Fatberg

Musicians — London

01Profile

A Fatberg Photo

03Interview

Name, where are you from?
Fatberg, made up of Jim, Alex, Omar and Cameron, from Coventry, London, and Santa Cruz collectively.

Describe your style in three words?
Grubby, sweaty, sophisticated.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Prince at the Shark Tank in San Jose because it was Prince. It was particularly cool for me because I was sitting right behind the late great John Blackwell Junior.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
The Clash or The Who either for backstage Joe Strummer wisdom or Keith Moon madness.

Which Subcultures have influenced you?
The Beat Generation writers probably. Namely, Woody Guthrie who we feel was really the first and best Beat artist despite having been active many years before the term was even coined. He embodies everything that was great about the movement before it went wrong.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Rasputin, or Captain Beefheart for a musical choice.

Of all the venues you’ve been to, which is your favourite?
Sister Midnight Records in Deptford, a vegan cafe/record shop with a dark, dingy and very loud basement where it’s always a joy to play.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Blaze Foley because the guy died in relative obscurity and a lot of his work was lost and only fairly recently has his stuff been re-released.

04Playlist Notes

The first track you played on repeat?
'Floyd the Barber' by Nirvana.

A song that defines the teenage you?
'Because I Got High' by Afroman.

One record you would keep forever?
'Rain Dogs' by Tom Waits

A song lyric that has inspired you?
"Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming"

From the first verse of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' by Bob Dylan.

A song you wished you had written?
'Electric Funeral' by Black Sabbath. This main verse riff here is a riff we jammed for a long time when we first began playing together and thought we were onto our first song as a band and were later disappointed to realise it was already a Sabbath tune and was too similar to get away with stealing.

Best song to turn up loud?
'Dragonaut' by Sleep.

A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'Quicksilver Maria' by Townes Van Zandt.

The song to get you straight on the dance floor?
'Spooky' by Dusty Springfield.

Best song to end an all-nighter?
Any Mapache song to be honest but 'In The Morning Light' stands out as an appropriate choice.

Any new bands you are into at the moment?
Lee Patterson, DeeDee and the Abracadabras, Piss Kitti.

03Interview

Name, where are you from?
Fatberg, made up of Jim, Alex, Omar and Cameron, from Coventry, London, and Santa Cruz collectively.

Describe your style in three words?
Grubby, sweaty, sophisticated.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Prince at the Shark Tank in San Jose because it was Prince. It was particularly cool for me because I was sitting right behind the late great John Blackwell Junior.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
The Clash or The Who either for backstage Joe Strummer wisdom or Keith Moon madness.

Which Subcultures have influenced you?
The Beat Generation writers probably. Namely, Woody Guthrie who we feel was really the first and best Beat artist despite having been active many years before the term was even coined. He embodies everything that was great about the movement before it went wrong.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Rasputin, or Captain Beefheart for a musical choice.

Of all the venues you’ve been to, which is your favourite?
Sister Midnight Records in Deptford, a vegan cafe/record shop with a dark, dingy and very loud basement where it’s always a joy to play.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Blaze Foley because the guy died in relative obscurity and a lot of his work was lost and only fairly recently has his stuff been re-released.

04Playlist Notes

The first track you played on repeat?
'Floyd the Barber' by Nirvana.

A song that defines the teenage you?
'Because I Got High' by Afroman.

One record you would keep forever?
'Rain Dogs' by Tom Waits

A song lyric that has inspired you?
"Though I know that evening's empire has returned into sand
Vanished from my hand
Left me blindly here to stand but still not sleeping
My weariness amazes me, I'm branded on my feet
I have no one to meet
And the ancient empty street's too dead for dreaming"

From the first verse of 'Mr. Tambourine Man' by Bob Dylan.

A song you wished you had written?
'Electric Funeral' by Black Sabbath. This main verse riff here is a riff we jammed for a long time when we first began playing together and thought we were onto our first song as a band and were later disappointed to realise it was already a Sabbath tune and was too similar to get away with stealing.

Best song to turn up loud?
'Dragonaut' by Sleep.

A song people wouldn’t expect you to like?
'Quicksilver Maria' by Townes Van Zandt.

The song to get you straight on the dance floor?
'Spooky' by Dusty Springfield.

Best song to end an all-nighter?
Any Mapache song to be honest but 'In The Morning Light' stands out as an appropriate choice.

Any new bands you are into at the moment?
Lee Patterson, DeeDee and the Abracadabras, Piss Kitti.

 

05Videos

Fatberg on Spotify

Fatberg | Beckenham Arts Lab