Fickle Friends @ The Garrison

Photos and words by Queosha Walters

You are someone else tour
On Monday night, Fickle Friends took to the stage at one of Toronto's coziest pubs, The Garrison.  We were fortunate enough to sit down with Natassja, the band's lead, and ask a few questions about the group's experience here in Canada, their hopes for the future and about their new album, You Are Someone Else.

The venue quickly filled up in anticipation for the group's first performance ever in Canada.  It was really evident that their hardcore fans have been waiting for this day for quite awhile.  Although she said she was a bit nervous, Natassja appeared extremely comfortable on stage the entire time never missing a beat or a note.  
The group has incredible chemistry with one another as well as their audience.  It felt like we were all on stage together belting out lyrics and dancing the night away.  Their sound is so unique and fresh which made for a really refreshing experience.  Personally, when introduced to new music it takes a few listens before I can determine a true opinion on the piece but with Fickle Friends, every single song had me hooked on the first listen.  Their performance was so energetic and it was such an enjoyable experience.

We truly wish the band the most joy and success while they continue their tour in the US and the UK over the next few months.  We're really excited to see Fickle Friends take on new heights over the coming years!
Thank you Natassja for sitting down to chat with Music Overload!

Interview: 
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Queosha: I saw you guys tweet this morning about it being your first time in Canada, so is it your first time here ever or just your first time performing?
Natassja: Ever, ever!

Q: What do you think of Canada so far?
N: I LOVE Toronto! Toronto is super cool. We spent a lot of time in Kensington Market today.  We hit up all the vintage shops like Black Market and a bunch of others and got some sick coffee.  We really, really like it.  We're from Brighton and it's quite similar.

Q: How's everything going with the tour so far?
N: It's been really good, really good! You just don't know what to expect when you've never played somewhere before, that's the only thing.

Q: Where's your favourite place you've played in so far?
N: New York has been the best just because it's been the biggest show and people were crazy!  Actually, the first night of tour was pretty mental in Washington.  People are crazy there and people were crazy in Boston as well.

Q: How does it feel to finally have a full length album out?
N: It's nice that it's out (I almost couldn't relax afterwards) but it's more that playing shows now, people know all the words which is really nice.  Before it was like playing that awkward song that hasn't been released and everyone just kind of stands there and they're like ..... *stares blankly*

Q: What's your favourite song on the new album?
N: Either Brooklyn or Heartbroken 

Q: I personally really like "Hard To Be Myself" and I was just wondering how it came to be? I know it's a relatable topic.
N: It was actually really a horrible process of making it because of disagreements with the record label and it ruined the process for us.  The actual core of the song and the meaning behind is nice and lovely. I get bad anxiety.  It was really, really bad a few years ago.  I was going over to my boyfriend's house in London because I still lived in Brighton and I got to his house and he had loads of friends over for a BBQ and I had this massive panic attack.  I sat outside freaking out and I sat there just wishing I could switch places with anyone in that moment and thinking that this is so embarrassing and that no one there really understood and then my boyfriend came out and I was like "omg thank God".  It's just that feeling of projecting your craziness onto someone else. 

Q: How do you deal with creative differences in the band if you guys struggle with that at all or are you guys usually on the same page?
N: We're on the same page mostly just because it's mainly me and Jack who do the writing.  If we have a disagreement it's in a good way cause we'll always come to a compromise or agreement or something.  I don't think we've ever fought about anything to be honest.

Q: Do you have a song writing process? I know some people can write a song in 5 mins and for others it can take quite awhile.
N: Sometimes it can be half an hour sometimes it can be six months.  It completely depends.  The writing is me and Jack, mostly, and our bassist Terry.  It's a really nice process. We kind of record and produce as we go so we're building up the track, switching things around, adding stuff here and there and re-writing the verses after we've slept on it for a couple of days.  

Q: Do you find that it's usually lyrics that come to you first or is it the melody and then the words kind of follow?
N: It's all kind of jumbled because we start with a beat or something then I might sing a melody or if I write a poem on the bus and I'm like "let's use this" so, it depends.

Q: How did you guys come up with the name "Fickle Friends"?
N: We didn't actually come up with it, it was my friend from uni, it was his name he gave to us cause we were gonna start DJing and we were gonna be this like sick DJ duo and he was like "oh we can be the Fickle Friends" because we like used to bail on each other with plans all the time and I was like "that's a sick name"! I was then auditioning for some show at uni and I had to write down a band name and I couldn't think anything so I wrote "Fickle Friends" and it just stuck.

Q: I know you guys have grown a lot over the past 5 years what are your plans for or hopes for the next 5 years?
N: We wanna do another record.  We've started our own record label called Palmeira and I'd love to sign some music to that and start releasing other people's music a bit more. We really wanna play Glastonbury Festival in the UK and we really want to come and do more festivals in Canada and the US for sure next year.  I don't know, we're not like we wanna take over the world because I don't think we will, I'll just be very happy if we can keep doing what we're doing now and it's kind of a steady incline and it doesn't all just stop or plateau. I guess as long as there's growth it's a job.  I mean, it's the BEST job in the world!

Q: Do you have any musicians you'd like to go on tour with or work with in general?
N: Paramore for sure.  Paramore's probably our #1.  A tour with Phoenix any day. I'd love to write with 21 Pilots or with someone who's kind of doing this new, fresh thing and taking over the world.

Thank you,