Words by Tuka, Jeswon and Morgs
The beloved Aussie hip hop trio tell us about their maths skills, performing with a bucket side-stage, and how Frozen buggered their shot at a number one record.
With over a decade in the game, Thundamentals’ journey has been one of triumph and growth. From selling out shows in all corners of the country racking up millions of streams worldwide and landing multiple platinum and gold singles, Tuka, Jeswon and Morgs have consistently pushed Thundamentals to new heights, standing tall as one of the most notable names in homegrown hip-hop.
Yet they reckon there’s still a lot people don’t know about them, so we challenged them to tell us 10 things – here’s what they came up with…
1. When the band first formed there were 6 members and the band was called Connect 4 (you can work out the math on that one for yourself, we did and it worked)
2. Our first songs were co-produced with good friend and Hiatus Kaiyote drummer Perrin Moss, aka Clockwork, aka Clever Austin, aka…
3. In the Sally music video it’s actually the band members in wigs acting, and not real people with mullets. (Oh really?)
4. Our song Eyes On Me was conceived on a writing trip in Vanuatu. It features the lyric ‘Awo Mi Ded’, which loosely translates to fuck me dead – a term used when you have seen someone or something you like.
5. Our first Like A Version was Matt Corby’s song Brother. It was a huge turning point in our careers. It features Ev Jones, who has a project with Morg$ under the name Jones Jnr.
6. An early film clip on a tight budget for the song Paint The Town Red was shot and directed by Kiah Roach-Turner, who has gone on to produce cult classic Australian horror films Wyrmwood, among others.
7. In 2019, we did a writing session with Baker Boy, which ended up turning into a hit song for him, Cool as Hell. Turns out he’s a legend and only good vibes in the studio with him.
8. We almost had a number-one album, but then Frozen released their soundtrack a week early and ruined our chances.
9. Jeswon did an entire five-day festival run with severe food poisoning, didn’t even think of cancelling and rocked every show as if he wasn’t sick at all (with a bucket side of stage).
10. We are on tour this Jan/Feb and are going act like teenagers and turn up once again all around the country.
Thundamentals All This Life Album Tour with special guest Horrorshow
- January 13 Cairns – Gimuy, Tanks Art Centre
- January 14 Brisbane – Meantin, The Tivoli
- January 20 Adelaide – Tandanya, Fat Controller
- January 21 Fremantle – Waylyup, Freo Social
- January 27 Wollongong – Woolyungah, Uni Bar
- January 28 Canberra – Ngunnawal, UC Hub
- February 10 Melbourne – Naarm, 170 Russell
- February 11 Torquay – Wadawurrung, Torquay Hotel
- February 17 Newcastle – Mulubinba, The Cambridge Hotel
- February 18 Sydney – Eora, The MetroTheatre
Thundamentals’ All This Life out now released independently, in partnership with Virgin Music Australia. Tickets on sale now – for tickets and information head to www.thundamentals.com.au
