Fun Machine are something else. Self-described as ‘a confident sex-pop quartet’, they play upbeat, energetic music and have a fierce reputation for their killer live show. Of all places, they’re operating out of Canberra, which apparently lets them take the risks they need to be something special by the time they get to you.
We trade blows with them ahead of their East Coast tour to share new single, ‘Naked Body’, which is a sexual anthem indeed. I would watch the video, but that’s because I already have and I know it’s good.
You released a video for ‘Naked Body’ not long ago. Tell us a little bit about that.
We’d outsourced for clips in the past, but never really felt comfortable that the band-vibe was really nailed, so we roped in world-famous and fortuitously local photographer, Martin Ollman, to collaborate.
We went for this simple stop-motion theme with our bodies in it and had a launch event in Canberra where we screened the clip and played a gig. The show itself turned into some sexual/non-sexual semi-nude body painting mayhem, with much of the crowd spontaneously stripping and painting. By serendipitous coincidence, Martin was there shooting the gig, and as the shots were so much more attractive than our ugly bodies, we plugged them straight into the freakout part of the clip, which is now oh so good and steamy.
How do you think ‘Naked Body’ differs from your 2012 single releases ‘Alchemist’ and ‘Ready For The Fight’?
If you’ve heard all three, ‘Naked Body’ can seem like a bit of an outlier, but it’s probably most indicative of our visceral live-show vibe. Where ‘Ready For The Fight’ and ‘Alchemist’ are uplifting and hopefully beautiful, ‘Naked Body’ is ball-tearing and bull-by-the-horns fighty. It’s aggression worth having though, because it’s get-out-jail-free card to be happily naked anywhere, anytime (even on public transport [which is probably a crime]).
Bodies On is the title of your upcoming album. When can we expect to hear it? And how would you sell it to potential listeners?
Some time Summer 2013. It’s close, but we’re always tweaking. And twerking.
I would sell it as an album that I believe can really be enjoyed by anyone, but particularly those who abandon dead ideas of genre and literal and are willing to be taken on our journey.
Lyrically what are the themes of the album?
There’s a strong anti-fear theme through it all. Not in an explicit ‘don’t listen to the man, do what you want’ sense – that only gets you playing punk to punk fans. More a positive demonstration of ‘this is how we choose to celebrate the good and discard the ridiculous in the world’. I like to think of it as a thrusty beacon of colour. There’s a tacit revolution in every good party.
What do you think inspired this whole body of work?
What a great and under-asked question. I guess each other, mainly. Society. Being independent and unknown certainly gave us a freedom to do whatever we wanted. We have three songwriters in the band, each with a unique take on the world and we’re always excited to learn from each other, from riffs to wiki-articles. The aesthetic is inspired by whatever felt good to do rather than any specific movement; and the ideas come from a real love of learning about the world, sharing ideas and reaching out for new things.
Do you think this album has been a long time coming? How long has it been in the making?
Yes and no. We’ve wanted to do a full recording for a couple of years now, though we’ve only just harvested enough cash to do it properly. It’s an expensive caper. Which is really for the best – I feel that we’ve only really earned the right to make one and it’s a pretty exciting result, both artistically and sonically. Some of the songs have been around for a while, some were still being written in the studio. But together, it’s all a coherent expression of the same ‘do what we want’ sentiment that defines the game for us.
You’re hitting the road throughout August and September. For the uninitiated what can they expect from your live show?
Energy. Engagement. Risk. Surprises. We really love to grab people and shriek ‘THIS IS IT. WE ARE HERE TOGETHER NOW. LET’S GET IT ON.’ That can take different forms depending on how we’re feeling, but obviously sequins, thrusting and bodypaint are key weapons in any sex-arsenal.
You’re also playing BIGSOUND in Brisbane. That’s pretty awesome, you must be excited for that?
Very! I’ve never even been to Brisbane. So it’s all these jewels in one. The guy that did all the White Stripes posters is gonna be there, how fucking awesome is that!
It will undoubtedly shock you to learn this, but Canberra’s pretty isolated from the music industry, so I guess it’ll be great chance for us to play in front of a new, glitterati crowd.
Apart from those shows what else have Fun Machine got planned for last months of 2013?
We’d be idiots not to tour again, because shows are the most fun. We’ve got a few secrets up our sleeves in the Fun Machine lab. I wish I could tell you more, but I can reveal that soon we’ll have stage antics and moves to make women weep lightly and fully-grown men sob convulsively.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
Please feel free to download any of our stuff for free at: http://mostfunmachine.bandcamp.com
And find specific stories/sexy photos as they arise here:
www.facebook.com/funmachineband
@funmachineband
Fun Machine 2013 Tour Dates
CANBERRA: 10 August, Croatian Club
BATEMAN’S BAY: 17 August, Mariners
MELBOURNE, CARLTON: 22 August, John Curtin Hotel
MELBOURNE, FITZROY: 23 August, Yah Yah’s
SYDNEY: 30 August, MUM @ World Bar
BRISBANE: 12 September, BigSound Showcase @ ZOO
BRISBANE: 14 September, Ric’s Bar
Listen to Naked Body here:
