We caught up with Rickmansworth-based band Fun Balloon Animals following the superb release ‘Exploitation Ferox’. Enjoy now!
How did you first get into music?
It’s something that we’ve all been interested from an early age. I personally had a lot of brothers and sisters, so music was always being pumped out of one room or another.
What is the first song that captured your attention as a youngster?
The first song that really struck me in a big way that wasn’t influenced by any of my siblings was probably ‘Motorhead’ by Motorhead. The first band I could truly state as my own.
Who influenced your latest release ‘Exploitation Ferox’?
The LP is influenced by the band’s love of low rent horror and exploitation films, particularly the Italian films from the likes of Fulci, Deodato and
Dario Argento. They all had these great ‘wobbly synth’ soundtracks that were generally the best bit of the films.
We’ve covered ‘Cannibal Holocaust’ by Riz Ortolani as it’s such a beautiful theme that runs through a very deeply unpleasant film. We love a good juxtaposition.
‘Exploitation Ferox’ has a horror theme running through the release, what made you go in this direction with this release?
The band is horror based, everything we do starts from a horror theme, and we build it from there. Our first LP was based around the Frankenstein story.
We find that we can then blend in different musical styles starting from that point, instead of being stuck in one genre.
Can you describe your live performances, we hear they are rare but worth the wait!
Smoke and Mirrors!! We try to be different when we pay live and use various horror tropes to achieve this (masks, dry ice etc.etc.). Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t.
What are your other passions aside from music?
Horror films, horror novels and making horror models (based on the 60’s Aurora kits – it’s probably a horror geek too far but I love ’em)
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
It seems that we have two very instinct industries at the moment. The social media stuff, where everything has to be under two minutes, single release only and made to fit video’s youngsters pulling their dance moves on Tik Tok. Then there is the old music as art brigade that still record, playful LP’s, play live and do it because of the love of it.
We definitely fit into the second category. I personally think that, as you can only make real money from the recorded work these days by playing into the former it’s basically killing the idea of listening to LP’s as a whole and the idea of being in a band as such. If I could change anything, it would be increasing the streaming money that you get. I don’t think many artists would disagree with that.
What is the best music advice you have ever been given?
I can let you know about the best music advice that I was given and didn’t follow. Years ago, I was in a band with two of my brothers, and a friend of ours suggested that we rope in another of our siblings and release a song that he particularly liked.
We dismissed this at the time as we didn’t think our friend knew what he was talking about. He then went on to a very lucrative career in the music business, signing several very high profile bands and became a director of various major labels, so very much a case of should have listened to Keith!!!
What new music are you listening to at the moment?
As we are based near Watford, we tend to listen to a lot of bands that are quite local. Nervus are a constant favourite, and then there’s the new LP’s from Meantime and Minnie Birch which are both fantastic. We also run a record label (Prank Monkey Records) and the new Sub Cultures release will be something very special indeed.
What musical plans do you have for the next two years?
I’ve started listening to a lot of classic and 80’s arena rock of late, so the next LP may be influenced by that. Horror tinged power ballads, anyone?
FV Music Blog November 2020
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Twitter: @Funballoonanim1
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