When Flight Facilities were grounded during the pandemic, they began to question if they would even have a job on the other side of it.
Their debut album, 'Down To Earth', had been released in 2014 – four years after their breakout track 'Crave You' hit the airwaves – and for Hugo Gruzman and James 'Jimmy' Lyell, there was mounting pressure to release something new."We were rushing towards a 2020 release; early 2020," Gruzman says, "and then COVID was like, 'here's another 18 months [waiting] for you'."
The album, released in November last year, was called 'Forever' in part as a nod to how long it took to release it, but also for what Gruzman jokes is "narcissistic" reasons.
"It was because there was a song titled that, but also we just wanted to have the sentence, 'Flight Facilities Forever'," Lyell laughs. "It kind of has a cool ring to it."
"Make people say it so they're saying, 'Flight Facilities Forever'," Gruzman adds, laughing. "It's like, if they say it maybe they'll believe it."
There was a period during the pandemic, though, in which the pair wondered if they would still be making music once the world returned to some semblance of normality.
"Two years is a long time generationally, especially in music," Gruzman says. "[The pandemic] was like a big wave, and it was kind of like who had the sturdiest boats, because it really took out a lot of people.
"And then at the end there were a couple of us clinging to life rafts, going, 'Is it over? I think we made it.'"
Some songs didn't fit in with the rest of the 'Forever' album, so their next two singles are straight from the cutting room floor.
"It probably would have [fit in] if we'd gone for more tracks, but we just tried to keep it concise because people don't necessarily listen to full albums as it is, and we didn't want to burn too much content," Gruzman says.
"We're pretty picky about what we release, and we like these [new singles] a lot and want people to hear them. It's not a case of, 'Ah, this'll f...in' do'."
'Planet Claire' is a tribute to one of their favourite artists, Booka Shade – who originally went by the moniker Planet Claire – which sounded akin to their 2012 single 'With You' until they restructured it into a dance track.
The other new song harks back to the duo's first album, Gruzman says. "To me I think 'Feel It' would have fit on 'Down To Earth', and that's what I like about it," he explains. "It sounds like you can hear that era of us on there."
Lyell and Gruzman have a number of festival appearances before the end of the year, but the big one is the NYE In The Park celebrations in Sydney.
"The whole time I've thought about this, I've been so stoked to be playing on the same line-up as Cut Copy, because they're probably one of our – both, together – one of our biggest heroes, and their live show is still just amazing to watch," Lyell says.
"I'm trying to work out how I can be both in the crowd and ready to play next," Gruzman adds. "Like, I'm trying to work out the logistics of that."
At this point, Lyell suggests that if they're both in the crowd, their own show won't be able to start anyway, but wearing their stage clothes in the crowd to perform straight away would be "lame".
"I wonder if you did it and people were like, 'Woah, those guys are really committed to their outfit; they must really like Flight Facilities'," Gruzman laughs. "I think in fairness a lot of people would probably just be like, 'eh f... it'."
Lyell adds the band has never had hype around it, which goes along with the kind of fame that equates to fan recognition. "I think Flight Facilities has always been in this echelon that just negates hype," he says.
"We don't have hype – we never have. So fame kind of goes with hype, and I think people are like, 'Oh yeah, that's Flight Facilities – they're just some dudes'."
"I always wondered," says Gruzman picking up the conversation thread, "like you know how you see footage of someone robbing a convenience store, like just wearing a hat? I was like, 'how the f... can't you find that guy [laughing]?'
"But then I'll go out into a crowd after being onstage – like, you have 5,000 people look at you, and then you take your hat off and you walk out there and no one knows, so it's like, 'ohhh that's how they do it'."
For NYE In The Park punters trying to spot Lyell and Gruzman, the Crazy P Sound System crowd would be a good start. "Did we see them DJ in Ireland?" Lyell asks Gruzman. "Bali, I think," Gruzman replies. "So yeah, still haven't see the live show, right? That's where it’s at."
"Well yeah, needless to say it feels like we'll be there [at the event] from doors [first opening]," Lyell concludes.
Regardless of how many acts they catch, it is still likely to beat the New Year's Eve before lockdowns, according to Gruzman.
"2019/ 2020 I went to Bali, and I flew out the morning of the 31st, landed in the afternoon, a guy picked me up on a bike, he drove me straight to the venue, I had a shower, ate a pizza, went on stage, got back on the bike, went back to the airport and then had New Year's Eve in the Denpasar lounge," he explains.
"But that was the New Year's before COVID, so I felt like it was kind of indicative of what was to come. It was like, 'well this is a f...ing anti-climax'."
Flight Facilities will be back on tour next year – including extensive overseas travel – but don't expect another new album any time soon.
"This is the thing – we're like perpetual toddlers," Lyell laughs. "If someone's like, 'you guys should make an album', we're like, 'no'."
Flight Facilities headlined NYE In The Park at Victoria Park (Sydney) on 31 December. They also play Wine Machine festivals in Swan Valley (26 November), McLaren Vale (17 December) and Huon Valley (14 January).
NYE In The Park 2022 Line-up
Flight FacilitiesLime Cordiale
Cut Copy
Rico Nasty
San Cisco
Crazy P Soundsystem
Late Night Tuff Guy
Graace
Vacations
Grentperez
Discovery
Becca Hatch
Tori Levett
Whatslivelystage
& Hosts The Poof Doof Drag Jamboree
NYE In The Park New Line-Up Artists
Whatslively StageDj Talisha B2B Mistah Cee
Jazmine Nikitta
Prestige Of TFRA w/ D0nt Play
Farnozz W/ Dayshawn
Ayshe
Moni B2B AJ Flores
Dna
Sienna w/ Papa Frank
Special Performances By Gold Fang
Fooligan Kevs
Poof Doof Presents Neon Hoedown
Atomic Kiss
Dammit Janet
Danni Issues
Daphne Gaye
Faggy
Holly Would
Jimi The Kween
Karna Ford
Kalin Klein
Logan
Nic Holland
Sveta
Venus Pagina
Wine Machine 2022-2023 Tour Dates
Sat 26 Nov - Oakover Grounds (Swan Valley)Sat 17 Dec - Serafino Wines (McLaren Vale)
Sat 14 Jan - Home Hill Winery (Huon Valley)
Swan Valley Line-up
Flight FacilitiesLime Cordiale
Cut Copy
San Cisco
Client Liaison
Mell Hall
Happiness Is Wealth
Jimi The Kween
The Poof Doof Drag Jamboree
McLaren Vale Line-up
Flight FacilitiesLime Cordiale
Cut Copy
San Cisco
Masked Wolf
Art vs Science
Sumner
Mell Hall
Happiness Is Wealth
Jimi The Kween
The Poof Doof Drag Jamboree
Huon Valley Line-up
Flight Facilities (DJ set)Lime Cordiale
Cut Copy
San Cisco
Client Liaison (DJ set)
Stace Cadet (DJ set)
Mell Hall
Happiness Is Wealth
Jimi The Kween
The Poof Doof Drag Jamboree
