A New Flight Plan

New albums aren't a common occurrence in the world of Fat Freddy's Drop. To date there has only been 2005's debut Based On A True Story, Dr. Boondigga & The Big BW in 2009 plus an EP and live album. Ever since the band first formed around the start of the new millennium they've maintained a strong focus on their live shows and subsequently touring has taken up a major part of their time and played a key role in their songwriting process. As the band readies themselves for a brief run of dates in Australia they are also in the middle of recording their next album Blackbird, which will take flight in the first part of 2013.

Europe is a key territory for Fat Freddy's Drop and the region where they have focused most of their international touring. The band recently got back from another tour there which keyboardist Dobie Blaze (Iain Gordon) rates as the most enjoyable one they've done in terms of the shows and the personal relationships between band members on the road.

“It was an awesome tour, the best we've ever done really. It was a combination of our own shows and festival shows so we had great audiences and lots of beautiful venues. We get on really well on the road, especially with touring being managed so well which is a huge part of everyone getting on. We have an amazing tour manager through Europe and it's just the way they structure the tour that takes the stress out of it. Everyone is there to do the job so no one gets pissed off. On the tour I don't think there were any issues, so it is nice to come home and feel like it was a success and there is no big drama to deal with when you get back.”

Returning home, in Blaze's case to Paekakariki just north of Wellington, is a chance to recoup and reunite with family who don't get the chance to accompany the band on the road, as much as they would like to share the experience with them. “When you get home it is a case of back to reality. As my wife puts it, it takes a little while for me to land,” chuckles Blaze. “It's always wonderful getting back to family so by the end of the tour you can't wait to get home and the kids can't wait to open their presents. Life on the road is very different, it's all go and you get into your routine of bus travel and sleeping when and where you can. There is the luxury of living in hotels and not having to clean up after yourself though. You have to change those bad habits a lot when you get home. It's great to be able to have those experiences as part of my life though.”

Fat Freddy's Drop have played Sydney a number of times but this will be their first performance at the Sydney Opera House, as part of the Graphic Festival, where they'll be previewing the forthcoming Blackbird album accompanied by animation and illustrations. It promises to be a special evening as the band combine music and visuals in a venue seen as one of the world's best. “I've got absolutely no idea what to expect from the Opera House so I'm really looking forward to checking out such a legendary and prestigious venue. It feels like we are doing something very grown up and arty,” says Blaze before adding, “I better go and get a new hat from my hat man for the occasion.”

The visual side of the show is a collaboration with New Zealand artist Otis Frizzell, who has already worked extensively with the band and as Blaze explains, it was inevitable that they would bring Frizzell on board for a special event such as this. “The offer came through to be a part of Graphic at the Opera House and for us it was a natural thing to work with Otis because we know his work and he knows our music. He's done lots of our album artwork and posters and things for years so it was natural that if there was an opportunity to go bigger he'd be doing it with us. I haven't seen it yet, I'm not sure any of the band has seen it yet, so it's going to be exciting to see what he has done. This has been a great opportunity to develop this collaboration and see how it will look and how it will affect the way we perform the shows. What will come out of it will be a show that we can take and play in other places and that was always part of the intention, to use this opportunity to develop something new that we can take further.”

Fat Freddy's Drop live shows are renowned for their expansive feel and the band's propensity for improvisation and stretching and exploring the songs. It is also a critical part of the way they write music by experimenting and testing out new ideas in the public eye before refining them in the studio.

“Last time we were in Sydney we played a lot of the songs that will make up the new album,” he tells. “The title track for instance, Blackbird, we've been playing live for well over a year. That's the way we do it, we go out there and play the new tunes and iron them out on stage and figure out what does and doesn't work, have a listen to it and then we might take it out again and see if there is some other direction we could go in through the improvisation part of what we do. Then we take all that back to the studio and re-record it. Our sound engineer records all our shows in HD so we might take that into the studio and listen to it but we don't use those live recordings on the albums at all.

By the time we actually release the songs we'll have a studio/album version and we'll still do something new with it when we go out live. The core musical things don't change but we don't put the improvised stuff on the album, we keep that for the live shows. The live tracks are generally fifteen minutes long whereas the studio versions we try and keep between six to eight minutes long,” explains Blaze. That approach has resulted in albums that draw from a number of different musical styles making them a unique act who straddle soul, hip hop, funk, jazz, dub and electronica and with the new record just around the corner that sense of musical adventure continues to throw up new ideas, which still excites Blaze. “I hope there are some surprises! I think so as it's the next progression for us with new ideas we haven't tried before but it still sounds like us.”

Fat Freddy's Drop will be playing the following shows:

Saturday 10 November - GRAPHIC Festival, Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW
Tuesday 13 November - Eclipse Festival, Port Douglas QLD
Thursday 15 November - Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta QLD
Friday 16 November - The Arena, Brisbane QLD
Saturday 17 November - Golden Days Festival, Coollim QLD