MAGIC
UNICORNS
ABOUT
BACKSTORY:
The four piece Newtown misfits are misspending their youth while we watch. And it's as colourful as that review suggests: a melodic, mega-hectic, mash of psychedelic, pop and roots. Music to throw shapes to.
THE Sydney based four piece (sometimes 5 piece), have been touring for two years, to increasing crowds and are delivering a refreshing vibe to Australian music. The band began their rise when drummer, Beaker and bass player Paddy Fingers, met busker Dylan Frost one night in early 09 outside the Coopers Arms hotel in Newtown.
Dylan, fresh from N.Z., was on the streets with his guitar busking outside the pub. “We met him,” Patty says, “when the Coopers Arms bouncer started telling us we should give him some money.” Frost’s melodic sense brings the Kiwi spirit and melodic lineage to the band. Frost, the youngest member of the band (the rest of the band are 20), has 19 years of life and a hundred years of heartbreak in his voice. And the band surround it in textural and psyche-y, atmospheric melodies punched out by the Sticky Finger’s rhythm section’s blunt sound scapes.
RECORDING:
In the short amount of downtime between tours in April 2012 and the start of June Sticky were back hard at work getting the songs together for their next release. From these sessions came Caress Your Soul the bands first single from the album of the same name and second single Clouds & Cream. Both got high rotation and charted.
And now ... the band's debut album Caress Your Soul has just been released - March 2013 - to a great response. It features the 3 radio hits including Caress Your Soul, the song that encapsulates their psychotic alt pop and sinister surf dub sound.
The first EP (the ironically titled), Extended Play was released late 2010. And their first release, in April 2010, they went into Megaphon studios and re-recorded Inspirational, Juicy Ones and Murderous Nerves, the best songs from their earlier demo’s.
Next was a limited edition Sticky acoustic recording, in amongst the musical ghosts of the Annandale: Happy Endings. Sti Fi had been promising to make it since they toured nationally with Donavan Frankenreiter and in January 2012 finally gave it to its fans. Happy Endings scored great support around the country and internationally, picking up a stack of JJJ and Unearthed play in the months following its Oct release and June 2012 and introducing Sticky to a wider audience.
RECENT SONGS:
Australia Street is the third and most recent single from the debut album and has been played on high rotation on JJJ, the clip for Aust street is another in the line of Sticky classics, a one take shot down the bands home stretch. The song is included on a couple of compilations and will be out with Waves magazine shortly.
Clouds & Cream, second single played widely across radio voted into JJJ's second hottest 100 for 2012, a fan favourite.
Caress Your Soul - the first single from Sticky's debut album, (also called Caress Your Soul), travelled the world for the band, getting airplay internationally. At home it was voted number 61 in JJJ's Hottest 100 for the year and the clip is at over 200,000 views.
Happy Endings went out on a compilation in the U.S.with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's and abunch of other choice U.S. new comers.
FOR THE COMPARISON MINDED:
Psych/folk and pop/rock/roots. If the Clash, Pink Floyd and Arctic Monkeys are three beads of sweat that meet rolling down your back, Sticky Fingers are at the bottom licking it up.
MUSIC
STI-FI UPDATES
2013: CARESS YOUR SOUL - the album released March 2013
1. 3 singles taken from the album: Caress ..., Clouds & Cream and Australia St all went high rotation in Australia
2. Caress the single went into the ARIA charts at 17
3. Caress the album charted first week in at 39
4. Diz had the number 61 tattooed on his foot after the band came in at 61 in Australia's hottest 100 for 2012
5. Somewhere near 265,000+ people cared enough to pump up the views for Caress Your Soul on youtube either that or 20,000 odd fanatics watched it 13,000 times each.
