Thanks so much to Kristin for the interview! When I wrote about the Brisbane band Fugitive Microbes, my friend Stewart from The Kensingtons, who had lived in Brisbane, managed to put me in touch with her! So cool! Then Kristin was very kind to answer all my questions and learn more about her band which was quite a discovery for me. They have some wonderful songs that deserve to be discovered!

++ Hi Kristin! Thanks so much for being up for this interview! How are you? I see in Australia you have concerts again, very jealous. Have you been to one since the pandemic start?

I’m really well thanks. Yes it’s been wonderful to get back out to see bands again. It’s been a gradual process, and we still have restrictions and crowd sizes etc, and we are campaigning for live venues to be treated the same as sporting venues which seem to be able to have far greater crowds. I love seeing live bands as often as possible.

++ You are these days in a band called The Double Happiness. You have some very fine songs, and was wondering if you could tell me a bit about the band. When did it start? Any releases?

TDH is a quartet consisting of two married couples – Pete and myself are on guitars and Meg & Simon are our rhythm section. We’ve been friends for close on 30 years, and have very similar tastes in music. We love independent alternative music. Our influences are post-punk, shoegaze and surf. We think of our sound as ‘surfgaze’. We had our very first jam about 5.5 years ago. It was so easy. We’re all on the same page. We have released one EP in 2018 ‘City’, a single ‘No place like Nundah’ in 2019, and our full length LP ‘Surfgazing’ in 2020.

++ And what would you say are the main differences and similarities between The Double Happiness and Fugitive Microbes?

TDH has its own jangly guitar sound, with call-response vocals not unlike Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazelwood. We like interesting arrangements and trance-like outros to songs. Pete and I generally ‘noodle’ guitar riffs and ideas and bring them to band practice, and Meg & Simon lay down the most amazing bass lines and drums.

WIth Fugitive Microbes, Tony was a well established figure in the Brisbane anarchist and music scenes, having released a well known protest song – Pig City – with his band The Parameters. He had more of a blues/punk and rock sound with a great baritone. He played sax and slide guitar. I was very young and new to this as it was my first band. I wrote more jangly pop tunes. We’d each sing our own songs, and there was a distinct difference in our sounds.

Even though Pete and I each write songs in TDH, we come together in vocals and arrangements, and I feel it’s a more cohesive sound.

++ Let’s go back in time. What are your first music memories? Do you remember what was your first instrument? How did you learn to play it? What sort of music did you listen to at home while growing up?

I remember learning piano at 5 years old but very briefly as I hated practising. All I wanted was a guitar, and to play like Sister Margaret who was a teacher at my primary school. She would play ABBA to us at lunchtime when it rained. I had a few lessons when I was 10 and 11 but after that I I relied on teaching myself my favourite songs by ear. At home I loved listening to David Bowie, U2, Kate Bush, and once I discovered 4ZZZ radio I fell in love with alternative music.

++ Had you been in other bands before the Fugitive Microbes? If so, how did all of these bands sound? Are there any recordings?

No, Fugitive Microbes was my first band.

++ What about the other members?

Tony (Kneipp) had been in other bands I believe, and this band had grown out of a long standing Brisbane band “Trash of all Nations”. Colin Barwick joined us on drums once Oscar had decided he was going back to Holland and moved from drums to bass. We felt it would be easier to replace a bass player than a drummer. Col had been in many successful bands including Died Pretty, The End, Ceramic Eggplants, The Wickermen and also an earlier version of Trash of All Nations. Irena Luckas was with us during the transition from Trash to Microbes, and she had been in legendary band Xero. I learned so much from everyone in the band. They knew the Brisbane music scene so well, and had seen it all through the turbulent Joh years.

++ Where were you from originally?

I was born in Brisbane

++ How was Brisbane at the time of Fugitive Microbes? Were there any bands that you liked? Were there any good record stores? Or what about the pubs or venues to go check out up and coming bands?

Brisbane was going through a huge transition in 1989/1990. We saw the last of the Bjelke-Petersen government here in Queensland when they were voted out at the end of 1989. It was basically the end of a right-wing dictatorship which lasted two decades. Live music really suffered at the hands of brutal police. Many bands left Brisbane for Sydney and Melbourne in the 70’s and 80’s.

I loved (and still love) Ups and Downs, The Go Betweens, Purple Avengers, Dream Poppies, Thanks for the Fish, The Riptides. There was so much great music.

The record stores around at the time were Kent, Skinny’s and Rocking Horse (which is still going strong). These were all based in the CBD

The Qld Uni refec was a great place to see bands, so was The Storey Bridge Hotel. But my favourite was Albert Park when 4ZZZ put on Market Days.

++ How did you all meet? How was the recruiting process? I read you met at Kelvin Grove campus? What were you studying?

I met Tony while we were studying teaching at Kelvin Grove BCAE (now QUT). He invited me to join his band after seeing me playing at a uni friend’s party.

++ There were a few lineup changes, right?

