A chat with Faker ahead of the Big Day Out

Join us as we chat with Nic from the iconic Australian band, Faker, ahead of the Gold Coast Big Day Out. Discover insights into the band’s return to touring after three years

As the excitement builds for the upcoming Gold Coast Big Day Out, we caught up with Nicholas, the charismatic bassist of the Australian indie rock band, Faker. Known for their infectious energy and catchy tunes, Faker has been a staple in the music scene for years. After a three-year hiatus from touring, the band is back on the road and ready to rock the stage

What is your top tip for festival-goers this summer?

I’ve said this before, but I still think it holds true—if you want to express your individuality by colouring your hair for a festival, get it dyed properly! That stuff you just spray on your hair always melts in the heat, and you will look like a burn victim (or worse) by lunchtime.

After three years away from touring, how did it feel being back on the road?

Like coming home to a beautiful roast dinner, the evening newspaper, our most comfortable slippers, and a good stiff cognac.

October involved an amazing tour supporting one of the UK’s most popular groups of the year, The Wombats. How was the experience touring with those boys?

Well, that was our first step back onto the stage, so we were really thrown in at the deep end. Fortunately, we’re strong swimmers, so that was right up our alley.

October and November seem to have been non-stop for the band, and I can imagine January is going to be ridiculously busy and exciting. Does the old adage ‘what happens on tour stays on tour’ ring true, or can you tell us of a crazy experience?

Well, touring itself is just a bit insane. It’s the psychological equivalent of snagging part of a woolen jumper on something as you walk past without realising it, and the longer you continue to walk away, the more the stitching in your jumper unravels. Touring does that to your brain, but because it happens incrementally, you don’t actually realise how insane you’ve become until you get home.

How would you describe life on the road for the band? Do you enjoy touring, and does it feel like a freeing experience, or does it sometimes seem ongoing and unsettling?

We absolutely love touring. The only thing I struggle with is working out the sleeping arrangements on a daily basis. You have to share your room with different people all the time, or people start to think you don’t like them, even if it’s only their weird sleeping habits or poor hygiene that keeps you away.

You’re giving away your new album titled Get Loved for free! We understand this is all part of a journey and experience for listeners to be taken on. How would you describe it to our readers so they can relate to this experience and journey?

Get Loved was born at the end of touring Be The Twilight, when Nathan and I were the only band members who had been there at the start of touring the album. We figured at that time that the right way to make our third album was to do it ourselves so it still felt like a progression from where we’d been before.

With giving the album away for free, was there a particular motive or motivation behind this decision?

Quite honestly, we just felt it had taken too long to bring it out. We love the record that we’ve made, and we just want people to hear it. We can’t wait another four years to bring out our next album because everything moves quicker than that now.

How does Get Loved differ as an album from those before it? Was the process of writing, recording, and producing the album any different?

We made Get Loved in our home studio (mostly), Nathan and I played all of the instruments and produced it ourselves—so it maybe sounds less band-y than our other records. We also wanted it to sound different from our previous records so we weren’t just repeating ourselves.

So besides the release of a new album and a huge tour with Big Day Out in January, what’s next for Faker?

We are right now working on songs for our fourth album, which we’re going to record after Big Day Out. We’re really excited about how it’s all going as we’re a band again, and it really feels like we’re at the beginning of something amazing.

Thanks for your time today, and good luck with the new album!

Picture of Owen George
Owen George

Editor & Chief of Gold Coast Magazine is a lover of great coffee and sharing the stories of the people, places, and events that make the Gold Coast such a great city