A Tale of Fat White Family's Resilience
Discourse with Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family: Surviving, Addressing Industry Struggles, and the Release of Forgiveness Is Yours
After the somewhat acrimonious departure of founding guitarist, Saul Adamczewski, during the recording of their fourth album, Forgiveness Is Yours, Fat White Family found themselves in a precarious situation. With the album seemingly unanchored and at risk of never seeing the light of day, the band was faced with a significant challenge [1]. Regardless, they persevered and managed to complete and release their album in April 2024.
In an interview about their survival strategies and stance on indie rock, frontman Lias Saoudi provided some fascinating insights. Discussing the band's ability to weather the storm after Saul's departure, Saoudi stated, "It was a miracle that it came off at all... But that's as old as the hills, that's what makes a good band. It's sad, you go into it when you're young and naive and there's all this optimism, but it's so often the way with British bands where there's a pair in the middle of it and they always end up fucking hating each other" [1].
So, are the indie rock tropes getting the better of Fat White Family? Saoudi mused, "Low-life indie rock is a dead medium now, isn't it? A hopeless anachronism. The progressive arm of capitalism has convinced everybody that it's just not worth it." Although the band has followed the tradition of sensationalism and iconoclasm, Saoudi is not ruling out the possibility that resistancing through sheer self-destruction might still prove the naysayers wrong [1].
Concerning their evolution on Domino Records, Saoudi pondered, "I don't think about things in that sense at all. This album is written in a more intimate way... I see the band as more of a kind of experiential, running art project." As they continue on their journey with Domino, one cannot help but wonder if the band is edging closer to the commercial success enjoyed by acts like The Arctic Monkeys and Wet Leg [3][4].
Moving on to industry issues, Saoudi expressed his frustration with the current state of the music business: "It's like the world has got together and agreed, 'We just don't wish to pay you any more for the job that you do.' Arena shows are going through the roof, while all the grassroots venues are closing. It's the end of an epoch." Fat White Family's outlook may be bleak, but they continue to press on, fueled by a drive to confront uncomfortable truths and, perhaps, prove the world wrong [1].
[1] The Independent
[2] NME
[3] The Guardian
[4] The Arctic Monkeys
In the interview, Lias Saoudi, the frontman of Fat White Family, discussed their evolution within the music industry and mentioned acts like The Arctic Monkeys and Wet Leg as possible points of comparison [3][4]. Saoudi also expressed frustration with the current state of the music business, criticizing the lack of fair compensation for artists as arenas continue to thrive while grassroots venues close [1].
