Bunny, the guys seem to just keep on trucking where others half their age would have put up the white flag.
Following the near-completed 25 (ish) Anniversary Tour for A Man's Not A Camel, Frenzal have also been invited to fly the flag for the naughty kids left in our generation to play at two of this country's biggest and best music festivals. First, they head to the Northern Territory in September to take their place at Blacken 2025 before getting in some well-deserved R & R leading up to the double header of Froth & Fury shows early next year in Perth on January 24 and Adelaide on January 31.
Not bad for a band who were playing other great festivals such as Livid around the turn of the century!
While their music has an irresistibly infectious charm to it, there's no doubting much of Frenzal Rhomb's staying power is down to their laconic sense of humour and general no fucks given attitude in the face of adversity. Throughout their career, they have offended everyone from radio hosts to television hosts to croupiers at the casino, but, more importantly than that, they have gotten away with it. Which I guess isn't that hard to do when you are able to brush things off with a strum of the guitar and a flash of attitude and move on.
That's not to say Frenzal Rhomb are snotty-nosed and disrespectful - although they have more than enough of those attributes to go around - but when you realise that it is possible to have and voice an opinion without being a wanker about it, then the world suddenly opens up, and the walls move out a little.
Which is all a long-winded way of saying that Frenzal Rhomb are Australian punk walking dinosaurs for the simple reason that they only take things seriously that are meant to be taken that way and subscribe to the theory that when all else fails play some music and have a laugh and maybe things will turn out not quite as bad as you thought they might be.
Which is possibly why they are still welcome at otherwise metal-only gatherings to shoot the shit and play some tunes.
HEAVY recently caught up with the man with the flowing locks and the voice of Frenzal Rhomb, Jason Whalley, to talk about the band's enduring legacy and hopefully find out the reasons why the band is still the toast of the music world. With debate already circling around whether Frenzal Rhomb are representing the Froth or the Fury at next year's event, we ask Jason to set the record straight.
"Oh, listen, we're a big Froth band," he declared. "There's not a lot of Fury going in our world these days, but still a lot of froth."
We mention the line-up, which includes Polaris, Soulfly, Nailbomb, Comeback Kid, Lagwagon and In Hearts Wake and ask where Frenzal sits on the musical merry-go-round.
"I'm looking forward to being the least heavy band on the entire line up," he smiled. "I think it'll be some pleasant relief for people to hear some nice three-part harmonies, a bit of Linda Ronstadt… a bit of The Eagles, maybe?"
Which begs the question: is Jason even a fan of heavier music?
"Oh God, I don't like any music," he laughed. "No, I do like some heavy music. I feel like when I'm being screamed at for longer than probably 15 minutes, then I start getting the shits. But those 15 minutes are good. When I can't understand one lyric for, 10 to 15 minutes, then I'm like, don't make me look at the Internet to find out what you're saying. I'm just going to assume that you're not a Nazi."
In the full interview, we talk about the A Man's (Still) Not A Camel Tour and how it has been going, the fact that Frenzal are still a musical force so deep into their career, why he thinks festival organisers keep asking for Frenzal Rhomb to play on heavier line-ups and where Frenzal sit amongst so much aggression.
We talk about the remaining shows of the tour, their smash and grab mission to play in Quebec, how people overseas react to the band's sarcastic sense of humour, the endless possibilities with Anniversary tours, old websites that still have value and more.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
Aussie punk legends Frenzal Rhomb are the gift that keeps on giving. Just like the Energiser Bunny, the guys seem to just keep on trucking where others half their age would have put up the white flag.
Following the near-completed 25 (ish) Anniversary Tour for A Man's Not A Camel, Frenzal have also been invited to fly the flag for the naughty kids left in our generation to play at two of this country's biggest and best music festivals. First, they head to the Northern Territory in September to take their place at Blacken 2025 before getting in some well-deserved R & R leading up to the double header of Froth & Fury shows early next year in Perth on January 24 and Adelaide on January 31.
Not bad for a band who were playing other great festivals such as Livid around the turn of the century!
While their music has an irresistibly infectious charm to it, there's no doubting much of Frenzal Rhomb's staying power is down to their laconic sense of humour and general no fucks given attitude in the face of adversity. Throughout their career, they have offended everyone from radio hosts to television hosts to croupiers at the casino, but, more importantly than that, they have gotten away with it. Which I guess isn't that hard to do when you are able to brush things off with a strum of the guitar and a flash of attitude and move on.
