Sketchbook Interviews: Great Gable
There’s a lot of great music coming out of Western Australia right now - and Great Gable (Alex Whiteman, Matt Preen, Callum Guy & Chris Bye) are right at the forefront of it. After kicking off 2019 with a bang (capitalising off a huge 2018 where they sold out two national tours), the band’s back in their hometown, getting ready to release their debut full-length album. Their simple, yet extraordinarily beautiful music is unforgettable, and the perfect backdrop to an endless kind of summer. Check ‘em out on spotify here!
I’ve got a scribbled set-list from one of their shows in my room, so it felt like there was no better way to kick off our new ‘Sketchbook Interviews’ series than with Great Gable. We emailed them a print-out PDF and had them split up to sketch out answers to a stack of weird questions. Turns out, they can actually draw? Really well? And possess a sense of humour that made me laugh the whole time I was putting this together. Either way, hope it makes you fall in love with them as much as we did.
(P.S., if you don’t already know the publication POND, they’re some really cool people who are just as passionate about music as we are! This series is inspired by their games of Pictionary with bands. We love them very much, so make sure to check out their site and all the amazing content they produce! <3)
- Abby Strangward
Hey guys! So, 2018 was a huge year for you, and you kicked off 2019 with a bang. What would you say you’re most proud of, so far in your career as a band?
MATT: Hey! There are many things we’re proud of, from playing a sold out tour in New Zealand to making it to the airport on time. One of the things that we are proudest of is the fact that we’ve gotten to where we are completely off our own backs. We recorded our first EP on a super tight DIY budget and now one of those songs is about to hit 5 million streams on Spotify. We are also proud to be working with CanTeen to support young Australians affected by cancer, by providing them with free tickets to our shows in Australia.
You just wrapped up your first international tour (and completely sold it out, may I add!). What was that whole experience like?
ALEX: I think we’re still trying to wrap our heads around it to be honest. It’s an incredible feeling landing in another country knowing people are waiting to watch you play. I think New Zealand will always be a special place for us after that tour.
So far, you’ve released the 2 EPS and a handful of singles - can we expect a full album anytime soon?
CAL: We are looking to release our first album soon which we are pretty stoked about. We just been hanging out heaps and getting creative and writing new material. To put out a debut album is really exciting and daunting at the same time, but we’ve just been really enjoying the process at the moment. We love playing and writing new music and can’t wait to share it with everyone.
Who are your biggest influences?
CHRIS: As individuals, each of us have a pretty diverse range of artists and genres that influence our playing and approach to our given instrument! From Alternative Rock, to Jazz Fusion, Desert Rock, Folk and Drum and Bass. As a collective, recently we’ve all been cranking Matt Corby, Andy Shauf, King Krule, Arctic Monkeys, Deer Hunter, Alfa Mist and Anderson Pak to name a few...
What advice would you you give to a young, local Aussie band just starting out?
CHRIS: Say yes to every performance opportunity that comes your way in the early stages of gigging! You never know what one opportunity may lead to… Every gig, even ones that may seem significant at the time, may potentially have a person in the crowd that turns out to be important connection for your band further down the line!
