Meet Bricknasty, Dublins boldest music group

WE SAT DOWN TO CHAT TO FATBOY, LEAD SINGER OF ON-THE -COME-UP HIP HOP BAND BRICKNASTY WE TALK OPENING FOR KNEECAP, THE RISING IRISH MUSIC SCENE AND THEIR NEW EP 'BLACKS LAW'

The boys of Bricknasty

Anomie: We caught you at your show back in September with Kneecap. I'd love to know how you ended up opening for them, and how touring with the boys was.

Fatboy: We got the chance to go with Kneecap and, obviously, they're doing a similar thing to us in terms of where they grew up, you know what I mean? Ballymun (a suburb of Dublin) and Belfast. And the lads were really, really nice. Yeah. They understood all that. They were just really kind, and they're very good at speaking Irish, so it was really good. We all speak Irish in Bricknasty, so it was nice being able to speak it around Europe.

Anomie: With that, you've got quite a few Irish acts coming up at the moment. Are you seeing any changes in maintaining that Irish identity within music?

Fatboy: I think we've changed a bit for the better now, we've got some good lads. Not all of them are caught up yet to the level of Kneecap, but I think globally there's a good bit of interest now in the Irish music scene. It's just amazing. I love it. I love that we're part of it. I love that we hold our own. Just clocking in and clocking out. We put music out that we feel very strongly about. We take positions that sometimes are risky to take. Some people love us, some people hate us. I think that's the whole point. It's not about going out and trying to get as many listeners as you'd like; the point is to make music as good as you can. Even if you nearly die, it's so hard to make it. As people, stand up for things that you believe in. Don't stand up for stuff you don't believe in. Whoever feels sore about it, tough.

Anomie: Being authentic, it's obviously quite important to you. Have you got any fears when it comes to your music? Whether that's stagnation, being misunderstood, or maybe the wrong type of exposure?

Fatboy: No. If we're making a song about it, that's the way it is, you know what I mean? We wouldn't write a song because someone opened a packet of crisps or had a cup of tea or something like that. If it's to the point where we're singing and shouting about things like that, at that point it's already gone too far. And if that gets you bad exposure...if people turn around and go, "Oh, you shouldn't be saying that", then tough, tough, tough. What'll happen is, twenty years will pass and you'll look back on it and you probably weren't as bad as you thought you were. You know what I mean? And so what if we didn't make a million euros, who gives a fuck? Who cares? There's kids starving.

Anomie: Absolutely. Have you always been into music then? Was it something that's been important to you since you were a kid?

Fatboy: Yeah, since I was a little baby. Down in Ballymun everyone used to have their speakers out and have a drink, you'd hear different sounds. There were a lot of people selling drugs and stuff like that, but my da wasn't into that, you know what I mean? That's what drew my ma to him, she liked him because he was a bit more artsy, he liked poetry. I feel like I was just his little project or something because he used to always have me watch loads of music videos. He used to always make me watch Bob Marley live, random blues bands playing live, some big ones, like Queen, Delta blues players, and he'd be like, "You need to look at how this fella plays blues." or "You need to listen to how this fella plays this instrument. Watch how that fella sings, watch how that fella pronounces his words when he sings."

Anomie: You were studying it.

Fatboy: Yeah, yeah, yeah. He used to just have me do that. He always wanted to be in a band, but he never was. And then he... yeah, he just brainwashed me, in a good way. I always loved music, and I always naturally would just be able to kind of figure stuff out really quickly. I didn't have loads of instruments or anything like that because we didn't have loads and loads of money. But if we went to school and they had an instrument, I would pick it up and I'd be the first one to be able to play. Or I might stay back in school just to get a chance to sit down and play, just because I wanted to be able to do it. I'd go home and then I wouldn't be able to do it for a while. So then... yeah, that was just kind of how it went. So then when I got my first guitar, I just sat with it for ages and ages and ages by myself and just found a way of playing it.

Anomie: With your music, what really struck me as unique is that you've sort of struck this balance between noise and tenderness, what draws you to that sound?

Fatboy: Growing up where I did, sometimes it was very dark and cold, and sometimes it was like, very wholesome and nice and friendly, could really differ... so that's where I'm coming from with that sound. Not everyone picks up on that

Anomie: Anomie is based in Amsterdam. What are your thoughts on Paradiso as a venue? It's obviously got quite a lot of history and I think it's a fab venue, very political as well. How did you like playing there? Your set was great.

Fatboy: I'm glad you enjoyed it. I've been in Amsterdam so many times. Everything about the Netherlands is just a bit mad to me, theres some good churches there as well which people don't realise, because obviously all the bad stuff that's in Amsterdam. I don't think we played that well there, the venue itself I mean. I think, yeah, we were a little bit disappointed with the Paradiso shows because we really, really liked the venue. We'll be back soon.

Anomie: Your new album Blacks Law is out at the end of this month. Will you be playing songs off the record at your show in Amsterdam in November?

Fatboy: Yeah. And we'll have a lot of the other tunes in the set at that point. I don't know what that set's going to be like. I don't know if it's going to be real action-packed or if I'm going to chill out a bit. But it's going to be a good set. It'll be good.

@BRICKNXSTY

GIVE THE BOY'S NEW EP 'BLACKS LAW' A LISTEN, OUT NOW