That's not to say Frenzal Rhomb are snotty-nosed and disrespectful - although they have more than enough of those attributes to go around - but when you realise that it is possible to have and voice an opinion without being a wanker about it, then the world suddenly opens up, and the walls move out a little.
Which is all a long-winded way of saying that Frenzal Rhomb are Australian punk walking dinosaurs for the simple reason that they only take things seriously that are meant to be taken that way and subscribe to the theory that when all else fails play some music and have a laugh and maybe things will turn out not quite as bad as you thought they might be.
Which is possibly why they are still welcome at otherwise metal-only gatherings to shoot the shit and play some tunes.
HEAVY recently caught up with the man with the flowing locks and the voice of Frenzal Rhomb, Jason Whalley, to talk about the band's enduring legacy and hopefully find out the reasons why the band is still the toast of the music world. With debate already circling around whether Frenzal Rhomb are representing the Froth or the Fury at next year's event, we ask Jason to set the record straight.
"Oh, listen, we're a big Froth band," he declared. "There's not a lot of Fury going in our world these days, but still a lot of froth."
We mention the line-up, which includes Polaris, Soulfly, Nailbomb, Comeback Kid, Lagwagon and In Hearts Wake and ask where Frenzal sits on the musical merry-go-round.
"I'm looking forward to being the least heavy band on the entire line up," he smiled. "I think it'll be some pleasant relief for people to hear some nice three-part harmonies, a bit of Linda Ronstadt… a bit of The Eagles, maybe?"
Which begs the question: is Jason even a fan of heavier music?
"Oh God, I don't like any music," he laughed. "No, I do like some heavy music. I feel like when I'm being screamed at for longer than probably 15 minutes, then I start getting the shits. But those 15 minutes are good. When I can't understand one lyric for, 10 to 15 minutes, then I'm like, don't make me look at the Internet to find out what you're saying. I'm just going to assume that you're not a Nazi."
In the full interview, we talk about the A Man's (Still) Not A Camel Tour and how it has been going, the fact that Frenzal are still a musical force so deep into their career, why he thinks festival organisers keep asking for Frenzal Rhomb to play on heavier line-ups and where Frenzal sit amongst so much aggression.
We talk about the remaining shows of the tour, their smash and grab mission to play in Quebec, how people overseas react to the band's sarcastic sense of humour, the endless possibilities with Anniversary tours, old websites that still have value and more.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/heavy-music-interviews--2687660/support.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello, heavy people, It's Jay here from the Friends of
Wrong band and apparently we're playing at the Froth and
or Fury Festival, which I think is happening in Perth
and Adelaide, So you can stop winging.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Nice. You've done your homework too, mate. You've got both
venues right congratulations?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yeah, man, so you are.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Actually correct and Friends are rom have just been announced
as part of Froth and Fury twenty twenty six, which
is in Perth on January twenty fourth.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And Adelaide on the thirty first.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
So there's been a bit of debate over this already, mate,
But to set the records straight, are you representing the
Froth for the Fury?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Oh listen, we're a big froth band.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
There's not a lot of fury going on in our
world these days, but still a lot of froth.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
You never have too much broth, can you? No?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
You can.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Tasting line up, bro there's Polaris Sulfline now by Minheart's
wait come back kid and heap some more. But it's
Lucky Lagwig and the playing too, So you guys have
got someone else to talk to.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, I mean I'm looking forward to being the least
heavy band on the entire lineup. You know, I think
it'll be some pleasant relief for people to hear some
nice three part Harmony's a bit of Linda Ronstat, you know,
a bit of the Eagles.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Maybe.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I don't think I've ever asked you this before, Brad,
But do you actually like heavy music?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Oh? God, I don't like any music. No, I do,
I do, I do like, I do like some heavy music.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I feel like when I'm being sort of screamed at
for longer than probably fifteen minutes, then I start getting
the shits.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
But those fifteen minutes are good.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Fucking got a bit bigger than mine.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Bro, When I can't understand one lyric for you know,
ten to fifteen minutes, and I'm like, don't make me
look at the internet to find out what you're saying.
I'm just going to assume that you're not a Nazi.
