“It was really bizarre hearing how you’d touched so many lives.”
– Ian Ball
[Rewind 2011]
Gomez Interview
BIG things were predicted for Gomez when their debut album ‘Bring It On’ beat The Verve and Massive Attack to win the Mercury Music Prize in 1998, yet they seemed to disappear from the public eye as quickly as they had shot into it.
For anyone wondering “where are they now?” the short and slightly generalised answer is America – where they’ve done bloody well for themselves.
Their last album went to number one in the US Heatseeker charts and it will be a major surprise if their next effort doesn’t break the top 100 Billboard chart.
Now they’re back with a brand new sound but, bizarrely, also back where they started with a ‘Bring It On’ 10th anniversary tour.
Vocalist, guitarist and co-songwriter Ian Ball talks to Richard Gadsby about reliving the past, looking to the future and headless armadillos …
As interviews go, it’s probably the most bizarre introduction we’ve ever heard.
“Hi, it’s Ian. His head’s come off! They’ll be crying now. It’s my kid. He loves that armadillo. You know what we’ll do? Gaffer tape. That’s the best thing for it. Gaffer tape it back on. Actually, he’ll probably just get bored of it now. He’ll forget he had it in ten minutes. I’d love one of them butterscotch cookies.”
Welcome to the world of rock star/new dad Ian Ball, one of the chief creative forces behind Bluesy experimentalists Gomez, who is currently trying to juggle the joys of fatherhood, his wife’s baking and band promotion duties all at the same time.
I phone him at his home in Los Angeles as he prepares for Christmas and the band’s upcoming tour of Australia.
“I’ve only spoken to English people over there today,” he reveals. “We’re recolonising Australia. So where are you from then? Derby? That’s where big Ben’s from.”
I explain that Ben Ottewell, the gravelly voiced Gomez singer/ guitarist, lives in one of the posher areas of Derbyshire while I was raised ten minutes down the road in a shithole called Ripley, best known for a giant masturbating snowman that formed part of the Christmas decorations a few years ago.
“Sounds about right for Ben,”
laughs Ian and the interview begins.
What can we expect from the new album ‘New Tide’?
I’m really excited by it. It’s the first time we’ve completed an album and I’ve kept listening to it for weeks afterwards. With the last album, we wanted to capture the energy of our live shows. With this one, we’ve gone the other way. We figured it was about time we delved into programming and all this computer business. Every sound you hear on the album has been produced. It’s all gone through a computer.
Gomez There’s the headline. Gomez go Nu Rave.
Haha! It’s kind of European influenced. Have you heard that German band The Notwist? That’s the closest thing I can think of.
Weren’t you tempted just to do another version of (last album) ‘How We Operate’ after the success it had in America?
It would have been easier but we like to keep things interesting, we’re always looking to progress and programming was our way of doing that with this album. We always try to do something different, you can always learn.
There’s been two weddings and four kids in the band in the last 18 months. Does that come across on ‘A New Tide’?
It doesn’t come through in the songs one bit! There’s no love songs, no lullabies, nothing like that. I’m not sure why.
Escapism?
You’re probably right. It was great just to head to Chicago and make music again like we always have. And the food in Chicago is great as well which, obviously, is very important.
What would be your ideal Christmas present this year?
All I want is a few more hours in the day – just to sleep. That’s the big thing. I just want sleep. I need sleep. I’d give anything just to have that. That or $4000 million.
If you had $4000 million you could probably buy a few extra hours. Just hire Stephen Hawking to build a time machine.
That would be perfect! All I need now is the $4000 million.
You’ve been celebrating the anniversary of ‘Bring It On’ by touring it again. Was it weird playing the old songs?
It was really weird. Really surreal. That album just seems to take people back to a certain time and we weren’t prepared for the reaction. We didn’t know what to expect at the gigs – whether they’d dance or just listen or what, but people just talked. They just stood there and talked about their memories. I’d meet them after the shows and they’d tell me what the album meant to them at the time. It was really bizarre hearing how you’d touched so many lives.
‘Bring It On’ reminds me of Glastonbury 1999, going over the wall for the last time, Tijuana Lady playing while the sun sets.
