Interview – The Gorgeous Chans

So, first things, who are The Gorgeous Chans?

We’re just 6-boys normally, although that expands and contracts from gig to gig! At the release there’ll be 8 of us, then at Rock City 9…

Where did the name of the band come from?

Aha! That is a trade secret which the 6 of us are committed to take to the grave I’m afraid!

How did you guys get started up?

Same as any band really… 4 of us met at school together and kinda started playing music, but then we picked up Brandon and Olli and things got a bit more serious… Although I’m not sure serious is the best way to describe us!!

How would you describe The Gorgeous Chans to anybody not familiar with you?

We’re a bit indie I guess? But then, not quite… I mean we kinda have a horn section and there’s loads of different influences all coming in from all over the place! Major one is world music, like Latin and African stuff is just so full of energy and so fun… We like to draw on that where we can!

Who are your influences, both as a band and individually?

Ooooft! Well, our band starting point was Paul Simon’s Graceland album – we wanted to do something with that sort of groove, hence our track Night in Graceland… Building on that influences have come from all over, Vampire Weekend, Talking Heads, David Byrne, Koo Nimo, The Boyoyo Boys… Just loads really!

When was your first gig and do you still remember how it felt that first time on stage?

I think we started like every band in Nottingham did, at one of The Maze’s Notts in a Nutshell nights! It was amazing, so many friends came to support us! That’s why we’re putting our EP Launch Party on at The Maze! It’s kinda nice to come full circle after just a year of playing together ~ And nice to thank the Maze for their support when noone else would put us on!

 Which have been your most memorable gigs to date?

Either the first gig we did at the Maze, or when we played Rescue Rooms in March! We loved being up on a stage where so many really good bands have played! It was just amazing!

You’re launching your new EP this week, what can you tell us about the record?

Well, we pretty much drove the guys who recorded us to distraction by the end of it with all the “one more take”s and “what if we do that on a Saxophone”s haha! But we’re pretty darn happy with how it’s turned out! It sounds a lot more crisp and finished than our last EP does! We just can’t wait to see what people think!

Can you tell us about what you have lined up for the Launch Party, which takes place at The Maze on Thursday?

We have 4 top acts supporting us, and we’re gonna be playing with a bigger line up than we’ve ever played with before! Got ourselves a trumpet and a tenor sax on board, and if rehearsals are anything to go by, we’re gonna sound even bigger than usual!

You’ve put together a great line up for the show, you must be really pleased?

We are! We’ve played with Georgie and Joe several times, and they’ve always been brilliant, so they were the first names on our list to get! We were a tad worried because Cheshire and the Cat, who were down to play it originally, dropped out.. But then the interest from Clay Shaped Boy and The Skunk-Boy Project has made us even more excited for the night!

You must be excited to get the EP out there and hear the feedback?

We’re a tad nervous to see what people think of it! But people who’ve tuned in to hear it on the radio, when it was played on Hermitage FM or The Beat on BBC Radio Nottingham, have all said that it’s sounding good! So yeah, our nerves have been settled a bit and we’re excited!

You are also in the final of the Future Sound of Nottingham competition, which is this Sunday, you must be really looking forward to that?

We can’t wait! We’re really looking forward to getting up on a stage which so many acts who we admire have played! We’ve got a boss keys player on board to play the night, so hopefully our sound will be big enough to match the venue!!

The calibre of entrants this year has been very strong, as always, you must be extremely pleased to have made it to the final?

Yeah! I mean we can’t really believe how we’ve managed to scrape through by the skin of our teeth! It’s gonna be one hell of a bill to be on!

You will be performing on the Rock City main stage, that must be something of a dream come true?

Yeah! Considering a year ago we’d just played our first gig, we can’t really believe it! In fact, there’s an interview we did with Entertainment Nottingham in October says how our dream is to play Rock City… So for that to be happening now is just a bit unbelievable really!

The prize is the chance to open the main stage at Splendour this month, that would be pretty damn exciting?

We’re just trying to get over playing Rock City at the moment! It’s a bit crazy knowing that there’s a chance that’s on the cards!!

All in all then you have a busy few days coming up, but what about after this weekend?

We’re gigging all through July, got gigs at a Festival in Orston, at Rescue Rooms and then playing Deerstock on the 27^th! But I think Monday will be a day where the whole band will have a collective lie in!

With all this going on finding time to chill and relax is important, how do you guys like to unwind off stage?

We tend to lie in gardens when it’s sunny, but then it’s always fun to play tropical club remixes of our own tracks haha!

Finally, anything else you’d like to say to the NottinghamLIVE readers?

I guess we hope you like our stuff, and hopefully we’ll see you on Thursday! J

Interview by Darren Patterson

For more on The Gorgeous Chans check them out on Facebook