6. the album and singles topped the independent records sales charts in Australia
7. the band went into JJJ Like a Version (national radio) and did a live version of the song and of Fleetwood Mac's Rhiannon
8. Caress Your Soul single was high rotation for 12 weeks on JJJ
9. 2012 tour The band has sold out venues around Australia including a 650 cap at the Standard in Sydney and Byron Bay's 550 Gt Northern
10. the band has just sold out the Gt Northern in Byron bay (550), the Gov in Adelaide (700 people - review here http://www.theaureview.com/adelaide/sticky-fingers-lyall-moloney-babylon-burning-the-gov-11-01-13 )
11. 2013 Album release tour: Sold out venues around Australia: Manning Bar (Syd 950), the Corner in Melbourne, the Zoo in Brisbane, Rosemount in Perth.
12. 2012 They have pre-sold out their Melbourne gig at the Northcote social club
13. 2013 Appeared at Big Pineapple Festival ...
14. In early 2012 Sticky toured New Caledonia, their first European tour starts June 2013
15. Sticky played both Homebake and Woodford
2012: Their biggest headlining National tour yet selling out from Sol Bar Qld to Indi bar in W.A.
2011: June Tour WA including playing in front of 4,000 people at a rally in the city
2011: Woodford festival, Gum Ball and New Beginnings fest. Toured Nationally with Donavon Frankenreiter.
2011 DEC/JAN: Woodford festival - most extensive tour so far – East Coast 20 dates – 2 festivals.
SEPT 2010: gigs and release their first clip: Murderous Nerves
NOV 2010: second clip and tour : Clip for Juicy Ones
JULY/AUGUST 2010: First East Coast tour.
1. release their first single: Juicy Ones and Inspirational.
2. kick-started the band reaching new audiences and increasing its reputation as the band to watch with their performance at Playground Weekender Festival. The hype was made obvious at their sell-out show at The Annandale Hotel (Good Friday). Played Bondi Music festival.
Oct: sell out the Oxford Arts in Sydney at launch of “Helping Hands” limited edition demo EP. The demo’s are so well received that the band decided to go back into the studio in April 2010 and re-record a couple of the tracks and take them to radio.
SOCIAL/WEB LINKS
www.facebook.com/stickyfingersmusic
www.stickyfingerstheband.blogspot.com.au/p/gigstours.html
CONTACTS
Management | Neal Hunt | international | nealsureshaker@gmail.com
Bookings | Neal Hunt | international | nealsureshaker@gmail.com
Publicity | Neal Hunt | international | nealsureshaker@gmail.com
VIDEOS
QUOTES
2013 quotes:
You’ve heard them on the radio with their 2012 hit Caress Your Soul, a song that encapsulates their sound that’s being dubbed everything from psychotic alt.pop to sinister surf dub... Ben Preece, Time Off
The sold out venue had people packed in all the way to the back. Soon enough the Sticky Fingers boys began their first track, How To Fly, which merged into Clouds and Cream. The tempo changes in these songs were seamless yet at the same time the boys looked like they were having a great time, making evident the talent they have. The successful 2012 Triple J Hottest 100 track, Caress Your Soul had everyone in the crowd singing along
COLOSOUL - 7/4/13
It’s difficult to describe exactly the signature sound of Sticky Fingers. You’d come close by blending one part psych-pop, with hints of rocksteady reggae, and just a sprinkling of British indie sensibility.
This is a debut record worthy of the attention it has piqued both overseas, and much closer to our beloved ‘Australia Street’ back home.
Tone Deaf - 14/03/13
With an ever-growing reputation as a seriously hard-working touring band, and a couple of singles getting heavy radio rotation Sticky Fingers have had a pretty massive year, and the quality of this album is proof of all their hard work paying off. The appeal of their live show is evident in the danceable nature of a lot of their songs ... with plenty of rock and psych influences peppered throughout, and in the 'gang' mentality the band seem to possess – a powerful force for a “work hard, play hard” band like Sticky Fingers.
http://www.theaureview.com/albums/sticky-fingers-caress-your-soul-2013-lp
Arriving (fashionably) late to Sticky Fingers gig, I was surprised to see a huge que snaked around the side of the building. The show was a complete sell out. Not only do the band have a substantial following but their fans are a pretty diverse bunch too. Once inside, a hodgepodge of the hipster kind wearing felt bowler hats, heavy punk lovers, and dreadlocked clad individuals filled the band room. They play tracks like the bouncy and heavily reverberated ‘Headlock‘ followed by the contrasting low key intro of ‘Willow Tree.’ Australia Street‘ and some brighter indie pop tinged tunes that still had their dub vibes. Mates went up on shoulders, a six foot topless man crowd surfed and the whole venue (including bar staff) let loose.
