Fossil Collective are a band who appear to have emerged very quietly into the upper echelons of musical success. With their debut album ‘Tell Where I Lie’ set to be released on April 8th and a full UK and American Tour commencing this month, however, their musical prowess is clear. I interviewed Dave Fendick, one half of the musical duo in advance of their first UK tour date at York’s very own Duchess. I start off the interview by asking a perhaps obvious question regarding the origins of the band’s name. He explains how he and his musical partner Jonny Hooker “wanted a collective of people and instruments rather than the normal constraints that come from a five-piece band, so that’s where the “Collective” part of the name came from, as we bring people in and out of the band.” And the “Fossil” part? – “We just thought it sounded cool. Someone said it to us and it kind of stuck.” In some ways, this shows a candid and unpretentious element to the band, as they pull no gimmicks.
The Leeds-based duo were originally part of band Vib Gyor. However, as Dave explains, “the band experienced limited success with that. We had played festivals such as Glastonbury but we soon started to become disillusioned with our music and wanted to pull away.” With there now being just two of them, I ask whether the writing and recording processes are more difficult, and whether the live shows are more complicated to organise. According to Dave, quite the opposite is true, as in fact it is actually “easier with just two people writing and recording, as we can focus on exactly what it is we want to do. With our previous band, there were battles of wills as people all wanted to go in different directions. Now, me and Johnny are at the core, and we write all the songs and arrange them ourselves. In terms of live shows, there are three main guys we bring in to help: Sean on guitar, Antonio on bass and Zane on keyboards.” This unity in musical tastes and desire appears to me to be reflected in their music, with its understated serenity and in the congruency of their songs.
This serenity is partly down to the content of the lyrics being very based in nature, and in their visual art and videos, which primarily feature wooded areas, wild animals and blusterous weather. I ask why this is, and Dave explains how it is mainly down to the stage they have reached in their musical and personal lives: “We both recently moved out of big cities and have been starting families. Ultimately, we wanted to get away from hustle and bustle of the big city, and we’re both fans of nature and the outdoors. It wasn’t particularly intentional, but it has become prevalent in our music and the way that we represent ourselves.”
This love of nature is often a common theme among acoustic artists such as Fossil Collective, and is perhaps part of the reason why the band have frequently been compared to folksy artists such as Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses. To me, the constant comparisons seem as if they might be grating to a new band trying gain a fan base, but Dave refutes this: “It is actually rather humbling and quite useful in some ways. If you pick up a copy of a magazine such as ‘Q’, it often features bands that they’re similar to, and if there’s one of those similar bands in there, it makes people a lot more likely to check us out. In some ways, it can be seen as lazy journalism but generally it has its advantages. So many bands out there trying to get noticed.”
It seems to me, then, that the duo are optimistic and excited about their prospects, and this is shown in their attitude towards the mammoth tour they have lined up for the next few months: “It’s definitely intense and our longest UK tour to date. Once we’ve finished here, we start our support tour with Boxer Rebellion around America for 40 days. Combined, it will definitely be our most intense time on the road. Luckily, we do enjoy playing our stuff to people, and there’s worse jobs to have!”
Finally, I ask whether any festivals are on the horizon for the summer. Dave explains how, “We’ve got a few lined up, but there we loads we couldn’t confirm because of the American Tour. The one we’re most excited is definitely Green Man.” From what I’ve gleaned from the band so far, this is the perfect for the group, as it demonstrates some of the best acoustic and folk acts around, and will surely be a brilliant opportunity to be shown alongside some of the bands they have relentlessly been compared to over their as yet short careers. Only time will tell whether the band will reach the heights of acts such as Bon Iver and Fleet Foxes, but to be sure they have a distinctive sound, and the fan base they have already acquired is set to keep on growing.
