Former Dunedin band TFF released 'Irregardless' in 2010, a lengthy jam of various frantic noises that won over the press for its chaotic messiness. Now with follow up 'Surplus Bargains' to be released next week we tracked down bassist Harley Jones to find out more about their now-scattered lineup and this posthumous album...
How long exactly has this album been in the works?
It was recorded around this time last year at The Lab here in Auckland during our first time playing the North Island.
Why the long wait?
Lisandru and myself moved here around Christmas so I think we all had other things to be sorting out.
Recording it with a member of the Skeptics must have been interesting -- what was that like?
Fuckin awesome, fast, easy... Nick Roughan rules and so do the Skeptics. He was kind enough to record the whole thing from start to finish in a day session. We just set up and tried getting every song in one live take. TFF owe a lot to Andrew Wilson and the rest of Die! Die! Die! for helping with the whole thing, chur boys!
With two of your members now situated here in Auckland, has your attitude to music changed?
Totally, it’s the big city – livin’ real world, haha. Nah, I've just learned more and become a little more realistic.
What's Auckland got that Dunedin doesn't?
Mo’ money mo’ problems.
And vice versa?
Less people likely to give a shit about the interweb... and Philip James Frost!
Has the band officially 'broken up'?
I guess so but that won't mean the end of making music with each other.
Where's each member of the band headed?
Rory is currently playing with Authentic Chic then off to study at Berkeley ya'll... next year in January I think. Lisandru has been working really hard on his rapspraybattle chic $noregazZzm and remixing some music from his homeland Romania.
And I'm not sure what Mickey is doing cause I haven't spoken to him in ages, last time I saw him was on my birthday.
And yourself?
I've been doing work for people like O’Lovely, Princess Chelsea, Nadia Reid, Beach Pigs and lots of local bands I think are awesome.
As an artist, do you find that music (yours specifically) influences your art?
When it comes to our music I usually leave the artwork up to someone else. But my work is based around local music at the moment for sure.
Who's behind the cover art of this album?
This amazing dude Ryan Bennett (Cartoon/Butt Simpson) is currently designing the CD-R layout etc. I’m making a run of 30-40 scented donut taster copies of just 4 tracks - these will fund the pressing of the full edition, so anyone who buys a ‘donut’ gets a copy sent to their door.
Common comparisons to your music include noise rock, avant-garde and no wave - did you have any idea about this stuff when you started as kids?
Not really. The earliest noisy stuff I had heard would have been in some jazz, or a Stooges song or something. But yeah, we all met proper on a geeky school jazz band trip so that could have something to do with it.
I know Lisandru and Rory were making pretty weird music when they were like 13. Awesome weird.
How accurate are these comparisons?
Yeah, pretty good ay!
Who's your favourite artist from these categories?
Boredoms, Lightning Bolt, Swing Kids... we like the Velvet Underground too (um duh). I really like Samiyam if anyone wants to listen to some sweet instrumental hip hop. And Melt-Banana!
The last time UTR interviewed the band, Lisandru noted a desire for there to be more of a community among local musicians - do you think it's any different in 2011?
Not really, but there are circles of people working together really well. Oscar from Rackets has been releasing bands under Crown Records - stuff like that is what I wanna see! I live on the same street as Lisandru so that’s pretty local musician community core.
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TFF are releasing the album officially next Wednesday 30th November at a show in Auckland - details below.
