MONEY TO BE MADE is the first release from the second FUDGE. EP, appropriately titled THE TOWN HALL SESSION. Born under the rafters of Leeds Town Hall where the band recorded the epic single live, captured and mastered by local producer Kane Whitelam, MONEY TO BE MADE and the EP are rooted solidly in the city and represent the trials of a life lived on minimum wage in the nearby terraces. The song expresses the anger shared amongst the working class of Britain and the frustrations of constantly working for faceless corporations. However, as FUDGE. constantly provide, the single empowers those who relate to this frustration and encourages them to channel it in a positive way. FUDGE. are saying it’s good to be angry but we need to be active, to stand up and face whatever is oppressing us.
The band pride themselves on their live performance which, repeatedly, is eulogised by those who find themselves caught within the chaos of a FUDGE. gig. Their epic live performance has now met head on with the majestic and iconic venue in which they recorded THE TOWN HALL SESSION. Unfazed by the eminence of the building, the boys and the team captured their hectic performance in stark polarity to the splendour of the venue. You wouldn’t think to pair the two, but it works. Live videos will be released throughout the remainder of 2020 alongside each of the three singles from the EP.
“It’s dangerous, and it’s a long time since I’ve heard anything close to that; the last time a band left me feeling ready to start a revolution was a lifetime ago. You need to go see Fudge play; you must go see Fudge play …” LOCAL SOUND FOCUS
“It’s first-rate excellent; something that would detonate a room with commotion and leave dramatic impact once it ended …” DARKUS MAGAZINE
THE BAND’S RELECTIONS ON MONEY TO BE MADE:
CAM | vocals: “MONEY TO BE MADE expresses my despising of the formidableness and greed of those at the top with power and money. I see it a lot of the time as billionaires hoarding money and wanting to keep on making it, disregarding employees below them and the magnitude of hours they work for very little pay. I understand that they worked for it and they earned it, but surely there comes a point where you want to help the world around you and enough money is enough? The song was inspired through working on minimum wage for the past six years and expresses the desire for more from life and for everyone in the same boat or worse off. I was also inspired by the corruption of elections and the involvement of media, as well as disasters such as Notre Dame burning where millionaires piped up for that but not for famine, poverty and to support those in need. I’m not sure if you can tell in the song, but we sound pretty pissed off. When it comes to writing songs like this, I let multiple things build in my mind and write a general song surrounding it.”
OTTO | guitar: “Although we definitely have a specific genre that we write in and that we play, most of us in the band rarely listen to hard rock. We all have it and we all love it, but we listen to so many other things as well, and this is where the dance feel and the strange time signature came from for the beginning and the end of the song. I was also listening to a lot of QOTSA at the time, you’ll hear the influence I’m sure. I like the idea of not knowing what’s going to come next in a song and being surprised by a section change, so I wrote this one as a song for me, something to play around with and something I would genuinely love. I personally think this song is the best on the EP, if not a close second to one other that will be released later this year.”
ANGUS | drums:
“I think most people can relate to this one. It’s shining a light on the feeling of powerlessness and the stress that comes with little financial income whilst seemingly having endless outgoing responsibilities. This is our way of expressing how angry we are with the structure of capitalism and that doing what we love with the people that we love, and to the best of our ability, is how we overcome or at least circumnavigate the unhappiness associated with working a mindless job. Get angry but have love with this one, I guess that’s pretty much what we stand for. We recorded these tracks live at Leeds Town Hall, which I think is the only way we could have captured the energy associated with this song. It’s an unrelenting beast that keeps you on your toes with its erratic structure. This one is pure expression for us, so enjoy our unrestrained sound. And if you do like it, come to a gig, man.”
Prior to the onset of COVID-19, FUDGE. had geared up for a busy 2020 by gigging with the likes of Strange Bones and Kid Kapichi as well as a sold-out headline show for the release of their acclaimed third single, HUGGER-MUGGER. Their 2019 schedule, which saw them play Leeds and Reading and Bingley Weekender, was set to be enhanced with further festival appearances this year at The Great Escape and Live at Leeds (currently rescheduled for 28 November) while their previous releases received huge critical acclaim and were showcased on BBC Introducing, BBC 6 Music and many more.
“They’re absolutely on fire; the wildest, most on-point guitar band I’ve seen since IDLES …”
TOM ROBINSON | BBC 6 MUSIC
“Unhinged seems to be what Fudge do best, their laddish charm and punk rock attitude instigating the chaos they need for them to feel content. This is indie-rock gone rogue; something in their generic formula went awfully wrong in the most brilliant way to create this monster …” YORKSHIRE POST
“They’re boisterous boys; they’re extremely good at what they do; their live performances are electric. You’ve got to see them …” BBC INTRODUCING
“Stood atop the beer-soaked bar, arms outstretched like Christ The Redeemer in an Adidas track jacket, Fudge’s Cam begins their headline set by diving into the crowd and clambering onstage, middle fingers held proudly in the air; in terms of chaos and energy, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Like witnessing a hand-grenade being detonated in a bin …” NOUSE MAGAZINE
“… It feels similar to a chaotic IDLES performance, except this was probably far less orchestrated; a stunning tweaked version of Rage Against the Machine’s Testify ends it all, which shows a certain degree of balls to cover that mammoth tune …” YORK CALLING | LEEDS FESTIVAL
