Fuck Buttons - Thunderous Squalls

Fuck Buttons is not the kind of name you forget in a hurry. Neither, for that matter, is their music. Comprised of art school graduates Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power, the band have garnered something of a cult following since releasing their “sounds-like-the-end-of-the-world” debut Street Horrrsing, on the All Tomorrow’s Parties affiliated label ATP Recordings. The overwhelming potency of their music – described by one magazine as “an adrenaline-pumping, ear-purging slab of towering pristine noise” – has been underlined by their scintillating live shows (they toured with Mogwai in 2008), and confirmed by their recent sophomore effort Tarot Sport. Produced by veteran auteur Andy Weatherall at his Rotters Golf Club Studio in London, Tarot Sport blends the duo’s trademark melodic electronics and searing ‘toys and noise’ shtick, creating something that’s as unhinged and ecstatic as it is thrilling and unique.

How did you come up with such a charming and evocative name?
AH: We both used to work in this chocolate truffle factory and the boss, who was a real arsehole, used to call all of the workers “Fuck buttons” to demoralise them or whatever. That’s where the name came from.

What are the best ‘censored’ versions of your name you’ve heard?
BJP: They call us F buttons on the radio. It’s fine.

What elements of your educational or vocational backgrounds feed into your music?
AH: I studied Fine art specialising in Video, and ben studied Illustration. I guess not having formal musical training and instead having broad creative outlets, we’re not constrained by what we think constitutes something as “music”. That word is so open to interpretation as it is anyway. If you’re talking about the institutions that we both started the music in, then none of it, although it could be argued that our environment facilitated us to do so. If you’re talking about our practices, then it all feeds into each other for sure.
BJP: We still create all our own artwork and videos. We like to be in charge of our visual side.

Your live shows have been as raved about as your recorded output. Was that something you’ve tried consciously to master?
BJP: It was never intentional for this to become our jobs. our only impetus to make music ever has been the desire to write music and experiment with sound together. The rest kind of fell into place around us, but having the opportunity to do what we do on a day-to-day basis is a blessing which we are both humbled by.

What have been your best gigs so far? Any highlights from the current tour?
BJP: Highlights from this tour include the discovery of the word ‘daggy’, courtesy of our touring buddies HTRK.
AH: Haha… this is a great word. It’s an australian word, and a dag is literally a piece of shit that hangs off a lamb’s arse. What it means is something that is embarrassing but equally endearing. Most dads are daggy for instance.

How did you come to link with Weatherall for the new record. Why did you choose him?
BJP: Andrew made a fantastic remix of [remixing] Sweet Love for us and upon hearing the great job he did we realised that he had a strong grasp of our music and displayed a special sensitivity to the sounds we use. It was a great month we spent down at Rotters Golf Club.

What specific input did he provide for the new album?
AH: Well, he was a filter and facilitator. He understood space and distance in order to work and judge. Like us, he was interested in his sensibilities being achieved prominently. So we were constantly communicating and articulating each other’s ideas, so that the ideas generated were an amalgamation of all of our conversations.

Your sound has been posited as an apocalyptic clash of electronics and extreme rock or noise. Do you see links between yourselves and other artists working in this crossover field?
BP: We’d never draw any comparisons been our music and the music of other artists. If the connections are there, we’re oblivious to them. We’d certainly never categorise ourselves.

Is it intentional to challenge people’s perceptions of what music or pop music can be?
AH: Not consciously, but I guess we are interested in challenging our own perceptions of what music is. That’s where our sensibilities kick in and the fun starts.

Was it as intense to make as it sounds? Would you describe yourselves as intense people?
AH: It was intense in the sense that we spent four intense weeks down in the studio with ideas being thrown around constantly. We really learned the importance of distancing oneself from the project at hand, even momentarily sometimes, to allow for a clearer perspective.

Name five albums you couldn’t live without?
BJP: We’re influenced by the equipment we jam with, rather than other artists.

OK – so name five bits of kit you couldn’t live without?
AH: you could destroy all my equipment right now and I wouldn’t care. I’d think “Great! I have to use new stuff!” We don’t concern ourselves with instrumentation; they are just a vessel for our sensibilities.

What’s the biggest legacy of the noughties from an FB perspective?
AH: Well, as it is across the whole board of culture, the digital age has had a hugely significant impact on the way music is created, presented and consumed. and it’s still going on and no one really knows what’s going to happen. I think that it’s pretty exciting to be a tiny part of that.

Are younger audiences becoming more open-minded thanks to the Internet? Or has everyone been dumbed down?
BJP: I definitely think that musicians/ artists who use 'unconventional' instrumentation can reach a much wider audience thanks to the information superhighway, which is extremely exciting.