But who knows.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Gordy'll be right at home. He loves his heavy stuff,
don't he.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
He sure does.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, I mean he's an enigma now, Gordy, because you know,
he loves he loves the Beatles, and you know, a
lot of a lot of seventies pop rock, you know,
Air supply. He loves air supply, but no, he does
also love his heavy music. You know, he plays in
(02:40):
that band of mind Snares. You know, they love screaming
at you.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
From what I want to know, Bro, is like, do
you think Friends Will got the invite for your music
or you've got a more for your charm and good looks?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Oh well, I mean it'd have to be charm. But yeah, look,
I don't know. I mean I feel like our Friends
Will always had this bit of a weird crossover with
with metal fans. There's always there's always a couple lurking
around just you know, disappointed after every show there's no
(03:18):
blast beats, but I mean Gord, he slips them in
every now and then. No, I think it's like when
we played a few years ago, we played that Download
Festival and it went across really well, you know from
my point of view.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I mean, we did play war Pigs.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But and you did it quite well too. Actually I was.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
But you know, there's probably something for everyone in a
Friends of One set.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
You could always play Dinosaurs twy four hundred and sixty
eight times.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yes, we could.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Actually we've been playing that twice in our set because
for some reason, I can't really nail it the first time,
and so we do a slower version and when when
I was filling in the opera form, so I was like, yeah, no,
we played that twice when it goes for four and
a half seconds.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
But you know, getting.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Paid apparently, as you said before, man, you're currently about
halfway through the Man's Still Not a Camel tour, which
celebrates roughly twenty five years of that great album. So
how's it to be going, brain Like, it looks like
you're selling a few shows out.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, man, people love it. It's one of those things
I think I was talking to you about it. How
you know, really, from from our point of view, there's
probably four good songs on that record, and we play
those four songs every single time we play. But then,
you know, as soon as we sort of say, oh,
we're celebrating the album, everyone's like, oh shit, Chair and
(04:47):
the couple, and then they then they also realize that
there's only four good songs on it. But now I've
been playing some deep cuts off. It's been pretty fun,
and yeah, it's just good to you know, up with
everyone and playing doing the regional tours. Fantastic, you know,
going to all these all these towns and yeah, catching
(05:08):
up with people we don't see very often, and all
that jazz.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
It's good.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
And I've got to ask you, bro, because you're you're
a rightfully confident sort of chapte, but you guys actually bluster.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
On the on the inside of an anxious wreck.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Well I'm talking outside, Jason.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Yeah, it is actually surprising that you are still selling
our shows this far into it.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I am there's no no person on the planet more
surprised than myself.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It's no, it's good.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
I mean, it took me a while to realize that,
you know, those songs have some meaning for people in
different times of their lives, and you know, sometimes they
might have been struggling, or you know that they might
remember those times as like having a you know, kind
of as a pivotal moment in their lives, and so
that that, you know, a lot of these songs were
(05:58):
sort of their soundtrack.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
And you know, I used to give me the shits,
but now I quite like it.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
You every actually had someone come up to you and
say that they gave up smoking because of I'm hissed
my luck.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I have not, although there is a lot of people
that think that I've only got one lung as a
result of that song.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
But can you perpetuate that mint?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Well, I try not to, but you know, people make
up their own history. Actually, someone the other day called
me Cones Santa because like every single person, I like,
there's too many people that think they've had cones with me.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
But I can't be everywhere at once.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
You're like that magic man, like, yeah, we had cones
in the Budgy Boy car park in ninety six.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Like I don't know that happened.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I did sing a song about it once, but I
didn't have good to see.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
You guys are pushing yourself too hard either, Like you
sit in August out then you're doing four shows in
your step Chamber to in early October to white things up?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Like is that because the body doesn't sort of bounce
back because he used.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
No, Well, we we we've been.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Going pretty hard up until now.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Then God he's having God he's having couple tunnel surgery
on his arm, and so yeah, we got six weeks off.
But I'm actually touring with my other band, the Neptune
Power Federation in this little break. So haven't actually stopped
you coming up to Brisbane.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
With that sure.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Playing the playing the zoo of the Crowba the.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Cob had actually seen that band yet, so I shall
I'll come be un to say. Yeah man, yeah, now
I also noticed too, bro if you found time for
a sneaky trip avery Q back for the red Bridge Festival.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
It was fantastic.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I mean it was we're only there for four days
or something, as it was kind enough to kind of
bring us all over there.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
But yeah, it was funny.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
I think the rooting of the tour was like it
was like Caloundra, Montreal, Ladulla or something like that.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
But but yeah, it was fantastic.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, we did our own, our own show in Montreal,
did the festival.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It was great.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
It was like Propagandy and a bunch of bands and
then yeah, we did our own show in Montreal and
it was great because like everyone, we never go there,
so everyone sort of travels from all over to come
and see us, and yeah, I had kids coming up
from New York and Boston and Baltimore and flight over
from Vancouver and whatnot, and yeah it was cool.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Yeah, how do you go overseas, probably, like many people
actually get your sense of huma or you get a
lot of blank faces looking back at you.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I mean, Quebec was particularly difficult because they all speak
French and I don't. So we're just sort of going
about our regular banter to a fair few blank faces.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
But then yeah, we may as you get through it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
I think, you know, we're probably one of the few
countries around the world that just belligerently only speaks one language.
