Felinedown
FELINEDOWN are the first band in a long while to come out of Brisbane, Australia that I actually care about. The electro-rockers write big catchy songs, put on a visual & sonic feast of a live show and, are darn nice people. In a ready-to-wear world the Feline’s would be a couture experience. They’re not the biggest band in the world but give them a few weeks! I spoke with frontwoman, Brodie-Ann Wright about all things Feline…
Tell me about the origins of Felinedown.
Well I had been kicked out of my old band which was pretty heart breaking as I had been in it for around 5 years and through its many incarnations. Although I always knew I was going to sing and perform I wasn’t looking to jump into another project. To be honest I was licking my wounds a bit. I was led to believe I was dropped from my old band because I didn’t have the talent to be a front person, and in the sorry place I was in at that time believed it. I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself or an understanding of myself. I know now this was the best thing that could have happened to me – it was a real kick up the arse and it forced me to change and grow up a lot. So anyhow…it was a little while before I took baby steps back towards singing…doing guest vocals for a few friends and even writing songs under the name ‘The Ultra Ego’s’ with friends Jhonny Hobo (Sunshine Twins, Hobo Obituaries) and Glendrix Gattenhof (now Felinedown).
Then a new friend in Brisbane Kit Sivyer, who I had met through a mutual friend and artist, approached me to put down some vocals for a movie score he was creating. I agreed as it was a B- Grade Sci-fi film (I’m a massive Sci-Fi/Horror/Fantasy nerd) and while we were laying down tracks on the very first night we hung out we wrote a song, start to finish completely on a whim. It was exciting and something completely new. After we got a great response to the demos we decided we owed it to the songs to try and form a live band. Kit’s no longer in the line up, he’s off making rad films of his own, but since that first session Felinedown has really developed a style of its own and I now know exactly what I want to do as a performer.
Photo by Gerry Nicholls
I read an interview with you recently where you said the band’s name was ‘In all honesty a computer offered this name suggestion during a temporary lapse in my ability to tackle the English language (thank you Spellcheck!)’, what was the word/s you were actually trying to spell?
I think I was asking my best friend Bryony if she was ‘feeling down?’ I’m a terrible typist and when we are emailing each other it’s usually while we are both at work and distracted. We tend to type like we speak to each other…insane gibberish. We decided to never spell check any of our email’s anymore…as the resulting misspelt words and Freudian slips make for hilarious reading (and evidently strange band names). She is the funniest person I know. Well WE think we are funny and that’s all that matters.
What is your favourite thing that the band has done to date?
Too many to mention. It has been the most rewarding artistic experience I’ve ever been blessed to have. I am genuinely grateful for every show, writing session and jam.
We have played some great shows, been making music we love, met amazing people and had some seriously crazy nights together…it’s all I want to do. Even when things are tough…late rehearsals, lugging gear, dealing with idiot business types…you still have to think “if these are the things I am stressing about how bloody lucky am I? I’m in a fucking band! It doesn’t get much better…”
Collectively who and what inspires the band?
It may sound like a copout but really Everyone and Everything. Obviously the music and musicians we love inspire us immensely but conversations, images and films etc all play their part. I devour books and films and the like so lately a lot of my song ideas have been directly influenced by these stories. There are at times so many influences it’s hard to see what kind of song this will make. I’m drawn to so many different kinds of music it’s not always clear to me how they will work in the one song…but I have to believe that’s what making music is about. It’s those chance blendings of style and sound, situations and feelings. I am surrounded by talented friends and artists they push me and inspire us all the time.
How did you first get into music?
I think there has always been music around me. I can thank my family for my eclectic love of music. My Mom introduced me to bands like the Beach Boys, Madonna, Paul Simon and The Bangles. Dad being a Liverpool Lad introduced me to The Beatles, The Stones and Led Zep, My Aunty Lee (best vinyl collection ever) introduced me to David Bowie, Michael Jackson and The Eurhythmics and my Grandfather and Grandmother introduced me to the Greats like Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Sammy Davis.
I always loved to sing. I’d put on shows for my family with my sister. Then I started dance lessons and was exposed to even more music and I was away. I knew then all I wanted to do was perform. As far as first band’s/artist’s were concerned The Smashing Pumpkins, Tori Amos, Garbage, No Doubt, NIN , Fiona Apple and Manson really turned me on alt rock in high school. And with boys and booze came guitars and bands… (my poor Mum)
Felines are in the process of recording their new album, how’s it shaping up? What direction is your sound headed in? I’ve heard the term ‘hard dance’ thrown around by media of late in regards to Feline’s music.
