WE ALL HAVE STICKY FINGERS

Sydney band Sticky Fingers have, undeniably, made a lasting impact on the Australian music scene. Their music is loved both at home and internationally, with tours continuously being sold out through England and Europe. Over the course of their career, they’ve released five albums and three EP’s, all with huge levels of success.

Here we have, a five-piece, rock-reggae band with an impressive musical repertoire – so, what’s the issue? A less than impressive string of controversies surrounding the members, with a special shout out to the front man, Dylan Frost.

Over the last decade the band has found themselves in hot water time and time again, facing allegations of indecent conduct and assault, as well as reported incidents of violence and bigotry. With such incredible talent and music, that most would argue was the soundtrack to so many Australian teenage years, do they deserve redemption? Here, we’ve got ourselves a messy pie, in which sticky fingers are bound to occur.

After a quieter few years, the Bluesfest controversy has put the band back on the public’s radar. Psych-rock headliner (and favourites), King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, dropped out as a result of Sticky Fingers being added to the 2023 line up, mere weeks before the festival was due to kick-off. The Melbourne-based band were “deeply disappointed” but “sometimes you need to be willing to make sacrifices to stand up for your values.” It’s clear this wasn’t a call to action; it was just the simple acknowledgement of a problem in their eyes. Shortly after, the public’s demand for the removal of Sticky Fingers was too high to be ignored.

Seeing no choice but to drop them, Bluesfest reluctantly released a statement;

“Bluesfest cannot, sadly, continue to support Sticky Fingers by having them play our 2023 edition, and we apologise to those artists, sponsors and any others we involved in this matter through our mistaken belief that forgiveness and redemption are the rock on which our society is built.”

You can decide for yourself how director Peter Noble truly feels about removing the band from the line-up. If you haven’t been following too closely over the years, you might be wondering what the big deal is about.

First reports of misconduct arose at a concert for Indigenous band, Dispossessed, where Frost reportedly heckled the band during a speech in the middle of a show. There are many sides to this story, but the gist is that racism accusations were levelled, then vehemently denied by Frost. The band was silent on the matter, which in turn escalated the following situation between Thelma Plum and Frost at a pub. She came forward about a drunken encounter with Dylan Frost stating he was violent, aggressive, and provocative.

In April ‘23, Their track record is just more of the same; acts of aggression, blamed on being under the influence, even seeing the bassist Paddy Cornwall charged with affray after a serious fight wherein Cornwall punched Frost over 26 times.

Amongst the intricacies of the violent acts and the substance abuse, the behaviour displayed on stage is both dangerous and unimpressive. When your fans are paying so much to see you perform their favourite songs, you wouldn’t expect to experience violent outbursts, drunken brawls, or the damage of venue property. In all honesty, the tickets could probably use a safety disclaimer. With bans in place from multiple venues and bars across the country, we come back to wondering if they really deserve redemption after such poor behaviour.

In saying this, the band have come forward with apologies as well as having taken a hiatus in 2016 after initial incidents. Frost opened up about struggles with substance abuse, addiction, and a mental health diagnosis. These are contributing factors clearly, but some would argue, not an excuse for continued poor behaviour. One of the biggest factors in their struggle, has been lack of support from within the industry. Their management seems to have taken no action and made no comments throughout the most controversial years of their career. Potentially a reflection of the industry – money hungry, willing to let people get away with things until consumers hold them accountable. Could there be more support from their peers, management and from each other?

If we started a more candid conversation about not only mental health but also substance abuse, we might see a positive ripple effect through the entire music industry. Many venues would be concerned regarding their expensive equipment, the safety of their patrons. And yet, so many still host the band. They still sell out venues, as we’re seeing internationally more than anywhere else. They are well-loved and many excuse a lot of their behaviour, putting it down to the bad boy rock’n’roll persona.

While being an asshole isn’t a pre-requisite to being a rock star, we have seen it time and again with bands like Motley Crue.

Some may argue that the band should ‘stop while they’re ahead’, after being in the circuit for so long. If their choice is to keep playing, and to continue the same pattern of behaviour, we, as the consumer, can only conclude one thing. No other band or artist would be able to get away with this sort of behaviour, especially not in our current ‘cancel culture’ climate. In this way, the situation is so unique.

The fact is you can’t listen to Sticky Fingers anymore without thinking of the controversy surrounding them.

It’s indefinitely tainted their sound. No matter your opinion, there’s no denying the iconic but problematic band have made their mark on the Australian music industry. Some, however, might think that after over a decade in the spotlight, the kids might have matured into men, but of course as Frost quoted, “boys will be boys.” Actions speak louder than words. Show us what you got, boys.