So those people sort of pick up a little bit
of English, and I mean, even if they're just hearing
us just banging on, it's you know, I mean, I
think it's entertaining and that's the main thing.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
But the hole of Quebec is now saying the word can't.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Are they probably? Yeah, yeah, I did a.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Quick tell you bro, and you guys have got the
next five years Sword of f anniversary chores. You've got.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Next year's going to be the twentieth anniversary Forever Malcolm
Young year half is a tenth anniversary of High vis It.
Following years, the twenty fifth anniversary San Suci twenty fifth
anniversary for the term of their unnatural lives, and then
twenty thirty is going to be the thirtieth anniversary. I'll
shut your mouth and I stopped looking after that because
it was all four in the place a little too easily.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah, but what you're what you're forgetting is that you
can shrink the years and you go, oh, let's do
the seventeenth anniversary of Smoke Out the Pet Food Factory.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
You've got to wrap up.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
We've gotta wrapped up. Yes, San SUSI will be a
good one. We probably won't tour for shut your mouth
out of respect to our fans, but but yes, we
do that. I mean, we're also keen to write another record.
We've been looking at the notes up, which is where
all good friends of rooms start from. So we've got
(10:35):
some ideas brewing and just sort of starting writing at
the moment for the new new record, and then we'll
do the twentieth year anniversary of that when we're eighty.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
You have been doing this for a long time now, bro, Like,
does it get easier or harder to come up with
fresh sounded new music by the more albums?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You're right, I mean, thank you for referring to our
new music as fresh sounding. But yeah, it's actually it's
easy to come up with songs, but it's hard to
come up with good songs. So and That's that's why
we always write so many songs for each record, because
a lot of them you should never see the light
(11:13):
of day.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I reckon, I reckon two or three of them woul
probably be all right.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, Yeah, we usually have a hit ratio of one
to ten. So there's nine songs. There's nine nine songs
for everyone that no one will ever hear. But yeah,
it's seems to work.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
I'll like to try to come up with some fun
facts every time I speak to you, bro, and I've
got another one to throw at you, like I could
be wrong, but I did a bit of research on
friends wrong, And it looks like you've never had a
guest artist on any of your albums.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (11:47):
That is incorrect?
Speaker 1 (11:51):
When Forever Malcolm Young, my wife, Lauren Friedman your wife.
He's the lead singer of the Neptune Power.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
But she's your wife. She doesn't count as a guest start,
she's family.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
On Masy Camel, we had Jesse Moss of the Moss Dynasty.
She sings the middle section of I Missed My One
God you put me on the spot, But I reckon.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
There's been.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Some The only reason I looked that up was because
I've noticed you'd be doing a lot of a lot
of collaborations lately, Like people are popping up all over
the place with Jay from Friends are on on their track.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Oh yeah, that's because it's harder for me to come
up with an excuse to say no than it is
to actually just do it.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
It's nice.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I'm pretty pretty busy at the moment. Oh can you
do it in six months and I'm still busy, then.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
No. It's good. You know, it's nice to be asked
to do things.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Indeed, I also stuck across some pretty cool on your website,
gem Mate like website. Website that's where I got all
this use is pushing information from. But it sounds you've
given out free guitar and bass lessons. I'm going, there's
just tabs in there and there's a password and you
can learn how to play shit.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
This was on an old Yeah, that's that old website
that's been around since the MySpace days.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
I saw that.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I screenshotted the guitar lessons thing too, and I sent
it to Lindsay and I was like, what's up with
this man? Because I hadn't seen that for a while.
That website, I was like, I don't know if you
want to learn guitar from that guy, but.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
You didn't feel like sharing it if you were trade secret.
