Hot Tubs Time Machine at Franks Wild Years

Daniel and Marcus are Hot Tubs Time Machine. Marcus Rechsteiner (UV Race) and Daniel ‘Tubs’ Twomey (Deaf Wish/Lower Plenty) play a little Saturday arvo show at Franks Wild Years, Thirroul, showcasing their own strange brand of bedroom pop, new-wave and electronica. They'll be joined by Solo Career.

The band formed from the ashes of Luxury, a project with both Marcus and Daniel which ended due to a member relocating overseas during the covid crisis. Initially as a way to keep the momentum going, Hot Tubs Time Machine turned into a regular project. Going from writing the first batch of songs in two and a half weeks for their first show with local punks Blonde Revolver, they’ve gone on to play festival lineups for Wrapped Up 3, Chopped, and become one of Melbourne’s most entertaining live bands.

With Daniel writing and recording all the instrumentals at home, made up of mostly a drum machine, bass, a Yamaha DX21 and even a recorder, they lay the canvas for Marcus to put his distinctive vocal spin on them, picking a topic and telling a story with both conviction and a sense of unpredictability, a skill he’s honed for the past 15 years. Recording all the vocals in a rented booth at the State Library of Victoria, Marcus plucks stories from his own personal life and twists them with a feeling of familiarity.

Double Tubble, their second LP, lyrically touches multiple corners of everyday life while also being laced in a heavy sense of Australiana and local references. Traversing through Australian folklore with songs like “Ned Kelly” or “Sizzler”, named after the Australian location of the iconic food chain. As well as Victorian towns, with the sparsely approached “Warragul” and the more chaotic “Street Fighter Man” about the Mornington Peninsula, with instrumental backing that’s reminiscent of a warped early LCD Soundsystem track.
 Double Tubble might be full of funny observations, wacky instrumentals and some completely off-the-wall moments, but when you hear how great the songs are you’ll realise Hot Tubs Time Machine are no laughing matter (even if you are laughing).