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It's A Lot with Abbie Chatfield

SAM HALES' NMF: Ruining Arcade Fire's Secret Afterparty

18 Jun 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What is the significance of the land acknowledgment at the beginning?

0.031 - 25.009 Abbie Chatfield

It's a Lot is recorded on Gadigal land. We pay our respects to the traditional custodians of this land and to elders past and present. We also would love to extend our respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people listening today and remind you all that sovereignty was never ceded and it always was and always will be Aboriginal land. It's a lot, isn't it?

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26.373 - 46.846 Abbie Chatfield

Oh, everyone, I'm so joyous to be here for this Nightmare Fuel. I have the incredible Sam from the Jungle Giant. What's up? What's up? Hey, babe. So good to see you. Hey, babe. So good to see you. Last time I saw you, we were in Hydra. I know. In Greece. Of all places. I know. Fun little sidebar.

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47.227 - 55.822 Abbie Chatfield

Last time I saw Sam, Adam and I were walking out of our hotel in Hydra and there was this man with a pashmina and a cap on, I think.

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55.842 - 58.006 Sam Hales

Yeah, I'd wrapped up good from the sun.

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58.026 - 67.061 Abbie Chatfield

Irish boy hits Greece. Yeah. And we heard this fucking Australian accent and we were like, oh, there's an Australian over there. Turn around. It's Sam. How are you, kid?

Chapter 2: Who is Sam Hales and what is his connection to The Jungle Giants?

67.081 - 76.694 Abbie Chatfield

It was so exciting. And we had an amazing night. I couldn't believe it. Well, we had an amazing night in Hydra. Yeah. It was so much fun. But at that time, you were writing the album that you guys have just released. Exactly.

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76.814 - 98.085 Sam Hales

Yeah, I was there. It was like the final push. And I was just like trying to get away from whatever, home. I just needed to get the final bit done. And it was the final writing, mixing bit. So I needed everything to be super inspired, very focused, very locked in. Yeah. So Greece was the place. I knew that was it. But then Hydra was like a very final, like very last minute choice to go to.

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98.125 - 115.733 Sam Hales

The reason why I went was apparently there's no cars. It's just roads with donkeys, as you found out. So that was everything I needed. So I was there. I was feeling super inspired, running before sunrise every day. And then I was sitting on the deck just watching this beautiful vista. Like it was amazing.

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116.113 - 134.715 Sam Hales

And then it was like, I had pretty much only a couple of days left when I was like hung over at the front of a restaurant that day trying to get some pizza. And like the guy was like, we don't open for another hour. I was like, I'll just call my mom, sit in the sun and bake. And then you guys just happened to walk right past me at that very moment.

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134.735 - 139.32 Sam Hales

And it was, there was pure shock on all of our faces for like at least 20 seconds.

139.553 - 140.737 Abbie Chatfield

I couldn't register it.

140.778 - 150.795 Sam Hales

It was crazy. Well, you got it quicker than Adam. Yeah. Adam just lowered his glasses. He couldn't say anything for a little while. You were like, Sammy. He was like.

151.754 - 162.527 Abbie Chatfield

But it was angelic. You were like an apparition. Is that the word? Is that the word? Apparition. Apparition. That's more of a ghost, isn't it? So the album's out in the world now.

162.547 - 163.348 Sam Hales

Yes, it's all done.

Chapter 3: What inspired Sam Hales to write the new album?

163.368 - 163.808 Sam Hales

It's out.

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163.848 - 168.614 Abbie Chatfield

Experiencing feelings of joy, but it's about breakups, sadness. It is.

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169.094 - 189.65 Sam Hales

Awful. It is. Yeah, see, that's the – it's about awful things. Awful things. Well, no, that's the thing. So this album took me the longest ever to write an album, like with – With Jungles, this is our fifth record with Confidence Man, had two records. Often they'd be like, you know, a year, maybe two max. And this one, I had a really big breakup with my partner. We were together for 10 years.

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190.171 - 211.487 Sam Hales

I quit Confidence Man as well. There was a lot of moving parts and I took a long time to process everything. There was a lot of things I was just trying to tour and just like being, you know, just trying not to, not to really face my sadness for a while. So that only can last so long. And then I got writer's block because of all this inner turmoil. And that was a very foreign concept to me.

