Free Live Sports 'Sweaty Thighs' Music Video; New Album Out May 24 (country-tinged Punk From Lutruwita/Tasmania)

[Naarm/Melbourne, Friday May 10, 2024] lutruwita/Tasmania outfit Free Live Sports share the accompanying music video for new single ‘Sweaty Thighs’, taken from their second full-length album, I’ll Fish When I’m Dead. Out Friday May 24, 2024 independently, the trio's imminent sophomore LP is the highly anticipated follow-up to their much-loved debut Stay Grounded (2021), released via longstanding indie label Rough Skies Records (The Native Cats, RABBIT, Cured Pink).

Free Live Sports is the catchy and contemplative country-tinged punk project of Madeleine Laing (vocals, bass), Steven Rose (guitars, synth, vocals) and Dave Holmes (drums). Rose and Holmes are longtime collaborators and underground music stalwarts and, in addition to Free Live Sports, are known for their contributions to 208L Containers, Sydney 2000, Liquid Nails, Powernap and Mainlanders.

The group stay true to their DIY ethos on catchy new cut ‘Sweaty Thighs’, recorded at home in one or two takes. Laing describes the track as “a silly, bratty song” and “a kind of oppositional defiance reaction to how much people love and romanticise Tasmania”. Clocking in around two minutes, the swaying, hummable single opens with twangy guitar and choppy drums before Laing chimes in, singing “should have told me” – a refrain throughout the track.

The playful accompanying music video, directed by respected lutruwita/Tasmanian artist Georgia Lucy, is packed with wild and wonderful props including a giant ape hand and old-time camera. The band and Lucy kayaked to a tiny island off a nearby causeway to film the clip, taking inspiration from the original King Kong movie.

Laing shares, “Georgia Lucy is one of the best young artists in Tasmania, so we were so wrapt when she agreed to do a video with us. She had recently watched the original King Kong movie, and become kind of obsessed with it, and was inspired to create these wild and wonderful prop out of junk and recycled objects. The island where we filmed the clip seemed to be made entirely of bird poop and dead birds. There was more footage from the island but Georgia dropped one of her cameras in the water on the way back! In the end this was probably a blessing in disguise as we ended up with way too much footage for a two-minute long song. We filmed the green screen footage outside Steve and I's house. Originally I was going to be the actress and Steve was going to be the director, but the dress didn't fit me (and I looked better in the suit anyway). Steve stepped up to the plate and released his inner diva. This was a labour of love for Georgia, and a masterful feat of editing. We’re so happy with how it came out!”

Written across three years, I’ll Fish When I’m Dead sees Laing and Rose – who swap and share lead vocal duties across the album's ten tracks – explore themes of adulthood, existentialism and isolation over breezy drum beats, melodic guitar, upbeat bass and the occasional synth. The group describe their sound as “wonky rock music that’s constantly at risk of coming apart at the seams”, striking a delicate balance of sweet and spiteful, soft and hard, earnest and tough.

Free Live Sports sophomore LP I’ll Fish When I’m Dead is out Friday, May 24, 2024, independently.

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