Fatboy

ORIGINS: Lower Blue Mountains

GENRE: Punk, Ska-punk

YEARS ACTIVE: 1995-1997

 

MEMBERS:

• Simon Smith (Vocals, Guitar)
• Paul 'Johnny' Cullens (Bass)
• Dan Scutts (Drums, Backing Vocals)
  

RELEASES: 

 

• Self-Titled (1996)
• 1. Unclean
• 2. Politician
• 3. Modus Vivendi
• 4. Diminished
• 5. Society
• 6. Bran Flakes

• Richard and the Giant Strawberry (1997)
• Same songs as 1996 demo.

• Put My Clothes Back On (1998) Compilation - Download Here.
  
• Unclean (Different recording to demo)
  

SUMMARY: Fatboy formed out of the demise of an earlier band, CFBP. Operating as a three-piece, the band played shows in the Blue Mountains, Western Sydney, and Sydney, building a solid following in that time.  When the band broke up after 3 years, two members went on to form Fuznut with ex-members of The Hassle Brigade.

 

SHOWS: 

• Manning Bar, Sydney University, Sydney - 19th April, 1997
  
• Civic Centre, Katoomba - 5th September, 1997

 

ORAL HISTORY:

DAN: When Dan Wright left CFBP, it kind of felt like a new band. CFBP was Simon and Dan, so it was time for a new start I guess. Fatboy was my first band to play lots of shows and I think Simon was just the most amazing guitarist and songwriter.

Dan Scutts (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

PAUL: Before Fatboy, Simon and Dan were in a band called CFBP... My best mate is Dan's brother and he told me his brother's band needed a bassplayer. I listened to some tracks of theirs and the music was unreal. So I tried out and I got in. They decided to start fresh with a new name so we came up with Fatboy. 

Paul Cullens (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

DAN: The demo was recorded at the local practice studios in Penrith on Simon's 4-track. Simon was studying at a studio or something similar, and was an absolute genius at stuff like that. For most of it, Simon was playing guitar and sang, Johnny was on the bass, and I was on drums and some backing vocals. The song 'Society' was what we called 'swapsies', with me on guitar and vocals and Simon on the drums. Simon was a musical genius, and I'll always be thankful I got to play drums in his band.

Dan Scutts (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

PAUL: The name was a mix up of the two atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan. One was called Little Boy and the other was called Fat Man. So we put the two names together: Fatboy. Our lyrics were mostly political.

Paul Cullens (Bass), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

DAN: Favourite memories include when we supported Propagandhi. I sent our demo to a dude and that's how we got to play with them. We played with Crank and Gilgamesh on the day. Propagandhi was probably my favourite band back then, and still is. Gilgamesh and Crank are also two of my favourite Australian bands.

Dan Scutts (Drums), Noise Levels correspondence, 2024

 

RELATED BANDS: CFBP, Fuznut/Offset, Strength Within, Bad Blood, Boneless, Tuskin Raiders, Last Exit to Nowhere