Get ready for TFS’s trademark dark and satirical storytelling down in Torquay on February 11th
Tropical Fuck Storm have kept us entranced over the years with bold albums exploring the weird and wonderful to their recent creation of their own TFS film ‘Goody Goody Gumdrops.’ Now, it’s time to see the band travel their latest album ‘Deep States’ across Australia in their rescheduled shows for 2022.
I had the pleasure of speaking to vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist – just an overall wickedly talented multi instrumentalist, Erica Dunn to discuss the creative drive in the TFS crew.
“TFS storytelling is central, it’s kinda funny how concepts of songs come up and we’ll be jamming and find something to fuck around with and start sort of writing. But it’s really the concept of the song that sets the structure and the trajectory of the track. Songwriting is pretty at the core, we’re always wrapping our heads around some weird idea.”
Consisting of members Gareth Lidiard, Fiona Kitschin, Lauren Hammel and Erica Dunn, all of them felt some of the lockdown blues along with the creativity diagnosis of “give-a-fuck fatigue.” However, to Dunn, COVID felt like “ a full on clean slate” for TFS as they were filming ‘Goody Goody Gumdrops.’
“The trial of these times to be creative and get music out there. The catalyst for that was another tour had been cancelled … a lot of people were doing streaming shows. We started with that idea and in TFS style it exploded ludicrously.”
View this post on Instagram
Released just this year, ‘Deep States’ stands out as an album that is the ultimate exemplar of the collaborative nature of songwriting, with topics and concepts explored in a way that is visceral and intriguing.
“I think this album is our most collaborative. In saying that, Gaz [Gareth] is really at the helm. I like the analogy that he’s like mixed up all the paints, he’s got the palette all organised. Huge hard drives full of weird attempts and strange demo tracks and recording rehearsals. I think in the lockdown scenario he had heaps of time up his sleeve to really go through there and find backbones of some tracks.”
“He’s really the core workhorse doing all that stuff… But then we sorta need to find some direction and then it’s all in.”
Feeling fresh and ready to pump out their new tracks, Dunn is especially excited for their show at The Torquay Hotel February 11th 2022.
“So excited. I haven’t been down the surf coast much in the last few years but we played in 2019.. we had the best time. The turn out was so good, I was so impressed, enamoured by the whole crew who came down and we got to go to the beach afterwards.”
Tickets are selling fast, so book your tickets to the Victorian leg of the tour here.
Keep up with Tropical Fuck Storm’s latest updates here.
