with James Cahill
The Fauves’ appeal is difficult to define. Never fitting into any particular genre has afforded them a longevity rare in the music industry, while their extra-curricular talents have seen them involved in everything from hosting youth television programs to appearing on the popular TV quiz show Sale Of The Century.
James Cahill (BMA): An extensive tour coming up. What does prep look like for Andrew Cox?
Andrew Cox (COX):I haven’t done much so far, which is long overdue. We definitely need to whip ourselves into shape. I’ve been working from home as a Spanish and Portuguese-to-English translator.
BMA: So rock ‘n’ roll. How tidy does it need to be? Are you guys perfectionists?
COX: Quite the opposite! We’ll probably be at our best by the last couple of shows on the tour. So, yeah, make sure to catch one of those. I wouldn’t recommend coming to the early ones, to be honest.
It’s really just about getting through without being booed off. Things could fall apart at any moment— that’s always been how we operate.
BMA: Do you guys improvise on stage?
Not a lot. I suppose there are one or two tracks with a little room for that, but generally, no. We’re mostly just trying to reproduce the songs in a vaguely familiar way.
I listened to Tropical Strength earlier. It was exactly what I needed after a rough day—really fresh and uplifting. Un-Australians is a bold way to kick off the album. What made you choose that as the opener?
It felt like a natural opener, really. Once we recorded it, the whole thing seemed to jump out and set the tone.
BMA: What emotions are you trying to communicate through that track?
COX: I suppose there’s a bit of anger behind it, yeah. We were definitely trying to be a bit obnoxious. It’s meant to be pretty in-your-face and unapologetic.
BMA: Do you guys get off on being obnoxious?
COX: No, I’m a very different, introverted person in real life. Music is the only way I can show a side of myself that I’m too scared to reveal otherwise.
You can get away with a lot more in a band, which is probably one of the main reasons I got into it—to inhabit a different personality through music.
BMA: Music is a way to express what you can’t in this default realm.
COX: People inevitably think I’m a lot more interesting than I actually am. Those who’ve seen us play have been fooled into thinking I’m much more outgoing.
In reality, I’m always very aware that I can’t live up to the ideal of some rambunctious frontman. As I mentioned earlier, I’m a translator—honestly, I’m just one job away from being an accountant!
Though I probably shouldn’t be dissing accountants like that—they get a bad rap.
BMA: Nah, screw ‘em! Your next single should be called, Fuck Accountants.
COX: Hahaha, right! Well, looks like we’ve got a new concept album on our hands!
BMA: How’s this interview going, Andrew? This is only my second one, y’know.
It sounds highly professional, really casual. Trust me, I’ve done some terrible interviews over the last 36 years, so this is going brilliantly by comparison.
BMA: Good to know! So… What else has changed in the music scene since 1988?
Obviously, it’s changed a lot over the years.
When we started, there was no internet, no mobile phones. We did a demo tape, and I mean an actual tape, and we’d walk around the city, going from pub to pub, asking to see the person who booked the bands, and handing them one of our tapes.
A lot of legwork was involved—driving around the city at midnight, putting up posters by hand. None of the promotional avenues that exist today were around back then.
Live music was probably more popular, too, since people had fewer entertainment options. I remember doing Tuesday night residencies, which weren’t packed, but that’s something you don’t see as much these days.
There are also far fewer venues now than when we started. I’m not trying to sound like an old-timer, but yeah, things were different back then.
That said, I have no idea what it’s like starting out now in 2024. I can only speak to how it was back in 1988. And, yeah, I do feel like I’m sounding ridiculously old!
BMA: Whether it sounds old-school or not, I’m curious—how did a Melbourne band 36 years go about carving its own path?
COX: It was hard—but it’s hard at any time. In some ways, it was more brutal. The industry probably hasn’t changed that much, but it used to be dominated by a lot of macho, alpha-male types who were pretty tough to deal with. And that’s just for us white dudes!
That said, it also fostered a strong sense of unity within our band. We became each other’s protection, which brought us closer.
But despite all that, we had heaps of fun. I hope you’re also discovering that—whether you succeed or fail, putting yourself out there creates great experiences.
It’s all about experience. Has it been the same for the members of the band?
We’ve had just one line-up change in the last 25 years; one change in 36 years is doing fairly well, right? And, touch wood, no one’s died yet.
But we’re all getting older, so that’s becoming a more distinct possibility.
