“Everyone works their asses off for little to nothing, and we just want to give people their money’s worth. No offense to support bands but we just want to do it all ourselves.”
Buoyed by a rekindled love in seminal debut album Come Find Yourself, Fun Lovin’ Criminals are determined to give fans old and new a show to remember when they tour the UK and Ireland throughout February. So much so, that they’ve decided to take to the stage alone throughout the new tour, giving them time to take us through their debut from start to finish whilst still squeezing in a greatest hits set.
The eclectic fusion of electro, blues-rock and hip-hop resonated widely upon its release in the mid-nineties and made Come Find Yourself an iconic cult record, being accepted and loved for its resistance to being pigeonholed. It was this outstanding relevance that led Demon Records to approach the band about repackaging the album to celebrate its 20th birthday.
Fast explains, “Demon are experts in their field. They dug out loads of buried tracks that we had lost at Abbey Road to create this 3CD album set.” Seeing your debut album turn 20 may make you feel old, but Fast stresses that the band are revelling in the emergence of tracks that they had thought had been lost forever, including the deluxe vinyl package of instrumentals that the band had used for mastering the album. “We lost our copy, so we just thought they were gone forever. I just heard them again for the first time in 20 years three weeks ago.” Before the lyrics were written, the band used to ride bikes around New York listening to the same instrumentals and thinking of lyrics befitting the cinematic sounds and sights of their home. It seems fitting for an album with such longstanding appeal that it can be deconstructed and stripped back for fans to understand what makes it so special.
Ever innovative, the band have special plans for their new live show too, as long as licensing allow it. Tapping back into the Tarantino spirit that helped propel Scooby Snacks into the charts, the band have cut together a 90 minute film of their favourite movies and music videos, whilst paying homage to their beloved New York and how it’s changed over the last two decades. As they continue to push the envelope for bands around the world, Fast states, “It’s got to be better than some boring background music for two hours”.
Fun Lovin’ Criminals play Worthing Pavilion Theatre on February 12th and the Come Find Yourself 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition is out on February 19th. Find tickets for their UK tour here.
Interview by Lennon Craig