So there's no vocal lessons on that not.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
For some reason, the phone's been strangely quiet, and people
asking me to help them with the singing. But I
want to see here in my illustrious studio, the pet
Food Factory, you know, do a little bit of producing
of beards and stuff, and I'm always forcing three part
armies on bands that don't want them. Anytime you want
(14:04):
to come in, you know, I'll make you sound like
fucking beach boys.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Actually a lot along those lines, break.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
There's probably a lot of people out there who'd love
to have the experience of recording with you. So how
do they get onto you to come down to the
pet food Factory.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I'm pretty hard to find. You need to go onto
the internet if you've got it, and then you'll find me.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Just like that. Just go that.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
J Wallly pet Food Factory down on the Instagram and whatnot.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Nice people people come from all over the place and
jump in and record, and we do all sorts of
music and stuff, not just punk stuff, but yeah, all
sorts of shit.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
It does actually work.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
It's like I get that many emails and should come
through with new music, but occasionally one comes through and
I see your name attached to it and it's like, well,
I'll take the time out and give these guys a listen.
If Jane thinks they're all right, they've got to be
all right. But so actually do on your part by
doing this.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yeah, well good, you know that's what That's what I
like to see.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Man.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
We've actually forgotten to talk about one other festival you're
playing at two BRA You've got in September. You're going
all the way over to the Northern Territory to play
a black in twenty four.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Oh yes, that's very exciting. Yeah, we haven't haven't done
that before. The Neptune Power Federation did it but I
couldn't go, so they had the the have my stunt
double playing bass but yeah, and they said it was
absolutely fantastic. Yeah, super looking forward to that. That's another
festival where there's gonna be a lot of double kick
(15:37):
drums and a lot of people yelling and then us.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
But I reckon it's going to be good. It's just
such a weird spot.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
It's like two hours out of all the springs in
this place called the Ross River Resort, which I think
is neither a river or a resort, And a lot
of people that go there talk about buying liquid acid
from none and walking around in the desert so.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Before they take the acid. Yeah, that's pretty something in
the air there for sure.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yeah, it's exciting, it's going to be good.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I had a quick look through the lineup made it
aside from yours, I can only read earthless.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Blood dust of Battlesnake and alarum because the rest of them.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Saw a bunch of sticks. Yeah, no, it's good.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I kind of I kind of like being a bit
of light relief on those those heavy lineups.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I mean, that's a festival. They always have some sort
of band of.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Our ilk on there, like Cosmic Psychos have played it,
and Emil and the Sniffers played and so it.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Sort of sort of makes sense in some way.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And you sort of got on trapped there to you like,
they can't funk off home, can they?
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Because it's too exactly where you're going to go. You'll die.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Acid flashbacks in the desert, all right.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I will always a pleasure to speak with your mate
there's lots going on with friends a ro. Look up
their website, not the one with the guitar lessons on it,
because that's fucked apparently.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Look up one and you find out what's going on.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yeah, man, good to say,
Hello, heavy people, It's Jay here from the Friends of
Wrong band and apparently we're playing at the Froth and
or Fury Festival, which I think is happening in Perth
and Adelaide, So you can stop winging.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
Nice. You've done your homework too, mate. You've got both
venues right congratulations?
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Yeah, man, so you are.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
Actually correct and Friends are rom have just been announced
as part of Froth and Fury twenty twenty six, which
is in Perth on January twenty fourth.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
And Adelaide on the thirty first.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
So there's been a bit of debate over this already, mate,
But to set the records straight, are you representing the
Froth for the Fury?
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Oh listen, we're a big froth band.
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
There's not a lot of fury going on in our
world these days, but still a lot of froth.
Speaker 2 (00:53):
You never have too much broth, can you? No?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
You can.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
Tasting line up, bro there's Polaris Sulfline now by Minheart's
wait come back kid and heap some more. But it's
Lucky Lagwig and the playing too, So you guys have
got someone else to talk to.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:10):
Well, I mean I'm looking forward to being the least
heavy band on the entire lineup. You know, I think
it'll be some pleasant relief for people to hear some
nice three part Harmony's a bit of Linda Ronstat, you know,
a bit of the Eagles.
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Maybe.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
I don't think I've ever asked you this before, Brad,
But do you actually like heavy music?
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Oh? God, I don't like any music. No, I do,
I do, I do like, I do like some heavy music.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
I feel like when I'm being sort of screamed at
for longer than probably fifteen minutes, then I start getting
the shits.
Speaker 3 (01:49):
But those fifteen minutes are good.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Fucking got a bit bigger than mine.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
Bro, When I can't understand one lyric for you know,
ten to fifteen minutes, and I'm like, don't make me
look at the internet to find out what you're saying.
I'm just going to assume that you're not a Nazi.
