A Handstamp Interview with Felly: new music, reckless train rides, Red Rocks and KNEECAP
The American musician talks breaking boundaries and unforgettable live shows
As punctuated by former Handstamp subject and enemy of Substack, Chris Black, attending shows alone has its benefits. I recently grabbed an incredibly last-minute ticket to see Neil Young in London. It’s one of the surprisingly many huge shows I’ve attended this summer. Unlike the obviously-brilliant Beyonce though, Neil had no interest in any extra in-show theatrics when I saw him and on that night, I felt the same way.
With no social dynamics to consider, I was able to slip out at the slightest hint of backache. I hope everybody else enjoyed the rockin’ encore, but I had my fill. Of course, it felt a shame to have nobody to turn to during ‘Harvest Moon’ and ‘After the Gold Rush’, because part of what makes live music worthwhile is personal connection – a sentiment I share with Christian Robert Felner, a.k.a. Felly.
In between reading snippets of Tim Key’s ‘L.A. Baby’, I met Felly, who joined our virtual call sat in front of his mother’s beautiful but arguably outdated vintage wallpaper. He was back in the suburban Connecticut town named Trumbull, where he grew up.
Felly: “It’s right near Fairfield County, but we didn’t really have much of a scene here. The closest thing is a thing called The Fairfield Theatre, but it’s like any smalltown venue where you get like one act turn up per year. Otherwise, we had a place called Toad’s Place in New Haven, which is sort of Connecticut’s famous venue.”
Handstamp: Do you remember enjoying any particular shows in those two places?
Felly: “At the Fairfield one, I saw my first show with my stepdad, it was Peter Frampton. I remember he threw some picks on stage, I jumped on stage and got the picks from him. You know when you’re not aware that things are happening to you, but they probably are? That’s something that really sticks out, it was awesome.’
“Other than that, I’d just go to shows with him and my mom, like Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney. I didn’t really love the music, but I loved the live thing that was going on. I remember my stepdad also took me to an Eagles concert, which I liked. There was also a Beach Boys revival show at a place called Indian Ledge, I remember that being pretty sick.”
Handstamp: With Brian Wilson, or just Mike Love and his ragtag bunch of hired guns?
Felly: “[laughs] I was too young to know. I should ask, but let’s just say it was with Brian Wilson for now..”
Handstamp: Smart.
Felly: “But yeah, the best part of live music is when it can become ‘your thing’ and you’re choosing to do it. The first show I remember convincing my mom to let me go to was Atmosphere at Terminal 5. I remember coming away from that show feeling all-in on shows, wanting to play shows. I studied them for years to come. I still think my stage presence has a lot to do with Atmosphere, the way he can be humorous but also take you on a journey.”
Handstamp: It’s quite unique that somebody can pinpoint a singular performance that had such a profound effect on them. Usually, people can pick out small crumbs, traces of inspiration, but it sounds like it fully spurred you on to perform?
Felly: “Definitely. Once I got that extra autonomy to see shows myself, I had some really ‘a-ha’ moments.”
Handstamp: With New York only a short train ride away, I can only imagine those trips with your friends to see shows and what they were like. Was that an exciting time?
Felly: “Yeah, but even Toad’s Place, which I don’t want to just glaze over. We’d get the 40-minute train there too. The trains were reckless, you could drink, you could do anything you wanted. So, for a 16-year-old going to a show, drinking all the way there and eventually arriving in a paradise, where – as long as you didn’t get kicked out – you could have the best time of your life.’
“Toad’s Place became my goal. To take over in the local music world, you had to crack that venue. I remember when we first sold it out, everyone I grew up with told me that they didn’t see it coming. It’s definitely Mount Rushmore for Connecticut.”
Handstamp: Nice full-circle moment. Switching coasts to study at USC, did your relationship change with live shows?
Felly: “Yeah, that was really cool, as it was more casual. Here, if you go to a show, it’s on your schedule for months and it’s a bigger thing. But in LA, every Wednesday, I’d go to a small club called Low End Theory and there would be beat-makers, Reggae artists and others making music together. There was an existing culture, it wasn’t just one-off superstars popping up in your city, there were people actively collaborating and it made me get in touch to see what the scene is like.’
“Then, obviously everybody comes through L.A. I remember seeing King Krule and a lot of other dope indie acts playing 300, 400 cap venues near us. I remember telling people about those shows and being confused that they didn’t care.”
Handstamp: Who are some of the other acts that played those gigs?
Felly: “KAYTRANADA, in his early days. Madlib.’
“The first show I played was opening for Madlib in Boston. We drove three hours, the promoter sold me 30 tickets to sell to my friends and the goal was to break even. I was a 16-year-old white kid, from a different world. I felt so out of place playing to 50-year-old old-heads, grilling me. I remember meeting Madlib and he wanted nothing to do with us, but the experience made everything feel more tangible.’
“But yeah, I wasn’t really phased by the experience. I’ve never had that in me. Thinking back to that Kenny Chesney show I mentioned, I wasn’t even a fan but I told my parents I was going to get close to him and touch him. I remember sneaking my way up, he gave me a high-five and even though it seemed like a big deal to them, it wasn’t a big deal to me. You can get as close to it as you want and that’s the amazing thing about live music.”
Handstamp: It sounds like you’re more qualified for that world than most people, because you’ve always been willing to throw yourself into situations most people would be intimidated by.
Felly: “Yeah, I’ve never seen performers as gods like some people do. Why wouldn’t they want to connect? Obviously I’ve changed a bit, I respect people’s space more, but they’re human, they should be accessible.”
Handstamp: So, does that inform your relationship with fans?
Felly: “Definitely. I think I’m the most personable artist that I know of. I go to the merch booth straight after every show, high-five and hug fans. I probably should chill on that, because it get’s exhausting and you get sick. It’s draining to some degree, but how often am I going to see those people and if they’ve been listening for 10 years, why wouldn’t I want to hear their story?”
Handstamp: Yes, build that community but look after yourself, because that’s becoming increasingly harder to do. Are there any particularly frustrating types of audience behaviour for you?
Felly: “I mean, talking. A lot of people see it as a social outing, but I’m a big believer that if everyone in the room locks in, it’s somehow telepathically going to make the show 10 times better. I’ve experienced that on stage and I tell fans that whatever they give us, we’ll give back.’
“The audience is part of the show. I think sometimes they think they’re watching TV, but the artist can definitely feel the room and getting the energy right is important to the overall experience.”
Handstamp: It’s certainly a relationship that works in a number of directions. The awkwardly pressurising question now – can you name some of your absolute favourite shows?
Felly: “Bon Iver at Red Rocks, that was definitely something that stuck out to me. Mac DeMarco at The Palladium; he had that place on fire, played ‘Hollywood Babylon’ like five times in a row. I love it when the boundaries are pushed to the point of chaos and nobody feels like the show is scripted, which is my least favourite thing. Once that boundary is broken, you start to have fun and transcend, which is sort of the point, right?”
Handstamp: I remember in my early teenage years, watching footage of live sets at Red Rocks, I built up a romantic idea of travelling to see a show there. Shoutout to peak Incubus. Is it still worth the visit?
Felly: “Absolutely. I flew out for my birthday. Somebody got me fifth-row tickets, we took some LSD and watched Bon Iver. Even walking there, we saw deer, it was so majestic.”
Handstamp: I will go and follow that exact regimen.
Felly: “[laughs] that’s the way to go. I saw Fontaines D.C. recently, amazing show.”
Handstamp: They just played a mega show down the road from me. KNEECAP opened.
Felly: “That’s another one! KNEECAP at Coachella, before the press came after them. It was the show that caused controversy. They were playing an indoor venue and I was moshing for an hour straight. Usually I would sit back and chill, but there was something in the room that made it so fun. Also, I’m half-Irish, so liked seeing all the flags. It may not have been one of the best shows I’ve been to, but it was an example of what I said about making it feel like anything could happen.”
Handstamp: It was really cool that the message translated to a fully-packed tent in California.
Felly: “It really reminded me of my early experiences performing. It was about how crazy we could get the room. Having JUST hip-hop beats creates a limitation that in-turn creates mayhem in the room somehow. I think everybody there felt like they were watching something that shouldn’t have been happening. Best case scenario.”
Handstamp: It goes back to your experience at the Madlib show, I suppose. Sometimes feeling out of place will energise a performer or audience in a new way. Since then, you’ve shared the new record, how does it feel to have it out there, in the wild?
Felly: “I feel really good about it. Anybody who has heard it really resonates with it. The hardest part is getting it to people’s ears in the slew of information we’re contending with, but anybody who sits down to listen to it really enjoys it. I think they’re songs that I will be playing in 20 years, unlike some of my old stuff.’
“Being able to play these songs live to strangers is awesome. I’ve had a core fanbase for a while, but now I’m picking up people who didn’t know who I was before and seem to be interested. That’s the goal, it’s getting really interesting.”
Felly released his latest studio album Ambroxyde on the 27th of June 2025. Subscribe to Handstamp Substack for future interviews, follow @itshandstamp on social media and just bloody listen to Chief Springs on your chosen platform, will you? Illustrations by the excellent Alice Bowsher.