Sydney’s punk-rock outfit Fingermae always seem to make music which is full of fun, never taking itself too seriously. However, there are some very serious themes beneath the surface of their music, chose to charge at current socio-political issues head on rather than shy away.
We caught up with Sally from Fingermae to talk about the superiority of her cat among other things.
We caught up with Fingermae to chat about learnt two things, their Cat Is The Best Cat, and they are absolutely hilarious.
HAPPY: Hey Sally! What are you up to at the moment?
SALLY: Watching Supernatural and trying to sound enigmatic but not douchey to a music journalist?
HAPPY: We’ve been digging My Cat Is The Best Cat! Really fun track, how is it having it out in the open air?
SALLY: I had been mixing it on and off for about a month (well, mixing and re-mixing) so I’m happy to never have to hear it again, it’s your problem now.
HAPPY: Can you tell us a bit about the track?
SALLY: It was written in about 20 minutes when I was super depressed and it is based on true events about my cat Morgan. She has actually shat on two of my housemates beds & they were indeed being annoying at the time, and those are the only times it has happened. She knew what she was doing. There was a 4th verse about her propensity for interrupting sex (too many times to be an accident tbh) but we thought it better to cut it. I feel like I will probably never get another chance to use the lyric “Cattus Interruptus”.
HAPPY: Is your cat really better than my cat?
SALLY: Absolutely, it’s just science. I’m sure your cat is fine but if my cat is the best cat, and she is, then your cat simply can’t be as good.
HAPPY: What does a Fingermae show involve?
SALLY: It’s often difficult to hear the lyrics over the amount of people crying out in pure ecstasy; the sound engineer weeps in joy at the perfect signals going unprocessed straight from microphones to speakers; Lauren’s hair gets a new unofficial fan page every third gig; Sally gets pinkeye from constantly copping knickers to the face; Jackie gets her lower back stretches in without missing a beat; the pleas for the audience to buy merch fall on deaf ears and the headliner taps their watch impatiently.
HAPPY: Were there any particular artists you were listening to that inspired the sound of My Cat is the Best Cat?
SALLY: Not particularly, I was kind of trying to imitate The Cure a bit with the rhythm guitar sounds though.
HAPPY: What can fans expect when your forthcoming EP, Sofamore, enters orbit?
SALLY: Probably a different title for starters, the Sofamore title was part of a throwaway joke in our unearthed bio. We haven’t nailed the tracklist down yet but Not All Men will definitely be on there. Possibly Alice Terry’s Boobs, Fraser Anning Go And Fuck Yourself and new versions of None Of Your Business, Topsy Turvy and Not Racist But. Mostly political songs after we lure you in with the happy one about cats.
HAPPY: How has the sound changed since your debut album, Cured Using Natural Therapies?
SALLY: The album was all overdubs made over acoustic guitar and vocals because it was originally a solo album that got out of hand, the acoustic sound was still quite prominent by the time we had layered everything on and it never really reflected our live sound. I’ve never used acoustic guitars in the live band and we’ve always been a lot heavier than the C.U.N.T. album. My Cat Is The Best Cat is still on the poppier end of our material but much closer to what the band sounds like live.
HAPPY: Who would be your ideal band to play a show with?
SALLY: We’d quite like to play with Midnight Oil, but we’d also gladly take a support from L7 or Patti Smith. Heck, we’d let any of them headline.
HAPPY: What’s next for Fingermae?
SALLY: We’re supporting Flowers For Jayne at The Marrickville Bowling Club on September 26, then after that we’re planning to record another single called Wish Upon A Morning Star in early October. It’s about the West Papuan genocide but you can still dance to it, we’re hoping that will help make people aware of what’s going on over there. We’ll be heading down to Melbourne to play a benefit, Rockin’ for West Papua, on November 30 at the Central Club Hotel in Richmond. We’re aiming to get the new EP out early 2020.
HAPPY: Can’t wait to hear it! Cheers for the chat!
Check out My Cat Is The Best Cat below:
