Fallopian Dramaturgy: Fallope and the Tubes @ Buzzcut

(Conversation in the Bunkhouse, Kerrera during Fallope & the Tubes residency weekend March 5th 2016 making new songs for Buzzcut Festival.)

“Welcome to the surgery. We have got a few questions to browse....Well you’ve got the questions. Sorry."

First question. CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE WORK YOU ARE BRINGING TO BUZZCUT? 

(Silence) 

What are we doing? We are just doing what we always do. Same

old. What are we doing always just doing? We are just getting on stage and performing some songs that we wrote as a group, some old, some new. 

Is that enough? 

Well we could say things like we’ve written some of it here in Kerrera. Which is true. Are we not also creating songs considering the audience that we are going to have and the space that we are going to be in and the type of energy that we want to produce? We are going to be in a space near the bar. 

We do like bars. We will be making a lot of noise. But you do need to always let people know that there is an escape route. You can leave. You have to keep reminding people throughout the performance that they can leave whenever they want. That will be implicit in the set up.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT BUZZCUT THAT ATTRACTED YOU TO PERFORM AS PART OF IT? 
(Laughter) The vibes. It’s handy. Their open approach to working with different kinds of people. The financial support to make new work. 

We’ve heard really good things about it. And it just started as friends doing something together which we respect. It’s in an area of Glasgow that doesn’t often host this kind of thing. Yes, that feels quite liberating in a way as well doesn’t it. The space is really nice.

It’s great that it’s all in one place. It was refreshing to apply for something to people who were other performers, it didn’t feel like we had to bow down to a funder or curator. That comes across as well in their approach to how they ask different artists to submit.


It’s a far more realistic and equal way of working and probably makes for a better festival experience for everyone involved.

HOW TYPICAL IS THIS WORK COMPARED TO OTHER WORK YOU HAVE MADE? DID THE PROCESS FOLLOW A FAMILIAR OR NEW PATTERN? 
Very typical and familiar. We are approaching it in the same way as would when we make anything together. We don’t really know what we are doing. Let’s just go away and we will do something and hang out and see what happens and then we’ll write something and be like omg this song’s amazing. 

Organic, innit. 

Ruby do you want me to check on the rice? Does anyone else want a top up? I feel like I’m totally charging through the wine. Me too. Let’s do it, let’s all do it. I might have to swim to shore tomorrow and get another box.

BUZZCUT IS CONCERNED WITH THE

IDEA OF 'COMMUNITY'. DOES COMMUNITY HAVE A SPECIAL MEANING FOR YOU, AND WHAT RELATIONSHIP DO YOU FEEL YOUR WORK HAS WITHIN WIDER COMMUNITIES?
What community? Community as an idea. I was thinking of us as a community. A collective. I definitely wouldn’t be having the same experience if I was on my own. It’d be totally dire. I’d be crying into my pyrex dish. I’d be sleeping right through this. I think that’s mostly part of it. 

That’s mostly it. Spending time together, forming a communal space, getting away from home. Trekking to new zones. We have to go abroad every time and share the same space and survive together. 
And food, obviously. 

Are those sausages alright Catherine? Yeh, I’ve turned the oven off. (Laughter) Anything else about communities? Friendships. The art community. The music community, festivals. Have we got girl power in yet? Girl power....community? Then there’s people that take us in, support us. Pals, people we have met through the band, projects like the Bothy Project, Supernormal Festival, Soakin Records. 

There’s lots of new friends we’ve made, like those folk we met when we went down to Bristol. People are a big part of it. It’s fun. Anyone can do this. Come in with us! 

Do you guys want bowls or plates?

WHAT ARE YOU HOPING THE AUDIENCE WILL EXPERIENCE? 
Walker. The big O. The ultimate orgasm. Mutual climax.

WHAT STRATEGIES WILL YOU USE? 
Well the music? Lyrics. Props. Blinding colour. Visuals. Fireballs. Unbelievably horrifically made visuals and props. Very loud sounds. Sweets? We’ll throw sweets. Ohh look at you and your cutlery tree. Get that on the stage!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT PERFORMANCE THAT ENTICED YOU - AND KEPT YOU MAKING IT? 
It’s free. It’s cheap. It’s free and cheap. It’s a laugh. You can do it with others. I can’t speak so I might as well dance. 

There's four sausages. I’ll nominate someone to have mine.

Fallopé and The Tubes is Sarah Messenger, Ruby Pester, Nadia Rossi, Rachel Walker and Catherine Weir. The band are a group of Glasgow based artists who work collaboratively to devise live performances as Fallopé and The Tubes.

Each live show features their lovingly hand crafted yet somewhat tasteless visuals, shameless zero-budget costumes, sculpture and visual props.

The group was established in January 2014 at Insriach Bothy, Aviemore and have developed their practice during numerous residency experiences across Scotland. 

By living and working together ‘off grid’ the group have developed experimental techniques to create a collective energy. Fallopé and The Tubes draw influence from a wide range of fringe and mainstream musical genres, as well as sexuality, elements of social satire and self promotion and leftist political ideologies.