An impromptu interview with Charlie and Chris from TIGERTOWN proves just how down to earth these loved up musicians are. After their incredible set at Fotsun, LOUIE SMITH discovers the couple’s relaxed writing approach and shared passion for 90’s pop.
So I just heard this is your first time in Port Macquarie?
Charlie – Yeah, yeah it is.
What do you think of it so far?
Charlie – I fricking love it. This is one of my favourite festivals that we’ve played at. I was saying how it’s all just one stage it’s not like you have to run from stage to stage and you just set up and you’re here its so good.
Chris – It’s great, it seems everyone’s more relaxed because of that as well. They can just set up camp and enjoy the whole festival.
Yeah it’s such a chilled out festival.
Charlie – Far out it’s so good.
Chris – I’m glad we came into Port Macquarie because we always drive past it when we’re driving to QLD. I think we’ll make a stop in every time now. It’s such a good town.
So have you got a new album in the making?
Charlie – Yeah we do, we’ve had some time off to just write some songs and concentrate on a new album. That’s our next move.
Chris – Yeah all of November and December we’ve taken off. This is our one outing that we were allowed.
Is it a joint collaboration?
Chris – Charlie and I are married so we live together and so the early stages kind of come from just the two of us and that’s why we need to be home to do it. Sort of live normal lives for a little bit but once we’ve got them all together we get everyone together and make it happen. We don’t seem to write on the road so much. It’s only when we’re at home doing normal people stuff.
Too busy having fun and soaking up the atmosphere.
Charlie – Yeah exactly.
Chris – Yeah and there seems to be more to write about when you’re home because there’s friends around and normal things to write about. Otherwise all of our songs would be about aeroplanes and airports haha.
Charlie – And dirty car trips haha.
What studio are you recording in or is it more of a home setup?
Chris – We do a lot of it at home
Charlie – Yeah we record our demos at home but we haven’t really thought about a studio just yet. At the moment we’re just trying to get the songs down and then work on them.
Chris – Our first Ep was all done at home, recorded and mixed and now we still record lots at home. A lot of it makes the record in the end but yeah I guess we’ll head out somewhere and track it.
Charlie – I like recording, especially singing at home because you’re just so relaxed it’s not like “we’re in a studio this has got to be awesome because we’ve only got five hours left.” At home you can just have dinner and then go alright I’m ready to sing.
Chris – We’ve gone into studios in the past and spent a lot of money and done all that but we come home and re-do the vocals a lot of the time. They just sound better when they’re in your bedroom haha.
Charlie – You can do whatever you want. You can be naked, have chicken on your face…it’s fine.
Haha so that’s happened before…?
Charlie – Ahh let’s just say.
Chris – I don’t know…
Charlie – Nahh we’ve definitely been naked babe.
Chris – What happens in the marriage house, stays in the marriage house.
Charlie – Haha.
Is there anyone here your keen to share the stage with?
Chris – We got here yesterday so we could see You Am I and that was amazing. I think they’re one of the best Australian bands.
Charlie – They’re so freaking rock and roll and they’re just old enough to be your dad but they’re sooo cool.
Chris – We learnt a lot watching them
Charlie – That’s why they’ve been around for so long because they just do it good and do it well.
Chris – Tonight there’s so many good bands. I’ve never seen the Rubens live. I think that’s the only band tonight that we haven’t seen yet.
Charlie – And Stonefield are so cool, those chicks kill it.
Chris – We’ve seen Kingswood, they’re incredible players but yeah The Rubens will be really good to see.
So where do you guys draw influence from?
Charlie – It comes from a lot of places. Me and my brother grew up in the country so country is a big influence. One of my favourites is Johnny Cash and Chris and his family are massive Michael Jackson fans but a band I think that we all kind of love equally is Fleetwood Mac. Everything about them is just awesome and so inspiring. Especially musically, the way they write their songs, the way they play and bands like that are amazing because they have stood the test of time. They’re still killing it.
Chris – We love a classic pop song and that’s what they did, that’s what Michael did.
Charlie – The other day we went op shopping and Chris found a best of hits Janet Jackson record and as soon as he put it on I didn’t stop dancing in the lounge room from start til finish. Growing up I used to love Janet and like far out that album…
Chris – I think there will be a fair bit of early 90’s pop in our next album.
Charlie – Yeah soo many influences.
Chris – We sort of realised that we don’t really listen to much stuff that’s newer than 20 years old haha.
Haha, that’s definitely not a bad thing.
Chris – We love the old stuff, we love everything up until ‘93 haha.
Charlie – Yeah and I think with this album we want to have the freedom to write the music that we love and music that makes you wana get up and dance, music that makes you wana sit in your bedroom and cry like we just wana make music that moves people.
Chris – That’s true.
Charlie – That’s our main goal.
Chris – It’s exciting making an album because we’ve already done 3 Ep’s. It’s sort of like we don’t have to think about a genre anymore. We just wana make the best album we can make and not think about where we’re going to play it, who’s going to listen to it and just make our favourite album.
Charlie – We wana grab our album and put it on and go ‘oh my gosh I wana dance right now’. Just stuff that makes you wana groove.
Well I can’t wait to hear the album!
Chris – Good, good compliment haha.
And you were nominated for Triple J’s Unearthed Award this year!
Charlie – Yeah we had no idea, it was such a big honour like it wasn’t even on the cards to be nominated.
Chris – It seems to be quite a respected award and there’s only three J awards so to be nominated for one of them was amazing. It sort of gave us a bit of a confidence boost going in to making our own album knowing that some people care about it. So that was a great way to end the year, a bit of a pat on the back.
Charlie – It was definitely a massive surprise, we had no idea.
Chris – And we realised we were the only band to be nominated so we came first out of all the bands haha.