That’s exactly the sort of thing we were hearing. People got together to that album, they’d play songs from it at their wedding. It’s incredible to find out about these things ten years later. It really felt like high school reunion time.
Do you think you’ll still be going in another ten years?
I don’t think my body could take another ten years. No really. I honestly think it would kill me!
Over the years, we got to speak to various band members as they toured Australia regularly and the magazine readers were big supporters. Gomez were a band I discovered back in school, so to be able see them in Australia and be promoting the tour was an incredible experience.
Gomez Gigs
Gomez Discography
Follow Gomez on Insta
[Fast Fwd 2012]
Accidentally named after a close friend of the band, Gomez have grown up together through the years to become award-winning musicians, receiving a Mercury Prize as well as an NME and Q Magazine Award. This October they find themselves back on Australian turf to play their newest release ‘Whatever’s on Your Mind’ alongside previous tracks to the eagerly-awaiting Aussie crowds. Frankie Salt talks to Olly Peacock of the band to give us a sneak peek into just what life would throw at us should we step into a Gomez shoe.
So… it’s 2012… you guys have been working your socks off and making music that we have heard since you were signed in 1997, how long before this were you making music and how has this year been compared to the rest?
I began with piano around 7-years-old. Later Ian and myself played in a band (pre Gomez) from the age of 15, and we played for about 5 years before we got signed. 2012 has seen us return to Europe and play some countries for the first time in ages. It was a great feeling to return to Italy and have such overwhelming feedback after 8 years away. The rest of the year we’ve been touring in the States and considering our next moves…
How did it feel to win the Mercury Prize, NME and Q magazine award not long into your musical career?
It was great and surreal! We had no expectations of selling records in the first place, never mind receiving awards. We took it in our stride and prevented ourselves from getting carried away with so many accolades. There was a massive learning curve to our career and we handled it alright, but we could have done with some help steering ourselves through the music business. I think our favourite award was from Q magazine. It was a video presentation from John Lee Hooker, he was holding the ‘Bring It On’ CD in his hand and said, “I have listened to this record…and I can find no defects!” haha!
When you had a fair few setbacks in the early days with issues with your record label and Virgin, did you ever feel despondent and feel like you would give up? How did you gain control again?
I think we’ve all wanted to give up at different points of our career….our fourth album being one of these times. This was the second record in a row being released coinciding with record label lay offs and staff dropping like flies. We had ‘In Our Gun’ and ‘Split The Difference’ lose momentum and the band itself were stretched with Ian moving to the States. We asked to be dropped from Virgin and went without a label for a year, which felt surprisingly liberating. We returned to the States to a great reaction and decided to focus our attentions on touring there. We released a live record and then signed to ATO Records. Our next record ‘How We Operate’ went on to be our biggest selling record in the US.
Where are you all living now? Is it true that you split the band between the UK and the US?
I’m in Brooklyn, Ian is in Los Angeles and Ben, Tom and Blackie are in Brighton, UK.
With there being five members, do you ever disagree on the production? How did you come to make an album using only your iPhones in the back lounge of the tour bus from Calais to Köln? Who’s genius idea was this?
We tend to agree on production but can have diverging opinions on songs! ‘The Final Keep Me Up’ songs had morphed out of playing with apps on tour and one night in the UK we had enough time to experiment. We finally plugged in together through a mixer and recorded live. It was hilarious. We chose specific apps for each song, predetermined the style and maybe how long it would last, then pressed record. I think it was the first iPhone/iPod record only using apps!
Tell me about “Operation Aloha”, sounds like a right good old crack!
It was an idea formed by a good friend of ours Chris Wray McCann, a photographer from LA. Chris had shot many bands over the years and wanted to gather everyone in one place and see what might happen. He chose Maui, Hawaii as the destination. We stayed in tree houses and a main house to record with the small amount of instruments and gear we could bring. The days were spent surfing, hanging at the beach, eating and then recording at night. “Operation Aloha” was the outcome of mad experiment by our friend!
How did the band come together and where did the name Gomez arise from?
