Fur Patrol’s 20th anniversary tour has become a 21st party tour, and the band are pulling out all the hits. Cityscape catches up with frontwoman Julia Deans to find out who Lydia was, and what’s good on the music scene.

Is it strange to think that PET is officially an adult now? It sure is. They seem to be quite a pleasant, friendly adult though, considering how sullen and silent a teenager they were.

And we’re glad about that. Who was Lydia, and did you really not hold it against her? Lydia was a semi-fictional character, a conglomeration of various people and situations happening in my life at the time. It’s a commentary on the way people often blame the third party in a love triangle. So yeah, nah, I’m not gonna hold it against her when he’s the ship-sinker.

Talk us through the fairly intense cover art of PET. Our friend Jade Weaver came up with the smashed cute things concept. She created a series of really cool images by scanning broken figurines directly into a scanner. The final images were photographed by Becky Nunes and the final package was put together by Andrew B White. It was a team effort.

Is the name Fur Patrol was a pro-animal message? We’ve always said the name is in the eye of the beholder. AKA the truth is less exciting than your imagination.

What was the motivation to get the band back together? The catalyst was the 20th anniversary pressing of PET on vinyl, which we figured we could do some shows around for fun. The original plan was to have it in peoples’ hands at the end of 2020, but ol’ mate Covid had other ideas. It also had other ideas three times about our tour plans, so this is almost the 22nd anniversary tour. C’est la Covid.

Is that vinyl widely available? You can get your mitts on the vinyl at our Bandcamp page, Penny Lane, or JB Hi-Fi.

Will there be any new songs in the mix for the tour, or just classic bangers? We’re going to play the album from top-to-toe, including the hidden track – remember those? – ‘Bottles & Jars’. Definitely planning on including a couple of other faves as well, so if you have any requests…

We wouldn’t say no to hearing ‘Precious’ live. Last time we spoke to you, you shouted out to Mousey as an up-and-coming musician, and now she’s gotten big and is supporting you in your Christchurch show. Who should we be looking out for next? We love Mousey and are delighted the whole band will be joining us for our Christchurch and Nelson shows. We’ve got Wellington band Soft Plastics coming along for the North Island leg, and I highly recommend you check out their new single and Villanelle-esque video ‘Day Job’.

What’s top of your playlist right now? Wet Leg. Seriously, go find and enjoy. Self titled album.

What’s your best memory of childhood in Ōtautahi? Paddling canoes along the Avon on warm sunny weekends, and feeding the eels leftover picnic chicken.

What’s your go-to spot in the city? Upshot Coffee on Bridle Path Road. Coffee, muffins, dogs, horses, humans. It’s a winning combo.

Over the years you’ve been involved in a lot of high-profile music projects. What are a couple of the highlights? A show I put together for Christchurch Arts Festival called Like Water, featuring Flip Grater, Bella Kalolo, myself, an all-femme band and Burnside High School’s Bel Canto Girls Choir rates pretty highly. And making my operatic debut with Festival Opera’s Cavalleria Rusticana was an incredible experience. But also just being able to get out and play small, intimate shows for people over the last couple of years under Covid restrictions has been amazing. We need live music and the connection it brings.

What’s on the cards for you after the Fur Patrol tour? Record a new JD album.

The Good Home Ferrymead
Saturday 13 August
furpatrol.bandcamp.com