FUNGAS

Writer: Keeley Thompson

Images: Josh Williams & Ella Patterson

There’s a rare kind of thrill that blooms in the limbo between insomnia and three Vietnamese iced coffees - a tightrope walk across caffeine-induced chaos and existential cartoon logic. 

By the third coffee, the panic has curved into a sort of rabid-bliss. You were meant to run errands, but instead you deep-dived into conspiracy theories and reorganised your sock drawer by colour and energy. You’re scrolling through tunes to find something that will perpetuate your state of productive paranoia.

Enter, Fungas. 

Heralding from Mulubinba (Newcastle), Charlie, Fraser, Finley, Alec and Dhare are Fungas. Part egg-punk, part stoner, part psych, part garage and entirely their own, the group aren’t so much a band as they are a strange portal. Their music doesn’t follow rules so much as set them on fire, wink, and then offer you a hand-rolled cigarette and a surprisingly sincere life lesson.

Like a power ranger wearing a stetson and swinging lazily in a hammock, Fungas are always one eye open. It’s strange. It’s staunch. It’s groovy. It’s good.

KEELEY: Tell me how Fungas started. 

CHARLIE: It originally began with me and Frasier jamming in school. We were really into heavy metal at the time, so we were playing a lot of that and in a few bands. 

We’d sporadically started to play a few shows as Fungas, over the years, and then Covid happened. We got Fin in to play guitar and keys around that time, because that was the direction we were planning on going. When Fin joined, it was probably around, or just before the peak of Covid, so all the gigging stopped and we used the time to just get together and jam. That time gave us the opportunity to hone in on our sound and grow as a band. It was pretty key to our formation and sound today. 

KEELEY: Your name is obviously Fungas. What’s the best mushroom?

BOTH: Fuck. 

FINLEY: There’s so many. I mean the simple, yummy ones.

CHARLIE: Lion’s Mane is cool. Isn’t that a substitute for coffee?

FINLEY: I’m also a bit scared now, because I got really into researching them and I found out about the Cordyceps. That shit is terrifying and insane.

(we then proceeded to talk about the current legal case on Erin Patterson allegedly murdering people with Death Cap mushrooms)

FINLEY: Also though, just Subs and Golden Tops. They’re pretty great. 

KEELEY: Your new LP, ‘Intelligence 1’ has recently come out. How did it come about?

CHARLIE: We had a few songs that we’d been consistently jamming since 2022, just after we’d recorded our first LP. We were pretty focussed on touring at that time, and they were a bit heavier than the songs we’ve made previously. 

After our LP in 2023, we decided to actually flesh those songs out and obviously write some new songs. It was a pretty quick process from the beginning to end of recording - about 6 months I’d say? 

Our biggest goal for this LP was always to get onto an overseas label, so once it was all mixed and mastered, we spent a lot of time sending it to international labels. We ended up getting one, which has also set the cogs in motion for an overseas tour. 

KEELEY: Was it difficult to grapple with going from a DIY approach to handing your music to someone else? Were there any internal monologues?

CHARLIE: The recording of the album was largely the same for us, but I suppose for me, there was definitely an element of self-doubt and questioning if it was good enough, which is probably why it took us so long. 

We’d get together to nervously write emails, trying to sound sincere but cool. I don’t know, it’s hard to toe the line between being yourself, but also asking for something at the same time. 

KEELEY: I’m interested in the themes in the LP. It mentions the exploration of AI and the “collapse of modern ideology”. Can you elaborate on that?

CHARLIE: The album has a bit of a story. It's about spies and AI and the whole world getting taken over by it. It’s not that deep, it’s kind of just silly and funny. I guess there can be some serious moments, but that wasn’t necessarily our intention.

It follows an Agency that is built on manipulating people with technology, and there’s a group called “The Resistance” and they’re all trying to overhaul this, but you’ve got the everyday people that just think it’s fine. 

KEELEY: Have you recently read George Orwell’s 1984? 

CHARLIE: So that was really weird actually, because I hadn’t while we were writing the album, but I started reading it after it was recorded and thought “wow, this is kind of what I had in my head”. 

KEELEY: I think the playful approach is really interesting. I think there’s a lot of negativity and fear (rightfully so) around AI at the moment. 

CHARLIE: Totally. If you want to read into the lyrics, you could take it seriously, but I think I just wanted to have fun with these ideas rather than focus on the doom-and-gloom. 

KEELEY: You mentioned touring overseas! How are you feeling about that?

CHARLIE: We start in Germany and we go west to Belgium, Netherlands, France, Italy, Switzerland and finish in Germany again. I think we’re playing 23 shows? 

FINLEY: It’s super cool, but it’s also kind of weird to realise. It’s not something I genuinely thought would never happen in my life, so it’s really cool to step back and appreciate that we’ve gotten to this point. 

I’m also really excited to just hangout in a new place with my mates, and get to experience other cultures’ and the way they value music and the arts. 

KEELEY: What are some of your highlights as a band? 

CHARLIE: For me, doing this independently for so long. Booking shows, getting vinyl's printed and making connections within the scene. I’m quite proud of us for that. Obviously, getting on an overseas label and doing an overseas tour as well. 

FINLEY: Connecting with like-minded people and other DIY communities. A lot of my highlight shows have come from within these communities, and they’re just so much fun and it’s really affirming to be a part of. 

I feel so fortunate to experience these things both as a punter, and as an artist. It’s sick to see that there is that hope in the future of music, because you just see the loud radio ads and the horrible shit. It’s nice to experience these pockets of music where there's just so much hope, value and joy for the scene.

KEELEY: How do you find it being a musician being in the current scene? 

FINLEY: In Newy, we had a venue similar to The Bearded Lady, and it shut down live music because the board wanted pokies to come back. 

It’s hard because it can often feel like the good things just keep dropping off. Unfortunately with the state of the world, a lot of people aren’t in a position to value the Arts. It’s almost a fortune or a luxury to be able to do that now. 

I suppose, in a backwards way, it’s kind of a blessing that people still commit to making music and art, because it can feel like pushing shit uphill sometimes, so you know that everyone is just doing it because they love it. 

It sucks to know that there’s not the audience, support or systems in place for it to be valued. 

CHARLIE: It can get pretty depressing, especially when you’re trying to tee up shows somewhere you’ve never been. It can feel like there’s a bit of a push and pull because everyone in the scene is stressed. 

I’m not sure if it comes down to needing more government support, but it would be nice for it to not be stressful at least.

I try to not think about it too much though, otherwise I just get bummed out. 

KEELEY: What is the best biscuit from the Arnotts Assorted Creams packet?

CHARLIE: The Shortbread Cream is the one I always go for, but I can’t have too many of them.

FINLEY: Monte Carlo’s I can have too many of and it’s sweet. 

It’s between the Monte Carlo and the Shortbread Cream for sure though. That’s a bastard of a question. 

CHARLIE: I can’t remember what else is in there. 

KEELEY: Well you’re both forgetting about the Kingston. 

CHARLIE: Oh my god I forgot about those. Kingstons are definitely up there for me. 

KEELEY: What’s coming up for you guys?

CHARLIE: We’ve just finished a heap of shows. The album comes out on the 25th, and we might have a little album listening party at our studio. We’ll play a couple of shows in September and then go overseas in October!

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