Ian and myself were born 3 days apart and know each other from our parents meeting in the Hospital. We grew up together later forming a band who recorded, but only played a handful of shows. At college we started playing with Tom and Blackie for fun, making a few recordings. A couple of years later Ian met Ben at University and sent us a tape of him playing ‘Stagger Lee’. We were blown away with his voice and knew we had to have him in the band!
I have read that you played your first ever gig at the Hyde Park Social Club in Leeds which was my local for five years and a great venue – where has been your favourite venue to date?
This is the night which led to the accidental naming of the band. A friend of Ben’s named Jason Gomez was coming to the show and we hung a sign saying “GOMEZ” on the door…people mistook it to be the band’s name, since we didn’t have one it fell into place. I’m not sure if we had any other real options! We liked how ambiguous it was. Kind of stupid too! One of my favourite and memorable shows to date is Cockatoo Island in Sydney. We played a hanger on the island and the fans were just mental that day. We couldn’t put a foot wrong.
Tracks such as ‘Hangover’ have a very distinct sound- what instruments and programs did you use to produce tracks such as this?
As best as I remember we used very little on this track. It’s mostly live and recorded to tape, simple, old school!
To have released seven albums and have had the level of success you guys have had, do you feel the pressure is forever being turned up with everything you produce? How many albums can we expect from you?
I personally felt the pressure on the last record…I’m always striving to better what we have done before but it’s a very difficult process. I have no idea how many albums we have left in us…never have!
When you go to sleep at night and dream, who is ideally on stage with you singing your music?
The rest of my band! Pretty cool if Efterklang or Grizzly Bear showed up though.
What is your favourite day of the week and why?
Thursday at the moment. Seems like I get a little clarity by that point in the week!
What do you guys get up to when you’re not in the studio?
I see show/concerts, eat out, travel, photograph, and have wonderful days out with my little boy!
You have your tour of Australia coming up soon, where are you most looking forward to playing and visiting?
I don’t want to say one place and get flack, jeez! We love all of Australia, ha! Melbourne is pretty cool…and Sydney, and Brisbane….don’t forget Cairns! S’all good.
Here’s to the rest of 2012, what can we look forward to hearing from you lot?
We’re taking a break after this last tour. I don’t expect we’ll make any Gomez music for a number of years. In the meantime Ian has a solo record he’s working on and I’ll hopefully be releasing my masterpiece next year.
Prepare for quick fire!
Where do you stand on Marmite?
I’ll have it once in a blue moon.
Heavy Metal or Classical?
Both.
Do you moisturise?
Depends on what I’m moisturising!?
High fives or handshakes?
Shake Fives.
By Frankie Salt
[Fast Fwd 2013]
Gomez – Ben Ottewell Solo Tour Interview
Probably best known as Gomez’s most distinctive vocalist, the 2011 release of critically-acclaimed debut album ‘Shapes and Shadows’ saw Ben Ottewell step out as a solo star in his own right. The record was markedly more moody and melancholic than any Gomez offering, and highlighted his songwriting skills and the true range of his gravelly tones to perfection. We caught up with the Mercury Prize winner ahead of his upcoming national tour across Australia.
Hi, Ben, how are you? Where in the world are you right now?
I’m fine, I’m at home in Brighton, in the UK.
What first sparked your interest in music would you say?
I guess hearing it! And probably the records of my mum and dad, listening to old Beatles and Rolling Stones’ records. Also, having an older brother and sister who listened to all the 80s new rave stuff kinda made go straight to the 60s stuff!
Who or what would you say has been your biggest influence?
I don’t really know; it’s hard to understand what directly influences you. Musically, probably Led Zeppelin, weirdly enough, just because they were the first band I really fell in love with. I say Led Zeppelin, however, the music I make never really sounded like Zeppelin, so whether that is an influence or not is…strange. Things influence you in very indirect ways; it’s very hard to pin down. Sometimes, I’ll be writing a song, thinking it’s about one thing, and then I’ll be relearning it again for a gig a few years later and be like ‘oh, that’s what that was about!’ And, of course, there’s my kids, my wife, where I live, people I meet… There’s all sorts of things that influence me and it’s never really clear until they come out in a song.
