The Shocker

You may remember a certain video that went slightly viral of a band playing Newtown Festival in 2010. Well, not in the festival, per se. You see, the band in question had been knocked back for a slot (due to the relative unknown-ness of the band at that point, their young age, or whatever other reason). So,they took a very simple step: they found a friend who's backyard backed onto the festival site, built a big stage on the patio, and headlined their own stage over the fence. The band in question was Sticky Fingers – referred to affectionately as Sti Fi – and that first mainline of fame pretty much cemented the band as one of the most unorthodox acts to make it nationally in years, as well as establishing them as true loose units.

“I'm good man, how are you?” bassist and founder Paddy 'Fingers' (real names aren't a big priority with the Sticky Fingers guys) hurriedly answers. “Sorry, I've got this weird problem with my phone that fell in the pool but somehow survived. It's got a touchscreen that's really fucked now; sometimes I can't slide open to answer. But I'm good man.”

Coming from Newtown – an area generally associated with pub rock bands and folk festivals – Sticky Fingers are a gem in the rough. Blending a classic two-tone sound with honest lyricism and a rock'n'roll attitude, they've been touted as one of the best bands to come out of Sydney in a while. For Paddy, the dream was never too far away. “Pretty much, I've always wanted to be in a band ever since I saw a movie called Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure,” he admits. “I was like five years old. I didn't even see it as a joke, I thought those guys were the fucking dudes, and that's what it was all about. And I did a lot of piano and clarinet and stuff through primary school. It was really when I was like fifteen or sixteen, and I started to go to gigs that I thought… You know when you hear a band start, and they sound fucking awesome, but then the vocalist starts singing and you're like, 'Oh, that's a shame'? Like that kind of letdown thing? In a lot of cases, the vocalist kinda carries the band in a way, like they can make or break it. I decided then that I didn't want to be in a band unless I could find a frontman that I truly believed in. Otherwise I didn't want to bother. I can sing in tune, I can sing back-up, but I never saw myself as the singer of a band.

“Then me and my mate (and Sti Fi drummer) Beak were walking King Street when we were about 17 or 18 years old. We were a bit pissed, and we just stumbled across this little dude with really long hair who was busking outside this pub. We didn't think of it that much then, we just sorta gave him a few coins and went on our way. But I just kept running into him everywhere. Eventually I met him at this house party, and we ended up jamming a bit, and we became friends. And that was Dylan, and he'd just moved from New Zealand not long before. Then one day, we were chilling at Beak's house, and Dylan saw we had a drum set in the garage, so he was like, 'Fuck man, let's start jamming'. And that's how we started. And we were fucking awful, we were shit. And then Seamus – our ginger contingent – joined up after that as the lead guitar player, and that's how we ended up where we are now.”

Where they are now is at the release of their debut album, Caress Your Soul, which has already seen plaudits roll in and fans – many of the female persuasion, it must be said – screaming from the barrier. The group's fuck-it attitude may just be the secret ingredient in the Sti Fi cauldron. “None of us are traditionally trained,” Paddy shares. “Dylan still doesn't know how to play chords: me and Seamus still have to tune his guitar. That's why, and even with this new album – which is as polished as anything we've ever done – still has this raw, primal sensibility to it.”

Sticky Fingers will be playing the following dates:

Friday 22 March - Manning Bar, Sydney NSW
Saturday 23 March - Mona Vale Hotel, Mona Vale NSW
Wednesday 27 March - Rosemount Hotel, Perth WA
Thursday 28 March - Prince Of Wales Hotel, Bunbury WA
Saturday 30 March - Settlers Tavern, Margaret River WA
Sunday 31 March - White Star Hotel, Albany WA
Friday 5 April - Entrance Leagues Club, Gosford NSW
Friday 12 April - Republic Bar, Hobart TAS
Saturday 13 April - Royal Oak Hotel, Launceston TAS
Sunday 14 April - The Northern, Byron Bay NSW
Thursday 18 April - The Zoo, Fortitude Valley QLD
Friday 19 April - The Northern Hotel, Byron Bay NSW
Saturday 20 April - Big Pineapple Festival, Woombye QLD
Sunday 21 April - The Hoey Moey, Coffs Harbour NSW
Thursday 25 April - Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC
Friday 26 April - Baha, Rye VIC
Friday 10 May - The Gov, Hindmarsh SA

Caress Your Soul is out now.