But who knows.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Gordy'll be right at home. He loves his heavy stuff,
don't he.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
He sure does.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Yeah, I mean he's an enigma now, Gordy, because you know,
he loves he loves the Beatles, and you know, a
lot of a lot of seventies pop rock, you know,
Air supply. He loves air supply, but no, he does
also love his heavy music. You know, he plays in
(02:40):
that band of mind Snares. You know, they love screaming
at you.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
From what I want to know, Bro, is like, do
you think Friends Will got the invite for your music
or you've got a more for your charm and good looks?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Oh well, I mean it'd have to be charm. But yeah, look,
I don't know. I mean I feel like our Friends
Will always had this bit of a weird crossover with
with metal fans. There's always there's always a couple lurking
around just you know, disappointed after every show there's no
(03:18):
blast beats, but I mean Gord, he slips them in
every now and then. No, I think it's like when
we played a few years ago, we played that Download
Festival and it went across really well, you know from
my point of view.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
I mean, we did play war Pigs.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
But and you did it quite well too. Actually I was.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
But you know, there's probably something for everyone in a
Friends of One set.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
You could always play Dinosaurs twy four hundred and sixty
eight times.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yes, we could.
Speaker 1 (03:50):
Actually we've been playing that twice in our set because
for some reason, I can't really nail it the first time,
and so we do a slower version and when when
I was filling in the opera form, so I was like, yeah, no,
we played that twice when it goes for four and
a half seconds.
Speaker 3 (04:10):
But you know, getting.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
Paid apparently, as you said before, man, you're currently about
halfway through the Man's Still Not a Camel tour, which
celebrates roughly twenty five years of that great album. So
how's it to be going, brain Like, it looks like
you're selling a few shows out.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Yeah, man, people love it. It's one of those things
I think I was talking to you about it. How
you know, really, from from our point of view, there's
probably four good songs on that record, and we play
those four songs every single time we play. But then,
you know, as soon as we sort of say, oh,
we're celebrating the album, everyone's like, oh shit, Chair and
(04:47):
the couple, and then they then they also realize that
there's only four good songs on it. But now I've
been playing some deep cuts off. It's been pretty fun,
and yeah, it's just good to you know, up with
everyone and playing doing the regional tours. Fantastic, you know,
going to all these all these towns and yeah, catching
(05:08):
up with people we don't see very often, and all
that jazz.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
It's good.
Speaker 4 (05:12):
And I've got to ask you, bro, because you're you're
a rightfully confident sort of chapte, but you guys actually bluster.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
On the on the inside of an anxious wreck.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Well I'm talking outside, Jason.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Yeah, it is actually surprising that you are still selling
our shows this far into it.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
I am there's no no person on the planet more
surprised than myself.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
It's no, it's good.
Speaker 1 (05:38):
I mean, it took me a while to realize that,
you know, those songs have some meaning for people in
different times of their lives, and you know, sometimes they
might have been struggling, or you know that they might
remember those times as like having a you know, kind
of as a pivotal moment in their lives, and so
that that, you know, a lot of these songs were
(05:58):
sort of their soundtrack.
Speaker 3 (06:00):
And you know, I used to give me the shits,
but now I quite like it.
Speaker 4 (06:05):
You every actually had someone come up to you and
say that they gave up smoking because of I'm hissed
my luck.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
I have not, although there is a lot of people
that think that I've only got one lung as a
result of that song.
Speaker 2 (06:17):
But can you perpetuate that mint?
Speaker 1 (06:22):
Well, I try not to, but you know, people make
up their own history. Actually, someone the other day called
me Cones Santa because like every single person, I like,
there's too many people that think they've had cones with me.
Speaker 3 (06:35):
But I can't be everywhere at once.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
You're like that magic man, like, yeah, we had cones
in the Budgy Boy car park in ninety six.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Like I don't know that happened.
Speaker 2 (06:48):
I did sing a song about it once, but I
didn't have good to see.
Speaker 4 (06:54):
You guys are pushing yourself too hard either, Like you
sit in August out then you're doing four shows in
your step Chamber to in early October to white things up?
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Like is that because the body doesn't sort of bounce
back because he used.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
No, Well, we we we've been.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Going pretty hard up until now.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Then God he's having God he's having couple tunnel surgery
on his arm, and so yeah, we got six weeks off.