That was what I was gonna ask next, actually, if you thought being a dad had any influence on your music?
Oh, yeah! I’m sure it does, in some way. The last solo record, ‘Shapes and Shadows’, was definitely spawned by the lullaby – singing to the boys, trying to get them off to sleep. Hopefully the album hasn’t put too many people to sleep…
Do your family get to come on the road with you?
No, they don’t; it’s just too expensive. Plus, it’d be hard work for my wife, I don’t think she’d enjoy it too much!
How do you strike the balance between playing what fans will want to hear with your own preferences, what you’d like to play?
There’s certain things that I’ll play that I know will go down well. But, yeah, it’s a tough one! And with Gomez, there’s also balancing what everyone else in the band wants to play. There’ll be a core of the set that we have to play for the fans and then we just add a few in, some tunes we’ve not played for a while. For the last few Gomez tours, we got online and asked people to choose their top 10 songs and, whichever were the favourites of those, we’d play – that was fun. Playing solo is kind of the same thing, just making sure I’m not playing the same things as last time or doing exactly the same set.
You’re over in Australia for an extensive solo tour, starting this month. Looking forward to being back in Oz?
Oh, yeah, definitely! I always have a really good time in Australia. It must be the fifteenth time or something I’ve been down there, so it’s real familiar. It’s just a very easy place to be.
Where’s your favourite place to go in Australia?
Well, I was gonna say Sydney because that’s where I’ve got the most friends, but I really like Melbourne. We spent a bit of time in Margaret River, as well, on a Gomez tour – that was great. We just hired a big house by the beach and drunk wine for like three days, which was fabulous.
Do you have a particular favourite venue?
It’d have to be the Metro Theatre in Sydney because Gomez has had great shows there. And we played Palace Theatre in Melbourne, which was really good. It’s the closest thing to Shepherd’s Bush Empire that I’ve played in Australia.
Would you say there’s a difference between UK and Oz crowds?
Yeah, I think there is. Funnily enough, the Australian crowd is kind of like the Irish crowd, particularly with the band – they like to drink a lot! It’s a bit different when I’m down there solo, it’s a lot calmer than a Gomez show.
Do you still see the guys from Gomez when you’re not working on anything?
Yeah, totally! Tom [Gray] and Blackie [Paul Blackburn] live in Brighton as well, so I see them quite regularly. We usually go to the pub. And I just did a solo tour of the States, so saw Ian [Ball] and Ol [Olly Peacock] when I was out there.
If you could put together a super group, dead or alive, who would be in it?
Wow, that’s an interesting one. I’m gonna put Jimmy Page and John Bonham in there, definitely! Let’s have a double bass player! Danny Thompson on bass, let’s get Raymond Manzarek on keys, Nina Simone singing, and my mate John Smith on acoustic guitar. Oh, and we’ll have an orchestra as well! The London Philharmonic Orchestra and Charlie Mingus’ horn section. God, that band is guaranteed to sound terrible!
Is there anyone you haven’t worked with yet that you’d love to?
Christ, loads of people! I would like to work with Tom Waits, but that’s never gonna happen! That’d be great, though.
Are there any new artists that you’d recommend keeping an eye on?
A guy called John Smith, who just released a record called ‘Great Lakes’, he’s really good. And this UK band Diagrams that I also really like.
Your cover of Rihanna’s ‘Only Girl (in the World)’ is brilliant, can I just say, I didn’t know it was possible for such a song to be given depth!
Well, no…it’s a good tune, though! I just thought I’d do something really out of the ordinary. Actually, if you break it down – to the way it’s arranged – it’s a really good song. I’m quite happy I did that.
Do you always do unexpected covers or was that a one-off?
That was a one-off, but I might start doing more. It’s pretty good fun! Maybe I’ll put that one in the set, actually.
And can we expect a new album from you in the near future?
Yeah, I’m about two thirds of the way through writing one! It’s just gonna be a solo one whilst the band are having a bit of a break for a couple of years. I’m looking to record it maybe later in the year… But, yeah, it’s well on the way.
By Esther Anyakwo