Tropical Fuck Storm: Bird Calls, Bombs and Bullets
Genre-bending supergroup Tropical Fuck Storm return to Adelaide to headline day two of Beer & BBQ Festival’s new era at The Drive. Guitarist, keyboardist and vocalist Erica Dunn discusses the world we live in, juggling musical commitments and the soundscape of their latest LP.
Words Thomas Jackson // Image Jamie Wdziekonski
Two hours out of Melbourne in Mount Alexander Shire, Tropical Fuck Storm’s Eliza Dunn jumps on a call with The Note, immediately addressing the dissonance between performance and real life.
About to jump on board their European tour, and after a long day of classroom teaching, she shares that she’s gotten slightly more organised when packing after previously leaving her jacket and credit card in the cab at the airport ahead of a winter European tour. The true life of an Aussie rockstar.
When they return from this tour, they’ll be welcomed home in the most Australian way possible, at Adelaide’s Beer & BBQ Festival.
“Beer, it’s the lifeblood of the band,” Dunn states merrily over Zoom. “I’ve never been, so I’m really excited.”
They’ll be joined on Saturday by a heavyweight lineup, featuring Speed, Party Dozen and Public Figures, while cult icons TISM headline the Friday night. At The Drive, Tropical Fuck Storm will walk down the same hallowed halls and perform on the same stage as so many music icons before them, including the likes of The Rolling Stones, Elton John and Bob Dylan.
In 2025, Beer & BBQ Festival announced last drinks at the Adelaide Showground, stating that the festival date would be the “Last time… as you know it.” Many expected that this meant there would be smaller spinoff events, if anything, but their surprise return to The Drive has created one of their biggest music lineups yet.
“I feel like everyone had that anxiety, or still has. I mean there’s so much terror going on in funding for the arts so people are just hanging up their boots because things are hard. But it’s so heartening when you realise the strength of some institutions just weathering the storms and figuring out a better way. It’s really good. It’s exciting.”
Tropical Fuck Storm entered the Melbourne music scene in 2016 as a supergroup, formed by members of The Drones (Gareth Liddiard and Fiona Kitschin) and High Tension (Lauren Hammel). When not on the stage with Tropical Fuck Storm, Dunn is diving into one of her many other musical projects, MOD CON, Palm Springs and Harmony, all while also teaching.
“It is a bit of a crazy schedule,” Dunn admits. “I mean, I wouldn’t necessarily say things are normal. I don’t really know what a normal life looks like, but I used to feel like I was running on this sort of turbo energy all the time. For me, I think it’s just the way I like to operate. I feel good about it.”
Post-pandemic, the band took a pause on touring, allowing Dunn to live life without this constant go-go-go attitude. But after having “a taste of what it feels like to not be involved in creative practice,” she decided she “didn’t like it.” The chaos, for Dunn, is where she is most comfortable.
READ MORE: The Pretty Littles’ Jack Parsons Chats All Things Mulga Wire
“Now it’s like a different brain space where it’s a real opting-in. There are times when things kind of overlap; I’m less into the juggle. I kind of try to organise it so I can focus on one thing at a time to the best of my ability. So I’m not so scattered and crazy!”
It’s been a year since Tropical Fuck Storm’s latest album Fairyland Codex was released, an album that soundtracks an apocalypse and touches on the political horizon and social fabric of this unique moment in time. Nothing matches the catharsis of screaming “Murderers. Murderers. Murderers. Murderers” during the chorus of ‘Moscovium’ each night. But lately, Dunn has been reflecting on the human connection and romance that is trying to be kept alive through the album.
“Those moments are also deeply relevant in this time, and I think they relate to the everyday, multifaceted, spinning wheel of emotions. I have been thinking more about what a good response or what seems to be a current response to the landscape that we all face when we wake up every day. It’s trying to make good, honest, accountable connections with people that you interact with in your own life every day. That’s sort of represented by those songs on the record.”
Tropical Fuck Storm’s studio is in Nagambie, a quiet town a few hours out from Melbourne. The serene location is surrounded by the soundscape of the river, wildlife and the Puckapunyal Military Area. Their recording sessions were frequently interrupted by the sounds of bombs and gunfire, which may explain where Tropical Fuck Storm unconsciously get the inspiration behind their trademark melodic chaos.
“You occasionally wake up and you’re like, ‘that’s a fucking bomb, they’re shooting, you can hear gunfire.’ Sometimes it’s like, ‘whoa! That is interesting’, but in general, the birds and the actual wildlife are just so, so magical. The town, Dunn muses, is “a real labour of love.” “It would be just a slushy paddock if it wasn’t for the effort and hard work of the people that live there. I’ve seen it in all stages. Sometimes it really sings and all the elements are working. Then sometimes it’s just in a heap and you’re like ‘whoa, this is a mud puddle with no fucking running water and everything’s broken.’ It is absolutely both.
“But just being close to the river, it’s fucking magic. I don’t know how long a bunch of downtrodden, weirdo artists will be able to live in a place like that, but I hope it’s for a long time. We’re just so lucky.”
Tropical Fuck Storm plays Beer and BBQ Festival alongside TISM, Ben Kweller, Speed and more on Saturday 11 July. Tickets on sale now via moshtix.com.au.