But I'm actually touring with my other band, the Neptune
Power Federation in this little break. So haven't actually stopped
you coming up to Brisbane.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
With that sure.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
Playing the playing the zoo of the Crowba the.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
Cob had actually seen that band yet, so I shall
I'll come be un to say. Yeah man, yeah, now
I also noticed too, bro if you found time for
a sneaky trip avery Q back for the red Bridge Festival.
Speaker 3 (07:54):
It was fantastic.
Speaker 1 (07:55):
I mean it was we're only there for four days
or something, as it was kind enough to kind of
bring us all over there.
Speaker 3 (08:03):
But yeah, it was funny.
Speaker 1 (08:05):
I think the rooting of the tour was like it
was like Caloundra, Montreal, Ladulla or something like that.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
But but yeah, it was fantastic.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Yeah, we did our own, our own show in Montreal,
did the festival.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
It was great.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
It was like Propagandy and a bunch of bands and
then yeah, we did our own show in Montreal and
it was great because like everyone, we never go there,
so everyone sort of travels from all over to come
and see us, and yeah, I had kids coming up
from New York and Boston and Baltimore and flight over
from Vancouver and whatnot, and yeah it was cool.
Speaker 4 (08:45):
Yeah, how do you go overseas, probably, like many people
actually get your sense of huma or you get a
lot of blank faces looking back at you.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
I mean, Quebec was particularly difficult because they all speak
French and I don't. So we're just sort of going
about our regular banter to a fair few blank faces.
Speaker 3 (09:07):
But then yeah, we may as you get through it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
I think, you know, we're probably one of the few
countries around the world that just belligerently only speaks one language.
So those people sort of pick up a little bit
of English, and I mean, even if they're just hearing
us just banging on, it's you know, I mean, I
think it's entertaining and that's the main thing.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
But the hole of Quebec is now saying the word can't.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
Are they probably? Yeah, yeah, I did a.
Speaker 2 (09:39):
Quick tell you bro, and you guys have got the
next five years Sword of f anniversary chores. You've got.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Next year's going to be the twentieth anniversary Forever Malcolm
Young year half is a tenth anniversary of High vis It.
Following years, the twenty fifth anniversary San Suci twenty fifth
anniversary for the term of their unnatural lives, and then
twenty thirty is going to be the thirtieth anniversary. I'll
shut your mouth and I stopped looking after that because
it was all four in the place a little too easily.
Speaker 1 (10:01):
Yeah, but what you're what you're forgetting is that you
can shrink the years and you go, oh, let's do
the seventeenth anniversary of Smoke Out the Pet Food Factory.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
You've got to wrap up.
Speaker 1 (10:12):
We've gotta wrapped up. Yes, San SUSI will be a
good one. We probably won't tour for shut your mouth
out of respect to our fans, but but yes, we
do that. I mean, we're also keen to write another record.
We've been looking at the notes up, which is where
all good friends of rooms start from. So we've got
(10:35):
some ideas brewing and just sort of starting writing at
the moment for the new new record, and then we'll
do the twentieth year anniversary of that when we're eighty.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
You have been doing this for a long time now, bro, Like,
does it get easier or harder to come up with
fresh sounded new music by the more albums?
Speaker 1 (10:52):
You're right, I mean, thank you for referring to our
new music as fresh sounding. But yeah, it's actually it's
easy to come up with songs, but it's hard to
come up with good songs. So and That's that's why
we always write so many songs for each record, because
a lot of them you should never see the light
(11:13):
of day.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
I reckon, I reckon two or three of them woul
probably be all right.
Speaker 1 (11:19):
Yeah, Yeah, we usually have a hit ratio of one
to ten. So there's nine songs. There's nine nine songs
for everyone that no one will ever hear. But yeah,
it's seems to work.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
I'll like to try to come up with some fun
facts every time I speak to you, bro, and I've
got another one to throw at you, like I could
be wrong, but I did a bit of research on
friends wrong, And it looks like you've never had a
guest artist on any of your albums.
Speaker 2 (11:46):
Is that correct?
Speaker 3 (11:47):
That is incorrect?
Speaker 1 (11:51):
When Forever Malcolm Young, my wife, Lauren Friedman your wife.
He's the lead singer of the Neptune Power.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
But she's your wife. She doesn't count as a guest start,
she's family.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
On Masy Camel, we had Jesse Moss of the Moss Dynasty.
She sings the middle section of I Missed My One
God you put me on the spot, But I reckon.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
There's been.
