From One Night Stand To A National Tour, Fool Nelson Reflect On Their Breakthrough

Fool Nelson have been making waves in the Australian music scene this year. From touring with Old Mervs across Australia and New Zealand, to winning triple j Unearthed's One Night Stand Competition, taking the stage in Busselton this weekend. 

Fool Nelson, who hail from Busselton, will join the star-studded, all-Australian line-up with Spacey Jane, Luude, Ruby Fields, Velvet Trip and more. The band will also attend triple j's More Than A One Night Stand sessions, aiming to empower local artists and the wider community.

This is not the only milestone for the band. Fresh from their sold-out debut national tour, the three-piece released the sun-soaked single Bad Dreams. Currently, the band is gearing up to support Skegss on their upcoming Top Heavy National Tour alongside The Buoys in June/July this year.

It's well known that indie rock is at the root of music in Western Australia, and when they find a spark like Fool Nelson, it's not long until it blazes into something much bigger. Coming off the release of their sophomore EP Falling Apart and being added to triple j Unearthed's rotation, they were touted as Ones To Watch in the station’s 2025 forecast.

We caught up with Fool Nelson for a Q&A, giving you a chance to hear directly from the band about how they formed and their chaotically awesome journey over the past year.

The Music interviews Fool Nelson’s Tom Broadbent 

Tell us how you formed! 

Ned and I (Tom) are brothers, so we’ve been playing music together since we were about six and eight years old. Darcy is a family friend who we’d jam with during primary school. Ned and I moved to Busselton for high school, then reconnected with Darcy in our later teens. That’s when we started Fool Nelson.

What inspires your songwriting/What’s the process?

We’re inspired by lots of things! For us, the main thing that inspires our songwriting, in particular, is to make music that is authentic to us and has a positive undertone to it. So far, most of the songs we’ve released reflect on us navigating adolescence and now young adulthood. A lot of the songs touch on our experiences with mental health struggles, and I think a lot of people can relate to that.

What was the biggest lesson learnt from your debut 'Fool Australia' national tour? 

Mmmmhhh, I think maybe book comfortable accommodation next time, haha. When we tour, we need to save as many pennies as possible sometimes, that means staying at the cheapest accommodation we can find! Often after a long day of travel, we’d check into the accom, and the first thing you wanna do is shower, but there are no towels, or have a sleep, but you’re sharing a bed with your brother! I dunno; maybe I’m just being ungrateful, haha.

What was your favourite memory from touring with Old Mervs?  

Definitely the sold-out Freo Arts Centre show. Playing in front of that many people felt unreal! Props to the Old Mervs for selling that out!

You're supporting Skegss this June and July, what are you most excited for? 

Skegss are such an iconic band. If someone told 15-year-old me that we would be touring with them one day, I wouldn’t believe them, so it’s such an honour to do so! We’re also keen to see The Buoys play!

What is Fool Nelson planning for the future?

We’ll put out another EP this year, and then we’re hoping to make an album. Hopefully, there will be lots more touring as well, and maybe even overseas!

You can catch Fool Nelson at triple j’s One Night Stand event in Busselton, WA.

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