Today we’ve got a band that produce something a little different, probably a by-product of living in Bradford (editor disclaimer: lived there for 13 years). Here for your ProgPop delectation are Gurgles!
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We are all from Bradford, Yorkshire. It features a lot in our tunes.
How did you meet?
Well, two of us are siblings (Gus and Nan) and we’ve been racking our brains how we met Bradley and his drums. Magic we think.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Oh, at least 10 years – our first album came out in 2015, but as brother and sister we’ve been working on music things together since we were kids. Our folks, and extended family, were all musical playing lots of different sorts of music (jazz, rock, classical, music hall, choral etc.) so there were lots of chances to try things and listen to things.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Gus – a mate of mine used to occasionally call me Guggles so it was a derivative of that.
What are your influences?
There are loads of influences and all three of us like a real range of stuff. But probably Steely Dan, Deerhoof, Kraftwerk, The System, McCartney, loads of soul music and even a bit of prog, Yes, Robert Wyatt. Recently Ex Easter Island Head. And some out and out banging pop tunes.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
We are a bit unusual and don’t fit into any particular style. We tend get described as ProgPop! Pop music with hooks but funny time changes and unusual chord sequences. We’re a three piece – electric piano and keytar, bass and drums.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
A lot of it is extracted from stuff that’s happened to us over the years or stories that people have told me. We Like to fictionalise these a lot and reference books and films. Our subjects are often a bit off kilter! We’ve got a song about Yorkshire Water and a 26th century version of the Mallard steam train for instance.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We love playing live and have great fun and have done loads of gigs across the UK. Our live show? There is a good amount of dancing amongst the audience either with a keytar or a bell… let’s put it that way.
If you like what we do, consider joining us on Patreon for as little as £1 per month!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
Maybe not the wildest, but one of our most stressful was balancing one leg of the Fender Rhodes on a pile of bricks just off the stage. Permanent sense of danger that night – it’s heavy – a risk to anyone in the front row!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
Gus: Fender Rhodes piano into loads of pedals and a Leslie speaker, Keytar
Nan’s bass is a fretless, personalised “Nanofthenorth” Fender Precision copy
Bradley has a Premier kit with a lovely Ludwig Acrolite snare!
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
We have a brand new album out, Sogs and Songs, and the current single is “The Perfect Miss”. The album is available on Bandcamp both as a download or on limited edition vinyl which has the most amazing cover by artist Kenn Goodall. And it’s on all the usual streaming services of course. We’re really mighty pleased with it. It has taken a while to finish, even though the songs have been written for a while partly because of Covid getting in the way. But at last, it’s here along with a huge box of merch to go with it!
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
Promote the album and get some UK wide gigs in. And then, maybe, maybe, start the process of writing album three!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
APATT from Liverpool are always an inventive soup of cleverness. We like Echo Machine One from Bradford too!
Don’t fancy Patreon? Buy us a one-off beverage!
If you want to check out more new music, then fire up our Headline Act playlists on Spotify and YouTube!
Gurgles: facebook | twitter | instagram | spotify | bandcamp | youtube
