Sticky Fingers

About Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers came together in Sydney around 2008 when a bunch of friends from the Northern Beaches decided they had enough material to be an actual band. Dylan Frost and Paddy Cornwall started writing songs together, eventually pulling in Seamus Coyle, Beaker Best, and Freddy Crabs to fill out the lineup. They were making the kind of scrappy indie rock that borrowed equally from reggae, punk, and whatever else was lying around.

The early years were typical DIY stuff. They recorded their first EP in 2009, played every pub and warehouse that would have them, and built a following the old-fashioned way. Their 2011 EP "Happy Endings" got them some attention, but it was really "Caress Your Soul" in 2013 that changed things. That album had "Australia" on it, a track that became inescapable at festivals and beach parties across the country. The song captured something specific about being young in Australia without being precious about it.

"Land of Pleasure" followed in 2014 and went to number three on the Australian charts. Songs like "Gold Snafu" and "Liquorlip Loaded Gun" showed they could write hooks that stuck without sanding off all the rough edges. They were touring constantly by this point, getting bigger venues and better festival slots. "Westway (The Glitter & The Slums)" in 2016 hit number one and spawned tracks like "How to Fly" and "Won't Be Long." They'd become properly huge in Australia.

Then things got complicated. In 2016 and 2018, sexual assault allegations emerged against Frost. The band went quiet for a while. Some venues and festivals dropped them. They eventually returned but the momentum had shifted. "Yours to Keep" came out in 2019 with less fanfare. Songs like "We Can Make the World Glow" and "Kick On" were solid, but the context around the band had changed.

They kept going. "Lekkerboy" dropped in 2022, showing they were still capable of writing the kind of reggae-tinged rock that made them popular in the first place. Tracks like "Crocodile" and "My Rush" sounded like a band that knew what they were good at. They've continued touring, though mostly in Australia where their fanbase remains loyal.

The thing about Sticky Fingers is they've always been a complicated proposition. Musically, they hit a sweet spot between laid-back grooves and genuine edge, the kind of sound that works equally well at a festival or through blown car speakers. They wrote songs that became part of the Australian rock landscape. But their story also includes the kind of allegations that can't be ignored, and different people have drawn different conclusions about what that means. They're still around, still making records, still playing shows. How you feel about that probably depends on which part of their story weighs heavier for you.

Sticky Fingers shows feel less polished and more lived-in than you'd expect. The crowd is usually singing along harder than the band is, especially on Australia. They're the kind of act where people drift in and out but everyone knows when to lock in. Sets can feel a bit loose but rarely boring.

Known for Australia, Rum Pum Pum, Gold, Statues, These Miles

See Sticky Fingers Live