Fingertips (Claire Knight) : Interview

Never let it be said that snobbery gets you anywhere. While fey, milksop hipsters decry the crass commercialism of “Pop Stars”, Claire Knight does not discriminate. “I love Lady Gaga” she admits, as we plunge into that oft-dangerous area of conversation – integrity, or specifically, how one defines integrity.

Knight is clearly from the same camp as I; an appreciator of fine, no-worries poptimism. “I dressed up as Gaga for Halloween. Black leotard with gold fishnets, huge boot-heels… I made my own cape, a gold sparkly cape and a fez hat. I had the lightning bolt, those Gaga-Terminator glasses… we did a gig that night and it was my on-stage attire”.

So by now you have assumed that Knight’s current musical project is by no means a dramatic affair. There are little deeply worrying Plath-style poetic dirges, or epic ballads the likes of which Muse might feel dwarfed byt: Fingertips want fun. Fun, fun fun, as the Boys of the Beach said.

As well as one half of Adelaide pop-rock-allsorts duo Fingertips, Knight is also known around town for her radio work (”Clarence Does Radio”) and her occasional stalls at various vintage markets. You might say Knight has her Fingertips in several pies… but you wouldn’t say that, because it’s lame and awful. And they never spoke of it again.

“I dabbled at instruments in high school but singing seemed easier” Knight admits, when asked of her musical awakenings. “So I studied and my friends played guitar. As a band, we try to write fun, quirky pop songs”.

“I think if you’re writing music you don’t like, what’s the point?” she continues. “Fingertips isn’t our whole being; Shane is a coordinator of Fuze Festival, part of the Adelaide Fringe, I just finished Uni and I am moving to Sydney soon, so we are gonna keep Fingertips going… it’s more fun than anything”

This seems to be a thorny issue for muso and punter alike; the notion of where the line between credibility and integrity blurs. Is Bob Dylan still the patron saint of folk poetry if he keeps doing those lingerie ads? Should we care if our beloved rock brethren use their art to make dosh, even in this ridiculous financial climate? It’s a tough one, make no mistake. Knight isn’t too worried though; “As long as Triple J is going, there is not going to be a lot of credibility for musos that just do it for money” she assures.

“Everything has a label attached if you wanna make money” Knight says of the American music industry, which I use as an example of what most would call an overtly commercial arena, “but that’s the way it is over there and there is still credibility, but Australian people tend to say, ‘We will boycott your music’. Then again, you don’t make any money if you’re anti-commercial in Australia” she laughs. Oh, will we ever crack this sordid puzzle?

Speaking of the local scene, what can Knight herself recommend?

“Hmm… what have I been listening to… I just voted in the Triple J Hottest 100; The Bronx, Boy and Bear – they’re really nice folk acoustic stuff – Philly Jays, they are the best live band of 2009, without a doubt… Sia, Lisa Mitchell, who is an extraordinary singer songwriter… I am a real Triple J head. There is a great band in Sydney called Money Smokers… listening to their music was like being in a saloon bar in the American Midwest; amazing, soulful, blues rock and roll. So unassuming, but really amazing musos. It’s something I haven’t really seen in Australia before; in the States, yes, but not here. I think they’re gonna do well. There’s so much good Aussie music out there at the moment. I like anything as long as it’s good!”.

“There’s nothing worse than this stuff that’s just shoved down your throat” Knight laments. “I was in Sydney and I did some work for Nova, tech stuff, and I tried to listen to it and they were playing Sia and then the next song was Guy Sebastian or something, they were trying to out vocal-gymnastic each other. I was seriously trying to analyse who would listen to this. It’s just bizarre”.

Though Fingertips only have one track to their online repertoire (the funky, jaunty Eat, Move, Stay Alive), the song encapsulates what feel Fingertips are attempting to employ: as Knight mentions, the fun, quirky indie pop ilk of The Grates, Sia and Razorlight’s more jovial output.

“Eat, Move, Stay Alive is about trying to cure problems with popping pills and fad diets. A lot of sickness comes from people making themselves sick…I mean, we are surrounded by toxins and poisons and pollution. Our lifestyles are making us sick. My best friend is a naturopath, so I’ve got a bit of a hippie mentality” she laughs.

Knight leaves me with, not only a promise of seeing more of Fingertips in the future, but a recipe for an apparent wonder elixir for the burgeoning cold she can hear down the phone line coming from my swollen, heavy head. “It’s an infusion: chopped up chilli, hot water, lemon, garlic and ginger; it is so good and you’ll feel like a million bucks!”.

It would appear Eat, Move, Stay Alive can be taken rather literally when it comes to Fingertips!

FINGERTIPS – UPCOMING SHOWS:

January 23 – Touch Party 2010 – Edinburgh Castle, Adelaide

February 18- Adelaide Fringe Festival