Yes, originally there was Tony, Irena, Oscar and myself. Irena (keys/synth) left a few months after I joined, then Oscar started playing bass once we knew Col was keen to play drums for us. By the time we recorded at Burbank Studios though, my boyfriend (now husband) Pete jumped on bass guitar.

++ How was the creative process for you? Where did you usually practice?

Tony and I would each bring songs to our practices which were held at his share house on Vulture Street West End. Tony had a large number of songs when I joined, and Irena was playing some of her songs from Xero. Over time I was bringing more songs along and we’d take it in turns through the set, each singing our own songs.

++ One thing I notice is that your songs were poppier while Tony’s were rockier, was that what came natural I guess? Also whoever wrote the song, sung the song?

Yes, that’s it. I was drawn to a more indie-pop sound, loving jangly guitar. Tony had a blues rock and punk sound, and he could play slide guitar and saxophone too.

++ What’s the story behind the band’s name?

Pretty funny really. We just opened the dictionary twice and found two words!

++ Who would you say were influences in the sound of the band?

My influences were bands like The Sundays, Look Blue Go Purple, Ups and Downs. I’m not sure about Tony.

++ I think my favourite song of yours might as well be “Living with a Schizophrenic”, wondering if you could tell me what inspired this song? What’s the story behind it?

I had a crazy share house experience. My house mate was very difficult. I might leave it there

++ If you were to choose your favorite Fugitive Microbes song, which one would that be and why?

I’m pretty nostalgic about Schizophrenic being my first recorded and released song. But I loved some of Tony’s songs especially Blackest Heart. It’s a really dark blues song that gets in your head.

++ What about gigs? Did you play many?

We did play quite a few gigs there in 1990. When we were a part of the Band Collective (BC Club) we played heaps up at QUT. I loved playing at The Storey Bridge Hotel and Albert Park, but we played in people’s lounge rooms – a lot!

++ And what were the best gigs you remember? Any anecdotes you can share?

World Environment Day 1990, Albert Park. I wrote a song especially for that gig ‘Don’t Fall on Me’ but the highlight was Col’s toddler daughter Emily running on stage and drumming with her Dad

++ And were there any bad ones?

One time at Albert Park, it may have been a 4ZZZ market day, we were standing side of stage getting ready to go on and another band ran on before us. They heard the sound engineer couldn’t stay much longer so wanted to make sure they got their full set. We wound up only playing about four songs. That was very uncool.

++ When and why did Fugitive Microbes stop making music? Were you involved in any other bands afterwards?

At the end of 1990 Oscar had returned to Holland, andI had scored my first teaching job at Bribie Island which was one hour north of Brisbane. It was just not really possible to continue as we were. Pete and Col went on to Splat Acrobat after the recording. I joined an all-girl band called Fruit in 1993, but that was also short lived as Pete and I moved to Townsville that year. Pete Col and I recorded some demos as a three piece called ‘Boo Tree’. Then travelling and five kids later, I joined a three piece surf instrumental band called ‘The Ripz’ with Col as their bass player. Now Pete and I are in The Double Happiness with good friends, Meg and Simon and we are having a ball.

++ Has there been any Fugitive Microbes reunions?

There was one in December 1993 at The Zoo which was one of the best gigs we ever played. Oscar was back in town which was super special. Then Tony, Col and I played at a gathering at West End about ten years ago. That was also heaps of fun.

++ Was there any interest from radio? TV?

4ZZZ radio was always a great support to us. We did a ‘Live to Air’ from their Toowong studios in 1990.

++ What about the press? Did they give you any attention?

Haha. Not that I can recall.

++ What about from fanzines?

No. We were pretty edgy.

++ Looking back in retrospective, what would you say was the biggest highlight for the band?

Probably supporting Celibate Rifles at QUT. Talking to Damien Lovelock (RIP) backstage was very special. He recognised Col from playing in The End.

++ These days you work at 4zzz Radio. What do you do? Is there a place where we can listen to you?

Yes I LOVE 4ZZZ. I first discovered it as a teen. I host a show called Heyday on Saturday nights which plays mostly 80s alternative music http://4zzzfm.org.au/program/hey-day. I get involved as much as time allows – reviewing programs, training announcers and even got to produce a podcast for their 45th birthday where I interviewed Billy Bragg. You can listen to it here https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/billy-bragg-and-the-deep-north/id1542143375?i=1000501883106

++ Aside from music, what other hobbies do you have?

Music is a huge passion. Catching arty movies with delicious nibbles and a glass of something red is also high on the list.

++ Never been to Brisbane nor Australia, I hope I visit sooner than later, so would love to ask a local for some suggestions, like what do you recommend them doing in your town,what are the sights one shouldn’t miss? Or the traditional food or drinks that you love that I should try?

Take a scooter around our beautiful river, stop for a drink at Howard Smith Wharves and see the sun go down over the Bridge, or pop out to one of our Bay islands, or check out some of our inner city suburbs like West End or Paddington for great restaurants and bars. There’s a top view of the city from Mt Coot-tha too.

++ Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks so much for asking about this very formative time of my life. I was very lucky to meet the people that I did when I did.

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Listen
Fugitive Microbes – Living with a Schizophrenic