The well-known reggae rock band from Australia— Sticky Fingers— talked with us on their experiences in Thailand, how their lives have been doing so far with their attempt to stay ‘sober’, their changes in sounds in their recent works and more!
Sticky Fingers are one of the biggest rock band from Australia who are known among rock heads for their unique sounds— the blends of rock’n’roll sound with reggae music. The band consist of Dylan Frost (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Paddy Cornwall (bass, backing vocals), Seamus Coyle (lead guitar), Eric “Beaker Best” da Silva Gruener (drums, percussion) and Daniel “Freddy Crabs” Neurath (keyboard, synthesisers).
As Sticky Fingers flew in Thailand to hold a concert on Saturday, February 9 at Moonstar Studio, AsiaLive365 had a chance to sit with the band for a wee chinwag. They all were being open to us for their memories of Thailand, culture shocks, and many more. Read it all below.
Could you tell us about your time in Thailand when you were here to record your third-LP “West Way (The Glitter & The Slums)? Why did you choose Karma Studio and Pattaya to be your home for that period?
Paddy: We kinda came over with the idea of like getting “healthy” but it worked out at opposite. (laughing) It was an idea to come to this studio which is a live-in studio so there’s no excuse for no one to not show up and we’re all there. We decided that we want to keep our head straight to focus on the music but in the end, it came out quite a bit of party, but you know what, at the end when we delivered it the sound is pretty great if you ask me.
(Listen to West Way (The Glitter & The Slums) below)
Besides making that record, What the memorable moments or experience when you guys were in Thailand?
Paddy: One day we had a day off. It was good, man. We had a nice boat to go out and we had jet skis and all that stuff but there was like a miscommunication?
Seamus: Lost in Translations.
Paddy: And we ended up on a fishing boat with a local guy (laugh) which at first we thought he gonna sent us somewhere but at the end, we just being on that boat and helping the guys fishing for his family. (laugh)
Seamus: And then later that night I remembered we get off that boat, we went to this bar there was a boxing ring on the middle of the bar and we’re all really drunk. So we asked the boxers if we can get to the ring and fight each other. and then we put on gloves and shorts. I remembered you & me (Seamus vs Paddy) went up to fight but were be friendly. But later Crabs and our producer got in the ring and then he has beaten the fuck out off our producers (Laugh)
Freddy Crabs : (Laugh) Other than that we just relaxed it a good place.
Can you tell us about the biggest culture shock you guys have here in Thailand?
Freddy Crabs: Let’s say just leaving Australia is already a big culture shock (laugh)
Seamus: I think it wasn’t really a culture shock since Thai people are very nice.
Paddy: All the Thai people we met is beautiful but all the tourist itself not so nice. some of the tourists can be really disrespectful and I think and I think we’ve been there sometime too.
Freddy Carbs: And also because also there’s a quite big Thai community in Sydney so we’re already surrounded by so we quite familiar with the Thai culture.
Paddy: We all used to work in a bar in a hotel together which they had a Thai kitchen and we were friends with the Thai staffs there. They’ve already moved back to Thailand, we invited them to come to see us tonight but sadly, they can’t make it.
Freddy Crabs: Hi Tee!.
What is the theme or message behind ‘Yours To Keep’?
Freddy Crabs: We wrote this record right after we came back from a hiatus, so there’s a theme to do with that likes happy to be back as well. it’s a mix of theme. Also with the sound, it got better in every instrument too. we pretty happy with this one.
Sticky Fingers used to be well-known for the band’s signature rock & roll sound combining with a huge influence of reggae music in your earlier work but it seems like your sound is evolving away from that influences, why?
Seamus: Well, I think we always progress you know, we wrote those albums when we were 20, 21 and now we’re nearly 30. you can’t stay the same, only to move forward.
Paddy: We never to try to make a particular sound. we’re more like just get together and make whatever it make us feel good. I think every album has its own pockets, its own feelings.
Please recommend us some up and coming bands that you want to give them a shout?
Paddy: There’s a UK band called Shame. They’re coming up they really great. I went to saw a band the other night called Yellow Days from Manchester they said they’re influenced by Mac DeMarco but he also sounds a lot like King Krule. And there’s rapper group from Sydney, Australia called Triple One. (Carbs: yeah, I think they might be doing great here). It’s interesting because there’s massive hip hop and rap scene in Australia but there’s not a single act that is able to manage to make it big to overseas yet so we want to give them a shout.
(Listen to Shame’s “Dust on Trial” below)
(Listen to Yellow Days’ “How Can I Love You?” below)
(Listen to Triple One’s “Butter” below)
What are the best and the worst things being in the band called Sticky Fingers?
Seamus: The best is music & friendship. The worst is probably also that it ruins friendship. (laughing)
Beaker Best: I would say travelling as well, to be able to see the world.
Paddy: We’ve been in a band for 10 years now and it feels like we’ve spent a year making music and 9 years wasted around but it was a good wasted around.
Freddy Crabs: I think we had made a lot of friends all around the world and some of them are already here and it’s cool that we can come to see all of them.
Is becoming sober change the way you guys write songs, musically & lyrically?
Paddy: No, not really. I think it lessens problem on the road maybe. The band sound as good as ever. I think back in the day we’ve pushed each other throughout the absolute limit of sanity and we passed it but now we’ve learnt that the most important thing is to look out for each other because we’re family.