Well the line up has changed a lot and I feel we have grown so much as a band in the past 12 months. We know what work’s for us and what gets us excited right now is what we started to jokingly call ‘hard dance’. We want driving electronic dance beats and synths with really dirty rock guitars and vocals. It’s overall a faster group of songs so far and I feel like we’re making tunes that we will want to jump around to and smash out onstage.
But that’s the best part of art. I may think this is what we are creating and what we are aiming for but as a listener you may hear something really different it’s all so subjective. Who knows Felinedown may have just written a reggae disco dub concept album… actually that sounds kinda awesome hmmmm I wonder…..
Photo by Gerry Nicholls
Your latest addition to the group, Beau Badinski on keys has helped evolve your sound? What kind of musical background does he have?
Beau has and continues to make music under the name Sinamatic, he also had a live outfit called The Noise which I actually interviewed once coincidently for a Brisbane Underground music doco. Strange that.
Anyhow we had run into each other a lot and knew of each other’s projects…it was pretty clear we coveted the same kind of music and had similar tastes..I think it was only a matter of time before we worked together as we had spoken about it on and off. When Felinedown took off and Beau mentioned both he and his Moog were free, it was on! He’s had a huge impact on the music and is an integral part of Felinedown. Beau and Brodie = song writing times of goodness.
Who would Felines love to work with?
Right now we have begun to work with Dan Sutherland at Daleese Sounds (Switchkicker and MM9) a person who I know both Glen and myself have had on our list of ‘dream people to work with’ for a long time now, so we are feeling pretty bloody lucky. If you had told me even a year ago we would be working with Dan on Felinedown I wouldn’t have believed you.
Lyrically what themes are being explored on the album?
All the good stuff. Excess, Passion (sexual and artistic) Magic, Outsider’s, Escapism, Friends…and we’re still going. I’m currently writing some lyrics based on a fictional Film Noir Western that’s been playing in my head…cue tumbleweeds, tornados and Pinto Indian Ponies.
What part of the song-writing process do you find the most challenging?
For myself personally it’s when all the other parts of a song have come really quickly and intuitively and been written and recorded and your left trying to fill in the one gap…like say a bridge melody or a verse guitar riff…and the pieces just won’t fit. The song sounds almost complete but not quite. Damn that’s frustrating! But I’ve learnt to leave well enough alone and come back to songs. When it wants to it will come. The longer I’ve been writing the more I begin to understand and believe something Tori Amos said in an interview which I’ve never forgotten—she spoke about the songs being entities all of their own. They already exist ‘out there’, complete and with their own distinct personalities, it’s up to you to be the conduit; the translator. You’re just capturing it and bringing it into a form other people can hear. That’s why when you’re writing and melodies just come to you and everything falls in to place it feels so right. Of course every songwriter and band has a distinct sound of their own that colours the final effect but I really feel like I’m at times just the postman not the letter writer. You take your life experiences, views, loves and styles and let that be the filter through which you draw the music.
But then again I’m a beginner in the grand scheme of things… I make noise I love with musicians I love. What do I know?
Photo by Gerry Nicholls
What has been your favourite show to date?
I think Deathstars is a highlight as I’ve never played to such a large and crazy crowd. Everyone was so up for it that night, dancing and screaming. The energy was amazing. We had a big show on the next night for my birthday so I was really excited about that as well which I told everyone …plugging our next gig as you do. This lovely lass in the front of the crowd gave me a ring off her hand and even though I kept trying to give it back she wouldn’t take it (I met her after the show) she said it was a gift cause she loved our music and because it was my birthday. I was blown away by the support and feedback from people we met that night. I wear that ring now every show I play.
Where did your love of performing come from?
Who knows! For better or worse I have this strange ol’ personality. I guess I always ask why not? I tell myself one day you’re going to be six foot under you idiot..are you really going to let a crowd worry you? Put your face on and get out there! I love entertaining people I want to connect with people. And performance is an escape for me but I hope the music and live shows offer the same kind of release for our audiences too.
Tell me about the feeling that you get on stage.