When we started, I never thought death would be the thing that might break us up. But now, more and more, I’m starting to think we’ll probably keep going until one or more of us passes away.
It’s a bit morbid, but I could never have imagined this when we started all those years ago.
BMA: Yeah, that’s impressive. You’ve been consistently releasing albums over the years. What keeps bringing you back? What drives you to keep recording, releasing, and touring?
COX: Honestly, it’s a pure vanity project at this point. There’s no commercial imperative—we don’t sell many records or make any money from it. We just love doing it together.
And yeah, it’s still about that feeling of having something to say. Whether or not anyone else thinks we do doesn’t really matter. If we believe we’ve got something to share, that’s all that counts, right?
BMA: Do you think that’s because you’re all secure in your jobs outside of music?
COX: To varying degrees, yeah. We’ve moved beyond that phase where we thought we could make a living out of music. There was a brief moment—maybe three or four years where it seemed possible. We were on a major label, but when we got dropped, we had to face the reality: we would never be a massive band, and we’d need to get day jobs.
That’s usually the point where a lot of bands call it quits. But for us, it was actually quite freeing. We no longer had to answer to anyone or worry about whether our music would get played on the radio or if people would like us.
And that’s why we’re still going—it’s purely for the joy of it now. The commercial pressure is gone, and when that disappears, you either realise you’re not that into it or you find out you still love what you’re doing. We’re still best friends, so we’d hang out regardless of the music. If we feel that way, there’s no reason to stop.
BMA: Like I said, the album sounds fresh—it doesn’t feel dated. How do you manage that after 36 years?
COX: I appreciate you saying that! We still sound like ourselves, but hopefully, we’re also staying connected to what’s current. We’re all interested in new music and what’s coming out now, and I think that filters through to keep us feeling a bit more contemporary despite having that “dinosaur element” to us.
But yeah, we’ve never felt like we were forcing anything. We’d probably know it was time to stop if we ever thought it was getting tight or forced in the studio. So, as long as it’s fun and we enjoy the music, it’s worth doing. And if people like it, great. If not, that’s okay too.
BMA: Thoughts on playing Canberra?
COX: It’s been a while; I’m trying to remember the last time. It was probably about five years ago, maybe when we played there with Regurgitator.
Before that, there was a bit of a gap, but we used to play there regularly back when we were gigging a lot, usually at one of the Unis or different venues that opened and closed over time in the CBD.
I’ve always liked Canberra. It gets a bit of a bad rap, but I’ve always enjoyed visiting. It feels very Australian to me, and I’m a big fan.
BMA: I’m working on a track titled “**** ****,” which will be released in the upcoming edition of BMA.
COX: Talk about coming out of the blocks hard. You’re not aiming for Triple M radio play with that.
BMA: Not for this song, at least. I call myself an Anti Perfectionist; I’m intentionally using a garage band for the “shitness” of it.
COX: That’s really interesting, especially considering how much recording has changed. Nowadays, it’s so much easier to do everything yourself at home.
Back in the day, your only option was to find a really expensive studio. Now, you can just open a laptop and have a whole recording studio at your fingertips—it’s so much more accessible.
There’s something special about creating your music from scratch. It gives the music its personality and a unique character from the DIY approach.
BMA: Personality IS key. If the concept is good, how’d you know when a song is done without overworking or overthinking it? When is time to let go?
COX: Oh, for sure, yeah. So many outstanding records are barely produced, and when bands start overproducing, they often lose something.
Part of it, I suppose, is that we’ve always had limited time in the studio, so we couldn’t go down those long rabbit holes, spending months on production. The music we’ve always liked has been pretty minimally produced—fairly direct, indie/alternative, whatever you want to call it.
I also think you realise early on with a song: if you start feeling like you need to throw too much at it, you need to step back and ask, “Is the song any good?” Great songs tend to shine through naturally, even with minimal production.
That’s not to say production isn’t essential, but great music sounds good when it’s fairly unadorned.
BMA: Well, I guess we’ll wrap this up. I can’t wait to see you guys. Anything you’d like to leave us with?
COX: I don’t have anything all-encompassing to say or particularly profound. So, maybe you could end it like the final episode of “The Sopra…
THE FAUVES hit up their favourite haunt, The Baso, on Friday, 29 November, as super special guests of CUSTARD. Tix $60 via Oztix.
