So here we are, Middle Boop's number one album of the year has gone to the amazing Fuck Buttons and what a year it has been for these two lads, their second album 'Tarot Sport' being produced by living legend Andrew Weatherall who contributed in refining their sound, the album going on to tip the charts in pretty much every top ten that matters, a headlining tour that has seen them play to their largest crowds yet and with that, a huge new fanbase that has grown considerably from a group of devoted music lovers to just about anyone in the know. Despite this well deserved rise to stardom both members remain humble and totally grateful for what 2009 has brought them.
Fuck Buttons are gaining an increasing reputation for pushing the boundaries musically and creating some of the most challenging yet awe inspiring and engaging music we have seen in recent years but did you know they also create all of their own artwork and videos?
These guys are part of an ever growing list of bands with a very ‘DIY’ attitude having a hand in every aspect from the music to the visual aesthetic and anything else for that matter.
Their use of bold geometric shapes, vivid colours and striking imagery which can be found on their albums, posters and also has a running theme through all of their videos has already become very iconic, to the point where you see an album in the shops or someone wearing a t shirt and you know it’s Fuck Buttons before even needing to read the text.
I caught up with the lovely Mr Andrew Hung recently to talk about artwork, the album and any number of strange music facts.
MB: Do you feel that creating all of the artwork and videos is an important part of the process for what the band is about?
AH: We really enjoy having the control of our aesthetic for sure....(Pauses and laughs as Andrew Weatherall stumbles past clutching a bottle of whiskey.) The artwork itself is very important to us.
MB: Does the artwork you have created have a personal message? Does it relate to the music in any way?
AH: I think the consistency in both the music and the artwork has a lot to do with our working process and us specifically as we don’t tend to have a conscious intention when we first start making things musically and that’s the same with the artwork, we get together and let things flow naturally.
MB: So have there ever been any inspirations behind the artwork you guys create?
AH: Pretty much from the beginning we have always approached things in the way that we were very conscious of not having an intention which is definitely something that we try to approach with everything we do albeit music, artwork or the videos.
I guess it can just get very easy for something to become laboured when you start working on it and one way of making sure that doesn’t happen is by not having a concerning intention or ambition of a body of work.
MB: Were you guys interested in art and design before Fuck Buttons got to where they are today?
AH: Oh yeah totally, we both studied in creative areas for years, for instance Ben was studying in illustration and I did fine art and when we finished uni we both perused jobs in both of those areas, for a while Ben was doing graphic design and illustration and I was doing video editing after that.
MB: Is art and design still something you peruse? If so has there been any artwork recently that has inspired you or something that you’ve seen and just thought. Wow?
AH: Not really. I mean the album hasn’t been out long and we’ve really been concentrating all of our time on that.
MB: So talk to me about some of your favourite album covers
AH: Oh that’s a difficult one because you don’t really look at album covers any more what with the culture of downloading these days. Although I still think artwork is very important and it is really lush when it is synonymous with the music but that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore which is why I’m finding this question quite difficult. I quite enjoy old, retro record sleeves that make me laugh.
Photos - Lucy Johnson
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