Indescribable really without sounding like:
A) a pretentious theatre/ art school wanker
B) a new age hippy pagan voodoo child crazy
c) a mixture of both (which I am in part)
You’re also a burlesque performer; does that influence or help with your Feline performances?
I think I’m lucky in that my body is the one thing I don’t have to worry about onstage. Movement and dance comes instinctually. The second you start to worry about how you move is when things become awkward, that’s when you feel disconnected. Being a burlesque performer certainly taught me how to work a crowd, feel at home on the stage, to always have a contract with the event organizer, what glue works best on pastie tassels and how to accurately throw a stiletto at a heckler from 30 paces. All valuable life lessons for a performer of any kind.
Aesthetics seem to be an important part of the Felinedown package, where do you get your sense of style from? How would you describe your style?
I’m driven by art as a whole, regardless of the medium. I think you should be passionate about every aspect of what you do. Visualizing the music can be an important part of performance. I don’t think I could ever sit back and not care about the way I dress or the imagery on our cd or the references and style of a music video. The visual artist in me can’t sit still! But I also believe the music should be good enough to stand on its own. I mean take any banal pop star or pop rock group and remove the packaging and the glitter…it would be child’s play to instantly recognize the music is shit. Then take a great band like QOTSA or say The Doors…the music on it’s own is insanely good and a great photo of one of those bands would be one that was in focus. Period. That’s all you would need. Finding a balance of both is ideal. I wouldn’t want the aesthetics to be the defining feature of our band.
I have no idea about how to articulate our or my style. I’d like to think people enjoyed it though, enough that perhaps it might encourage them to feel free about their own. I’d like people to think of our shows as an excuse to dress however the hell they want and to have a crazy night out.
Who are your style icons and what is it about them that inspire you?
So many! People like Vivienne Westwood, Isabella Blow, David Bowie, Deborah Harry, Patrick Wolf, Helena Bonham Carter, Keith Richards, Joan Jett, Bjork, Louise Brooks, Dita von Tease, Shirley Manson, Kate Moss, McQueen, Twiggy, Tilda Swinton, Johnny Depp… human creatures who wear whatever they want and own it. I get inspired by fictional characters too (like Sally Bowls from Cabaret aka Liza with a Z! and Rachael from Blade Runner etc etc). Films are major fashion references for me.
I have such eclectic style I guess and dress so differently one day to the next; depending on what person I wake up as or what book I’ve been reading. I have no real set style I don’t think…. It causes trouble though – I’m up to filling my 4th wardrobe with clothes and costumes right now…I can never throw anything out in case I need it to wear or turn into a new costume and although I don’t have a lot of money I opp shop and eBay like a fiend. It’s a little nuts. My sewing/ art room is a huge wonderful mess constantly.
Tell me about the local designers you’ve collaborated with on your striking stage costumes.
I have worked with George Wu, Lindsay Rose Wilkins and Shilo Engelbrecht all of whom have been amazing and very individual in their styles. I think it’s important to collaborate with local artists and to encourage and support each other’s work. It is all about inspiring each other and helping to promote each other’s work. I feel the same about other bands in Brisbane as well.
I think through working with others I’ve learnt to trust my own style and design a lot more as well and I’m constantly learning how to sew and build things on my own.
What do you think is one of the biggest challenges that an independent band such as yourselves faces? How are Felines working around it?
Promotion I think. Actually getting ourselves out there. It’s hard to compete as an independent act with bands who have the financial backing to be on tv, commercial radio and be touring heavily (without having to hold down regular jobs). We are really concentrating at the moment on making the best songs possible and going from there. Why worry yourself with the things you cannot control? I would like to think that if the music and live show is good enough people will find you, they will pass on your music to others. Hell I don’t care if you burn our songs. I’d be honoured to be on someone’s mix tape! That’s how I’ve been introduced to some of my favourite bands. Come to our shows, buy a ticket, maybe buy merch, maybe buy us a drink? …but that is how you can support musician’s keep us working and on the road. And bring your friends.
Right now, what is Felinedown’s greatest wish?
We are online stalking some sexy new gear we would love to buy at the moment. It’s like tech porn. We keep emailing each other with links to filthy pictures of new samplers and synths.
But our greatest wish would have to be continuing to write and record this new material, tour Australia and then take Felinedown overseas.
