Episode 22: Felicity Cripps

Felicity Cripps. Image: Cybele Malinowski

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If you’ve spent a bit of time in Melbourne venues over the years, then there’s a good chance you might have come across the wonderful Felicity Cripps.

For most people, Felicity would have landed on your radar as a member of Houlette back in the day, which soon evolved into the three-piece band Hoy. As time went on though, Felicity kept evolving, with music under her own name arriving before too long.

In fact, it was in 2016 we were introduced to the Felicity Cripps Band, a nascent vehicle for its namesakes own musical ideas. Once again, the music didn’t take too long to arrive, with the fittingly-titled Introducing The FCB album landing in 2017.

But that’s where the story stopped for a while. If you were a fan of Felicity, you wouldn’t have been hearing much music at all. In fact, while she wasn’t too focused on writing and releasing music, she was still championing the cause, having found herself the co-owner of Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal.

But you can’t keep a good musician down, and this year, the Felicity Cripps Band re-emerged with new music in a big way. That re-emergence culminated in the release of the new album, Chasing Volcanoes, just over a week ago. I’d be remiss not to tell you how good it is, by the way. For me, it’s a “listen once, and press repeat” sort of album.

This week, Felicity Cripps joins me as a guest on the podcast, and truly, I couldn’t be more thrilled.

So, I strongly urge you to check out the Felicity Cripps Band’s Chasing Volcanoes, and once you’re done giving that a spin, have a listen to our chat, and I’ll see you at the end of the episode for some general housekeeping.

Felicity Cripps’ Trusty Chords

Felicity’s One Influential Artist

1. Patti Smith

Felicity’s Three Impactful Albums

1. Cat Power – The Greatest (2006)

2. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – No More Shall We Part (2001)

3. Slowblow – Slowblow (2004)

Felicity’s Five Trusty Songs

1. Tom Waits – 'Hold On' (1999)

2. Patti Smith – 'Because The Night' (1978)

3. Sharon Van Etten & Angel Olsen – 'Like I Used To' (2021)

4. The Boys Next Door – 'Shivers' (1979)

5. The Motels – 'Total Control' (1979)