We spoke to Fredrik Gustafsson from Grammy-nominated song writing duo Augustine ahead of their performance at Neighbourhood Festival 2024 on Saturday 5th of October.
Hi Augustine, thanks for joining us!
Thank you!
When did you begin your journey into creating music?
I started making music when I was a kid. My family listened to a lot of music at home, and I got inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin. I wanted to make my own songs, so I just started learning as I went along. In 2018, I met Rassmus Björnson at a music school, and that’s when we started working on Augustine together.
Who did you grow up listening to; and do you believe this influenced your songwriting?
My parents and older brothers played all kinds of music on the stereo at home—like the artists I mentioned and also The Ramones, The Strokes, and more. I remember we played Green Day’s ‘Dookie’ album in our old car on repeat. I love songs that have a good pace and rhythm but also have kind of sad or gloomy lyrics. In recent years we have drawn a lot of inspiration from Blood Orange, Empire of the Sun, Lana Del Rey as well.
You are a two-time Grammy-nominated artist! What do you think it is about your music that resonates so strongly with others?
Oh I don’t know, maybe that could be it—having that mix of energy and a bit of sadness in the lyrics. I know I’m drawn to that when I listen to other artists and bands, so maybe that’s what connects with people in our music, too.
In October, you’ll be embarking on a UK headline tour including stopping off at Manchester’s Neighbourhood Festival. What can fans expect from your live performance?
We try to keep the live performances really energetic by adding different intros, outros, and transitions between songs. We don’t want them to sound exactly like the studio versions. You can definitely expect a lot of dancing!
This year you released ‘Spacer (Reimagined)’ as a tribute to Nile Rodgers – which you then performed in front of Rodgers at the Polar Prize Awards. What a unique opportunity! Can you describe what this experience was like?
Performing in front of Nile Rodgers on TV was nerve-wracking but also an amazing experience. Rassmus and I had about two weeks to get our cover ready, so we just went all in during that time. Looking back, it’s a bit of a blur, but it was such a cool moment!
What else have you got coming up in 2024?
We’ll be wrapping up 2024 with this UK tour, so after that, we’re heading back into the studio from late October to the end of the year to finish up some new music!