[Riffs] Interview with Adelaide’s SUNDOWNER, Pre-Froth and Fury 2024.
Note: This Q and A interview was originally posted to our prior website, which died an unexpected, untimely death right on NYE ‘24 (RIP). We’re back, though! And it’s well worth checking out some of our artist interview for some fantastic SA artists in the lead-up to our coverage (including their sets, of course) prior to FNF 2024 last November.
Scope out the link for the interview, plus a bunch of artist links, media and other details. Sundowner are well worth your time to check out live - low, heavy and bruising. FFO: Eyehategod, Crowbar, Khanate etc.
Peace Love and Grindcore xoxo - Brady.
For all the goss, info/details and pre-FnF hype-train antics - see here for our primer encompassing the need-to-know, plus additional contextual details surrounding the festival as a whole.
For now, we over at ISC have been lucky to wrangle one of the many acts slated for chaos tomorrow, for a brief Q & A interview. These Adelaidian sludge/doom-lords have been peddling a furious, caustic blend of misanthropic fury for some time now. Both their live and recorded output has been received to high critical acclaim, particularly their ravaging live presence. (Read here for more on my encounter with these SA sludge-peddlers at New Dead MetalFest here, as an example).
Anywho, here's the interview.
Brady: How have the past 12 months tracked for Sundowner as a unit? From my end, having caught your ripping set at New Dead Metalfest in SA (where there was a huge buzz from the crowd, I must say), I've noticed quite a lot more gigs over the border in VIC/Melbourne.
Would you agree there's been more of a groundswell generated around Sundowner of late?
“‘That’s awesome you caught us at New Dead, glad you enjoyed it!’
’We have been trying to get interstate more often this year, I think the release of our second album Lysergic Ritual earlier this year has helped us generate some more attention and helped us land some more interstate shows, as well as a couple of international support spots. It’s kind of hard to really perceive how outside attention is tracking from within the band though, we just keep doing what we do!”
Brady: How are you guys feeling about playing Froth And Fury 2024? In particular, any thoughts around playing on a more diverse musical spread here versus, say, New Dead Metalfest?
“‘Playing Froth & Fury will be great, it’s an amazingly organised and run festival! Diverse lineups are good, it’s a chance for people to hear us who might not even realise they like sludge so opens us up to potentially more of an audience. Biggest difference I guess is F&F has all different genres, New Dead was all heavy bands from all the subgenres that exist in that realm, both festivals work great for us.’”
Brady: Regarding any unsuspecting vict... erm, punters, who until tomorrow might not've not heard of your band - in your own words, what are they in for?
“‘Noisy, abrasive, bluesy, heavy sludge. The noisy feedback from the amps that we love to use usually either gets peoples attention quickly, or drives them away..... But for what we do I think it should be raw and noisy.’”
Brady: Through your music (lyrically, musically, performance-wise) there are clear throw-backs to the misanthropic blues-laden sludge/doom greats - Eyehategod, Khanate, Indian, etc. Are there any particular artists which stand out as the strongest influences in your own music and/or live show?
“Josh: ‘That’s pretty spot on, the biggest influences musically are Eyehategod, Iron Monkey, Buzzov-en, Weedeater, Acid Bath, Dopethrone and too many more to list.’”
Brady: Adding to this, and regarding sludge/doom in general, misanthropy and nihilism are often baked into a pretty heady mixture throughout your discography. What would you say to those espousing tropes about heavy music being inherently negative and/or fostering negativity, aggression etc?
“ ‘I’d say it’s more of a release, it’s not about fostering negativity and aggression, but a way of processing those things through being creative instead of letting them fester.’”
Brady: I'm also interested to hear Sundowner's thoughts on favourite artists within the SA sludge/doom scene, or perhaps even in general? An example that comes to mind, for me, is the mighty and sadly-defunct Space Bong.
“Josh: ‘Yeah Space Bong were great! Swamp Lung were a favourite of mine too who are no longer together (as far as I’m aware), really good doom stuff. The Australian scene in general is really strong for sludge/doom at the moment, lot’s of great bands around worth checking out!’”
Brady: What's the most useful advice you'd impart to befuddled young-uns in the crowd tomorrow who walk away wanting to make dank, nasty sludge-doom?
“Josh: ‘Do it because YOU want to, don’t think or worry about what anyone else has to say, make the music you want to make, unapologetically. Some will get it, some won’t and that’s totally fine, not everything is for everyone. ’”
SUNDOWNER release another 2 new tracks just six months on from the release of their latest album 'Lysergic Ritual'.
Both tracks having been recorded during the sessions for the album, 'Fraud' continues their brand of grim, feedback laden, intoxicated and hostile blues.
The second track is a sludged out, nasty version of 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac, reworked thru their nihilistic lens.
Artist Links
LINKTREE PROFILE - Contains All Relevant Links + Upcoming Tour Dates/Tix.