The Ripe - 01/05/13
Soon Sticky Fingers take to the stage, and what follows is an hour long set of gyrating limbs and inspired moves to the smooth sounds that the Sydney boys create. Like their music, the set peaks and troughs through their various EP’s and multiple genres that they fuse together. There’s the softer moments where the band shows great composure, and skill ...Tonight was an impressive set from the young Sydney band, who showed their skill in fusing an eclectic mix of genres to produce upbeat music oozing both soul and funk. And they did it all with a charismatic sense of youthful reckless abandon. They’ll definitely be a band to keep an eye on into the future.
News Unlimited - 29/04/13
I made my way backstage on the side street to try meet the boys .. here’s about 20 other girls out there – one got her boobs signed by everyone in the band, and she was also ecstatic she got the drummers number. The guys certainly have a real effect on girls – on stage and listening to their music, you can’t help but feel like you know them, or want to hang out with them. They exude such a chilled and good type of ‘bad boy’ aura. It may be the ‘STI FI’ effect talking that makes this last paragraph sound so ridiculous and ‘fan girl-ing’ of me, but go to a gig and see what I mean. Sticky Fingers have arrived for your aural and visual pleasure so expect them to stay around for a long time.
adamNOTeve - 29/04/13
It didn’t seem like the crowd were there to pay for a gig. It was more like a party in a mate’s living room. Pretty much everyone was loose, and if you weren’t loose then it was a case of ‘stiff shit’. Sticky Fingers are the ultimate good-time party-people. They captivate the crowd through charisma, talent, and a sheer love of a good time. It’s impossible to not get sucked in by the vibes they dish off.
Vulture Magazine - 26/04/13
I have not been to a gig where so many young kids are absolutely losing their shit since I saw Cat Empire about 8 or so years ago. They nailed it too. Me And All My Friends - 23/03/13
earlier quotes:
*** There is something good about finding a band just as honest as Sticky Fingers high on the triple j rotation list. Another with that loose reggae feeling underpinning Caress Your Soul (Independant), which works as pop music, but not the disposable kind.' - Drum Media, 7 August 2012.
*** 'Sticky Fingers; they may be mental, but I'll forgive them if they keep making records like this' - 1SONGADAY BLOG (Aug 2012)
*** 'When I read your track titles, I'm all like, "Eww dirty cock-rock band". And then I listen to your songs and I go, "Wow! Super talented chaps with great songs!". Keep the surprises coming!' -Gemma Pike, Triple J (Aug 2012)
*** 'Solid tune! these lads have been showing steady progression over the past few years, and this song has nailed it!' - Nick Findlay, Triple J (Aug 2012)
*** 'Man, how are you guys so consistent? This new single is such a tight jam full of crystal production and straight up cool charm. I'm a huge fan.'- Dave Ruby Howe, Triple J (Aug 2012)
*** It's a hazy, dark trip into the band's mind, an ambitious debut and thankfully the band has the talent to pull it off. XPRESS Magazine WA (JUNE 2011)
*** They certainly have the skills to pay everyone of those bills. RON Tait (SW W.A. ABC)
*** There's a complexity to their work, an attention to melody and arrangement that goes beyond the usual three chord heroes, given that they only formed 2 years ago it's an impressive achievement. TRAVIS Johnson – XPRESS (WA) live review.
*** These youthful rockstars have already made names for themselves with the release of their debut EP – pushing the envelope and into a new genre. THE PIER 2011 (SAN DIEGO)
*** Sydney psychedelic dub rock upstarts Sticky Fingers are among the vanguard of young bands helping restore Sydneys reputation for producing the best new music in Oz – the quartet drew raves for their set at Woodford. - KATH McCabe Daily Telegraph
