If you look up 'polarising' in the dictionary, you'll find a photo of Sticky Fingers.
A band who at one stage could easily claim the title 'biggest band in Australia' in the mid 10s before a serious of unsavoury public incidents propelled the band into 'cancelled' territory, Sticky Fingers have now independently cultivated a following that sees them tour the UK, Europe and South America playing to packed audiences.While at 'home' they routinely sell-out such venues as Brisbane's The Riverstage (7,000-8,000 capacity) – even after cancelling earlier this year as the band were due to take the stage when singer Dylan Frost had a medical emergency.
If you're in the 'hate Sticky Fingers' camp, there's very little I can say to sway your opinion even as the band have undertaken significant steps to curb their destructive behaviour – haters gunna hate.
Personally, I've written about the Fingers' legacy a number of years ago and proudly call myself a Sticky Fingers fan – lovers are gunna love, dude!
So for those who share my sentiments, news that the band were grafting together a book containing tales from their explosive history had me salivating like Homer at a Krispy Kreme diner.
'Belly Of The Beast: On The Road With Sticky Fingers' is a tour diary, with backstory, side stories and photographs. This is a book for Stickies' massively loyal (and patient) fanbase, and it tells an unknown story.
Written by Nelson Groom – a day one mate of the band. Nelson's friendship with Sticky Fingers predates the band itself, so he was the only man for the job.
'Belly Of The Beast' is structured around the dates of the tour, but also charts the growth of the band in sharp, funny, honest, outrageous detail, from their origins in a dingy garage in inner Sydney to selling out world tours – it is a glimpse inside the inner workings of the five, big personalities that comprise Sticky Fingers.
"'Belly Of The Beast', the unofficial #1 best selling Australian book is going to be up on our site as a pre-order as we've sold through everything but a handful of copies," the band have shared today.
"They're being reprinted right now and should ship out top part of next year if you wanted to read the stories, but didn't get to snag one."
