Perth trio Fool Nelson are a long way from home, but right now things seem to be moving exactly in their direction. After a sold out debut headline show in London and breakout sets at Liverpool Sound City, The Great Escape and London Calling, the band have released new single ‘Keepsake’, arriving alongside the deluxe edition of their Bad Dreams EP through AWAL.
‘Keepsake’ leans into the side of Fool Nelson that has always separated them from the endless churn of surf-indie bands coming out of Australia. There’s still grit in the guitars and enough volume to shake a packed room, but underneath it sits something far more vulnerable. Tom Broadbent’s vocal drifts through the track with a kind of half-lost clarity, the song slowly building around thoughts that feel pulled from ordinary moments rather than dramatic revelations.
Speaking about the single, Broadbent described it as “a song for our loved ones”, written during one of those brief interruptions to daily routine where perspective suddenly cuts through the noise. That emotional directness has become central to Fool Nelson’s appeal. Their songs rarely hide behind irony or distance. They hit hard because they sound like they mean every word.
Produced and mixed by Andy Lawson and mastered by George Georgiadis, ‘Keepsake’ continues the momentum that has quietly been building around the band over the last year. Bad Dreams pushed them into triple j’s Hottest 200, while singles like ‘Don’t Feel Right’ and ‘Bad Dreams’ became fixtures on national radio. The former spent four consecutive weeks as the station’s most played track in 2025, a rare feat for a young independent band still operating with the scrappy urgency of local pub shows.
Formed by brothers Tom and Ned Broadbent alongside bassist Darcy Steven, Fool Nelson have been playing together since childhood, and that familiarity runs through the music. The songs feel tight without sounding polished flat. Their mix of 90s alt-rock, Australian indie and surf-town restlessness comes across less like revivalism and more like three people trying to make sense of growing up in real time.
LIVE DATES
22 May – Newquay, The Pagan Arms
23 May – Bristol, Dot To Dot Festival
24 May – Nottingham, Dot To Dot Festival
Go HERE for ticketing info.
