Say No To Novo's

The Gooch Palms

Rabblerousers in arms Gooch Palms – Leroy Macqueen and Kat Friend – have managed to tread the fine line between shambolism and the sublime with aplomb, flirting with both, giving in to neither. This ebb and flow is testament to the duo's commitment to their craft, its narrow niche, and the bountiful ways they've found to stretch its boundaries. This extends to their often outrageous live shows. That said, it isn't as overt to Macqueen.

“Everyone tends to see this tightrope effect of how we play and write songs, but I don't really see it,” he explains. “I'm interested in this though, and this interest keeps me doing what I'm doing. Yet live everything is pretty controlled – we know what we're doing. The only time things go pearshaped, and this rarely happens now, is when I've had a few too many. I love getting nude, and if I could do it every day I probably would. I don't tend to drink before shows anymore though, because I love playing. I don't want things to be out and out shit, I don't want to forget the shows either. It's what we live for really. That, and the photographer's face when he realises his photos all contain penises and can't be printed.”

After a series of delectably unhinged smaller releases, Gooch Palms are ready to release their debut album,  Novo's. It's perfect testament to the idiosyncratic world that Macqueen and Friend inhabit, fuelled by their love of having fun amidst the sometimes volatile musical landscape of their hometown. It's such a strong influence that the album title and songs like Hunter Street Mall are direct touchstones to the city.

“In the past we've written about stupid things, like cockroaches or space. But this time we wrote about living in Newcastle, because you can get really pissed off so why not write about what happens around you every single day? It's not a theme record, yet I can't understand why there aren't more albums about the place. My dad showed me one novelty song written about Hunter Street but there isn't much else. It's the greatest place to get inspired by getting pissed off. Silverchair never wrote about living here – they really missed their opportunity.”

The band won't be resting on their laurels though – Macqueen admits it's inherently impossible to do so. “My phone is so chock-a-block with songs that I've recorded that I have to upload them to iTunes every three weeks to get space back,” he enthuses. “Whenever Kat leaves the house I go straight to the front room and start jamming. Whether it sounds shit or not, I record demo after demo after demo. It can be one song a week or two songs a day, depending on how I'm feeling. I'll show it immediately to Kat, she'll say yay or nay, and we go from there.”