Speaker 4 (12:21):
Some The only reason I looked that up was because
I've noticed you'd be doing a lot of a lot
of collaborations lately, Like people are popping up all over
the place with Jay from Friends are on on their track.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
Oh yeah, that's because it's harder for me to come
up with an excuse to say no than it is
to actually just do it.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
It's nice.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
I'm pretty pretty busy at the moment. Oh can you
do it in six months and I'm still busy, then.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
No. It's good. You know, it's nice to be asked
to do things.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Indeed, I also stuck across some pretty cool on your website,
gem Mate like website. Website that's where I got all
this use is pushing information from. But it sounds you've
given out free guitar and bass lessons. I'm going, there's
just tabs in there and there's a password and you
can learn how to play shit.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
Ah.
Speaker 1 (13:15):
This was on an old Yeah, that's that old website
that's been around since the MySpace days.
Speaker 3 (13:20):
I saw that.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
I screenshotted the guitar lessons thing too, and I sent
it to Lindsay and I was like, what's up with
this man? Because I hadn't seen that for a while.
That website, I was like, I don't know if you
want to learn guitar from that guy, but.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
You didn't feel like sharing it if you were trade secret.
So there's no vocal lessons on that not.
Speaker 1 (13:43):
For some reason, the phone's been strangely quiet, and people
asking me to help them with the singing. But I
want to see here in my illustrious studio, the pet
Food Factory, you know, do a little bit of producing
of beards and stuff, and I'm always forcing three part
armies on bands that don't want them. Anytime you want
(14:04):
to come in, you know, I'll make you sound like
fucking beach boys.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Actually a lot along those lines, break.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
There's probably a lot of people out there who'd love
to have the experience of recording with you. So how
do they get onto you to come down to the
pet food Factory.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
I'm pretty hard to find. You need to go onto
the internet if you've got it, and then you'll find me.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Just like that. Just go that.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
J Wallly pet Food Factory down on the Instagram and whatnot.
Speaker 5 (14:32):
Nice people people come from all over the place and
jump in and record, and we do all sorts of
music and stuff, not just punk stuff, but yeah, all
sorts of shit.
Speaker 2 (14:46):
It does actually work.
Speaker 4 (14:47):
It's like I get that many emails and should come
through with new music, but occasionally one comes through and
I see your name attached to it and it's like, well,
I'll take the time out and give these guys a listen.
If Jane thinks they're all right, they've got to be
all right. But so actually do on your part by
doing this.
Speaker 1 (15:02):
Yeah, well good, you know that's what That's what I
like to see.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
Man.
Speaker 4 (15:08):
We've actually forgotten to talk about one other festival you're
playing at two BRA You've got in September. You're going
all the way over to the Northern Territory to play
a black in twenty four.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Oh yes, that's very exciting. Yeah, we haven't haven't done
that before. The Neptune Power Federation did it but I
couldn't go, so they had the the have my stunt
double playing bass but yeah, and they said it was
absolutely fantastic. Yeah, super looking forward to that. That's another
festival where there's gonna be a lot of double kick
(15:37):
drums and a lot of people yelling and then us.
Speaker 3 (15:42):
But I reckon it's going to be good. It's just
such a weird spot.
Speaker 1 (15:45):
It's like two hours out of all the springs in
this place called the Ross River Resort, which I think
is neither a river or a resort, And a lot
of people that go there talk about buying liquid acid
from none and walking around in the desert so.
Speaker 2 (16:04):
Before they take the acid. Yeah, that's pretty something in
the air there for sure.
Speaker 3 (16:11):
Yeah, it's exciting, it's going to be good.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
I had a quick look through the lineup made it
aside from yours, I can only read earthless.
Speaker 2 (16:18):
Blood dust of Battlesnake and alarum because the rest of them.
Speaker 3 (16:24):
Saw a bunch of sticks. Yeah, no, it's good.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
I kind of I kind of like being a bit
of light relief on those those heavy lineups.
Speaker 3 (16:34):
I mean, that's a festival. They always have some sort
of band of.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Our ilk on there, like Cosmic Psychos have played it,
and Emil and the Sniffers played and so it.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
Sort of sort of makes sense in some way.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
And you sort of got on trapped there to you like,
they can't funk off home, can they?
Speaker 3 (16:50):
Because it's too exactly where you're going to go. You'll die.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Acid flashbacks in the desert, all right.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I will always a pleasure to speak with your mate
there's lots going on with friends a ro. Look up
their website, not the one with the guitar lessons on it,
because that's fucked apparently.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Look up one and you find out what's going on.
Speaker 3 (17:10):
Yeah, man, good to say,
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