Haiku Hands

Describe your style in three words?
Beatrice: Riot on Dancefloor
Claire: Fun energetic playful

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
Claire: The first one that comes to mind was seeing Portishead on an outdoor stage at Harvest Festival in Parramatta. It felt like a special collective experience, the silence of thousands of people between songs was beautiful.

If you could be on the line up with any two bands in history?
Beatrice: Beastie Boys - 'Sabotage'. Their shows looked so mental and I would have loved to have seen them play.
NWA - 'Chin Check'. When they first formed in the 86 to 92 period… Supergroup!!
Claire: I’ll choose two people who it’s impossible because it’s fun to imagine. Bob Marley, because I would love to see him perform live. it would be a vibe, imagine the sing-alongs, it might be a spiritual experience. David Attenborough - We missed our opportunity at Glastonbury this year to be on the same line up as him. If we ever have the chance I will make a song especially full of animals and nature sounds. I would choose a track of him talking but there isn't any on Spotify so here's a track from one of his series, 'Giraffe Vs Giraffe'.

Which subcultures have influenced you?
Claire: Hip Hop - when it was a subculture. Including graff, dance and all the cultural element. I grew up in the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney, where at the time Hip Hop was well respected and blooming and all around me. I've always loved dancing and we'd play heaps of US Hip Hop at our parties, Nelly, Outcast, Dre, Method Man etc. There was also a club called Tresellies where all the local teens would cut their teeth performing their raps etc. I'd dance there too. When I left the Mountains I studied art and taught myself how to spray paint, went to all the hip hop gigs, dabbled in Street Art and consequently still paint murals. It was embedded in the type of people I was drawn to, it's rebellious, anti-mainstream and tribal nature appealed to me.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Claire: Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro - I'd trick, plot, drug or convince him to do everything in his power to protect the Amazon - maybe do an Ayahuasca session with him.
Beatrice: Jimi Hendrix - I’d just like to have a jam with him. And when I say “jam” he would play incredible music and I would probably just stare at him. He changed my understanding of music when I was a kid and I would also just like to say thanks.

Of all the independent venues you’ve played, which is your favourite?
Claire: A warehouse space in Marrickville that is as independent as you can get. So many of my friends were there, everyone was having a great time and the support and energy from the audience was CRAZY.

Your greatest unsung hero or heroine in music?
Beatrice: Kathleen Hanna from Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and The Julia Ruin… There have been so many incredible women in the music industry who have pioneered before me and pathed the way so I can be here doing this. Riot Grrrl and the whole feminist punk movement in the ’90s was such an important time for women and Kathleen was very central in that. The honesty, activism and integrity in her art is really inspiring to me. If you haven’t seen the recent documentary about her “The Punk Singer” you should make the time. She is a boss!

Described by The NME as a cross between Charlie XCX and The Beastie Boys, Haiku Hands are an Australian trio who manage to include elements of pop, house, hip-hop, rave and visual performance arts into their records and superbly entertaining live sets. 

Haiku Hands will headline a night of forward-looking and genre-defying new music at Fred Perry Subculture Live at London's 100 Club on Friday 2nd August.

Find out more and get tickets here.