The Butterfly Effect Presents: Mum’s Tennis Friends
Joining us at our very first edition of The Butterfly Effect will be the ethereal: Mum’s Tennis Friends.
A raw, unapologetic, and honest project by Ruby Lee (Elisa and The Delusionals) joined by Harry Wall, Tom Mitchell and Finn Diggles.
After releasing their debut single 'Mental Health' in 2020, Mums Tennis Friends have returned with their smooth synths, glossy chords and transcendent vocals and lyricism.
The Butterfly Effect will be Ruby Lee’s first performance as an out and proud non-binary person, something we are all super excited about.
We had a chat with them about the importance of The Butterfly Effect, their experiences as a non-binary artist in today’s music industry and what it meant to release the first single under Mum’s Tennis Friends.
Show some love and check it out…
Hey Ruby, how are you?
I’m great! Been very busy with different music ventures and have some very exciting things coming up! Happy days :P
First things first, for anyone that isn’t familiar with ‘Mum’s Tennis Friends’ – describe your music to us in 4 words…
I would have to say – Very Emo, Incredibly Gay. I also asked guitarist Finn Diggles and he said, ‘Big Gay Vibes Demons’ and I think that’s also very fitting.
Aaand is there a story behind the name?
It apparently was my older brother’s garage punk band’s name when he was in high school, so naturally as the younger sibling I took it out of spite. It ended up being the perfect band name for us, as the other options that we had were just a bit too serious for us as we like to have fun and not take things too seriously with this project. I also just think it’s a sick name in my opinion hehe.
How do you feel after releasing your first single under this project last year? Can we expect more tunes this year?
It felt amazing! It was a real accomplishment for me to finally have something released after working on Mum’s Tennis Friends for 2 years. I was especially proud to release a single like Mental Health, a song that was and still is so personal to me.
It was definitely a full-circle moment for me as I wrote that song in probably one of the lowest points I’ve been in, and to not only release it but continue to play it a year on, when I’m in a much better state of mind – it now serves as a reminder that things really do get better. (that was so cliché hahah) We’re definitely going to release something new this year!
What do you want people to take away from your music?
I think the biggest thing I want people to take away from my music is that they are not alone. Mum’s Tennis Friends became an artistic escape for me when I was struggling with my sexuality, gender, relationships and mental health. And I hope that it does the same for listeners.
What does it mean to you to be a part of Ungraineds ‘Butterfly Effect’?
I am absolutely honoured to be a part of Ungrained’s Butterfly Effect, especially supporting some beautiful artists like Lucy and Euca. This is also the first gig as an out and proud non-binary person so I am very excited.
The creation of the ‘Butterfly Effect’ is to celebrate and support QLD up-and-coming female and non-binary musicians – why do you think this is of importance?
I think it’s very important to create a safe space for female and non-binary musicians. Especially in this current state of the music industry, where women and non-binary, even queer folk are considered inferior.
It’s important to create a space where it’s safe to be who you are without prejudice, and advertise the importance that women and non-binary folk in music are just as (if not more) essential and prominent in the industry.
The creation of the ‘Butterfly Effect’ is to celebrate and support QLD up-and-coming female and non-binary musicians – why do you think this is of importance?
I think it’s very important to create a safe space for female and non-binary musicians. Especially in this current state of the music industry, where women and non-binary, even queer folk are considered inferior, it’s important to create a space where it’s safe to be who you are without prejudice, and advertise the importance that women and non-binary folk in music are just as (if not more) essential and prominent in the industry.
Now, tell me about your experience in the music industry– As an artist has how you identify affected aspects of your career? Have you experienced sexism/inequality firsthand?
As soon as I started playing live, I had issues with sexism and inequality in the industry, usually it would be the off comments from sound guys saying “I’m not bad for a girl” or asking which member of the band I was dating. I ended up most of the time using my sexuality (I’m a lesbian hehe) as a shield when guys starting making off comments at me, but a big one for me was when former band mate informed me that a guy interrupted their set to ask “Where’s the chic?” while I was overseas on tour. Even when I was 10,000km away I was still being subjected to that kind of behaviour here in Brisbane.
Other times have been sound guys or techs blatantly ignoring me or asking questions that should be addressed to me to my male band mates, but it’s pretty quick before they eat their words.
Now to support local, give a shout out to 3 other female/non-binary artists making their way through the music scene that you love.
Hallie, Eloelo, and Allora!
Finally, to wrap it up let’s do a few rapid-fire Q’s:
· Best song to boogie to?
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Any song by Jamiroquai !
· Favourite Brisbane venue?
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I love the Triffid, but funnily enough Tomcat was the first venue I played when I was starting out in bands so it holds a special place in my heart.
· Best beverage?
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Anything Alcoholic or call me boring but I love sparkling water haha
Catch Mum’s Tennis Friends at 8:45pm our very first The Butterfly Effect event on May 1st at Tomcat.
Grab a ticket and come show your love and support for some stellar acts.
What is The Butterfly Effect?
Our brand new monthly event series created to celebrate and support Queensland’s up-an-coming female and non-binary artists!
