Foam Finger is bringing back ‘80s pop and rock as they grow bigger. 

The group originally started with bassist Jackson Morris and drummer Grant Broussard, who were looking to start a new band. They sent out flyers that eventually got into the hands of lead singer Audrey Tate and guitarist Evan Decker. From there, it was all “uphill,” and Foam Finger began.

Since they’re fresh to the music scene, they’ve only been playing live gigs since the beginning of the semester. Performances at The Revelry and at Fred’s Bar for Christmas in August have shown the band off to the public. 

“Once you get that first hit of playing up on stage and connecting with these people, you just want to do it again and again,” Morris said. 

Spending so much time together has strengthened their abilities as musicians. Tate said that they try to “sprinkle in” what people want to hear at a bar, so their songs range even further from their ‘80s pop brand. 

“It’s stuff that if you go into a bar and hear a band, you’re going to be very excited about what we’re playing,” Tate said. 

Behind the scenes, the four of them balance the band and school life. From engineering to biology majors, they have a lot on their plate and still manage to bring their all to practice and up on stage. Broussard said that when they play music together, it’s like an escape from the real world. 

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When they started, they were practicing almost every day of the week. When they weren’t practicing, they said that they were still thinking about the band. It’s the “best kind of homework you could ever do,” Morris said. 

“It’s way more exciting than Physics II,” Decker said. “I like playing rock and roll.” 

Decker said that finding a personable lead singer is one of the most important things about a band. Having people that get along and put in the work is what makes a band successful, he said. 

“I would say a lot of our success is due to Audrey,” Decker said. 

Tate referred to the group as her “Roman Empire” because of how much she thinks about it. If she hears a song, she says that she immediately wants to play it. When she sees a shirt, she thinks that they should make some for Foam Finger.

LSU Junior Luke Piskun has had the opportunity to see Foam Finger at one of their shows. 

“They have good covers to popular songs, and the performers are very energetic and interact with the crowd a lot,” Piskun said. 

Nights at the Grouse Room, hanging out backstage at Fred’s and even just riding home after gigs have made them more excited than their audiences for the path ahead of them. 

“This happens a lot when someone’s sounding really good, and we just kind of nod to each other,” Morris said. “It’s like, yeah, we’re doing this, and we’re doing this right.”

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