Guide Cover: Fox & Fowl

Member answering/role: Matt Smail (drums)

How long have you been together? We’ve been playing together since 2009. 

How did you all meet? We met at uni after I got the spear from one campus and moved onto Lach and Mitch’s.

You’re on tour in the van — which band or artist is going to keep the most people happy if we throw them on the stereo? Clarence Carters’ Strokin’ always produced a couple of yuks (laughs) when we were driving around the US otherwise we’d be happy with a good Bombay jam. 

Would you rather be a busted broke-but-revered Hank Williams figure or some kind of Metallica monster? It would appear monsters buy reverence these days so sign us up for that and we’ll take both.

Which Brisbane bands before you have been an inspiration (musically or otherwise)? As a kid, Powderfinger. I played Odyssey Number Five until it disintegrated. It was pretty awesome recording in one of their studios later on in life. Being surrounded by their ARIAs and platinum records is a combination of daunting and inspiring. 

What part do you think Brisbane plays in the music you make? When we first moved here it was massive. The summer party vibes and lifestyle were all we wrote about. We’ve cast the net a little further afield with these latest songs but it’s never far from our minds. 

Is your band responsible for more make-outs or break-ups? Why? Definitely more make-outs! Our fans tend to be a suitable combination of drunk, excited and flirtatious. 

What’s in the pipeline for the band in the short term? We want to produce a comprehensive catalogue of songs before we head into the studio again so at the moment we’re focussed on writing and experimenting with new equipment. It’s proving to be a steep learning curve but is producing some exciting results. 

Fox & Fowl play Black Bear Lodge on Saturday 27 June.