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211.567 - 227.371 Sam Hales

I was like, no way it's actually happened. Like I can't write. Yeah. It's actually happened. And that's all I've ever done for 15 years. Like every day, nine to five, Monday to Friday, I write. And then when it couldn't happen, it was really difficult for me. So I ended up doing The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.

227.471 - 229.394 Abbie Chatfield

Yes, I was thinking about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

229.414 - 251.671 Sam Hales

And it unlocked everything. And really, it kind of sounds obvious now, but what I had to do was process everything. these things that were going on inside me, some sadness, some hope, all kinds of feelings that I had to process and actually face and be responsible for. In that process, I got unblocked, which was the best feeling ever, like wild. And then, yeah.

251.691 - 273.508 Sam Hales

And the reason why it's called Experiencing Feelings of Joy is because I call it the 10 songs and each song is a step on a ladder back to joy. So I was, you know, I was down in the well and I was sad and I was confused and angry and all kinds of different emotions. And then I, by getting one song out, I overcame this, you know, I'm processed it. So then it's off to the next one.

273.748 - 289.372 Sam Hales

You know what I mean? So as I climbed to when the album was done, I'm back at joy. And honestly. it is so crazy. Like the last five years compared to now is I feel like a different guy. I've fallen in love in the process of the last four months as the album came out, I fell in love.

Chapter 4: How did personal experiences influence the songwriting process?

482.011 - 502.629 Sam Hales

And as I was walking back, I saw Wynn and the other singer from Arcade Fire just talking to Chesira. And I was like, what the hell? And then as I got there, they walked away. I was like, hi. And they walked away. And I was like, what the hell was that? And they were like, oh, apparently they've been like watching the shows and they love my guitar playing. I was like, okay, cool.

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502.669 - 504.291 Sam Hales

But what about my singing?

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505.472 - 508.356 Abbie Chatfield

Oh, Sam, get off. Fucking come off it.

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508.396 - 529.33 Sam Hales

I get worse. Anyway, remember, 18, first beer. Oh, yeah. So anyway, but I was like, that's amazing. That's so cool. And she was like, they're going to come and watch our set side of stage. They were like just saying, is that cool? And I was like, yes, amazing. So as we got up for our set, I looked side of stage and Arcade Fire were there. And I was like... Just no cars go. I was like, you know.

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529.35 - 535.945 Sam Hales

Were you scared? I was terrified. I was like, you've got to look at the crowd, then Arcade Fire. I didn't know what to look at. I just looked up.

536.446 - 538.37 Abbie Chatfield

And what time was your set at this point?

538.671 - 543.602 Sam Hales

We were like probably 3 p.m., like a 3 p.m. They would have just got to the festival or whatever.

543.662 - 544.624 Abbie Chatfield

Yeah.

544.705 - 561.767 Sam Hales

So anyway, we finish the set and then we walk off stage and then Chisira and Wynn and the other Arcade Fire members start talking. They say amazing, like show, whatever. Not really showing much interest in anybody else. And our other two members, Andrew and Keelan, they were like, okay, just left it.

Chapter 5: What was the experience like at the Big Day Out with Arcade Fire?

1123.739 - 1130.997 Abbie Chatfield

But so when you're supporting someone on tour, I think everyone imagines you're like hanging out backstage and like kicking it, but you're not.

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1130.977 - 1140.646 Sam Hales

It can totally depend on the band. That's the thing. So like, uh, some bands, you know, um, will be in their room and they'll have all their friends and they get, so it's like their thing.

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1140.746 - 1140.947 Abbie Chatfield

Right.

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1141.007 - 1156.521 Sam Hales

So, and then you're kind of like, you know, the young band, but often cause the, the headliners often will choose the supports. So they'll be like, Hey, like, liked your music. Let's watch a set, whatever. Like, you know, it can be really friendly environment or then just a, just a, you just don't really even pass in the hallway.

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1156.682 - 1157.102 Abbie Chatfield

Yeah.

1157.082 - 1162.751 Sam Hales

In this particular instance, I hadn't passed them yet, but I was very excited to meet them. I was making myself really available for him.

1163.012 - 1164.875 Abbie Chatfield

Wearing their merch, going, hey, guys.

1164.935 - 1170.684 Sam Hales

I like hanging around outside the front of their room, just tying my crocs up, no shoelaces.

1171.505 - 1173.408 Abbie Chatfield

Pretending. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Putting your gibbets on.

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