Welcome to the Glorious North is the Melbourne four-piece's debut album. Following up last year's EP Dang!, Welcome to the Glorious North. Tomatrax caught up with Cameron Peterson from the band to ask a few questions.
How did the band form?
PJ (singer) and Tele Dee (guitar) formed the band when they got sick of just drinking in bars when they thought they ought to be playing and drinking in them.
Where did the name The Glorious North come from?
We all reside in the inner northern suburbs of Melbourne, Australia. We're quite parochial about it too.
You've just released your debut album, what's it like to have it out?
It's great! It's more of a sense of achievement than we anticipated. It's a monument to the generosity of our family and friends, the talents of our collaborators and the determination of our drinking.
What made you pick 'No soul to save' as the album's single?
Mainly feedback from people more objective and sober than us. And it has fiddle and oohs and aaahs in it, which is pretty damn cool.
Just like your previous EP you've used your name in the album's title, is this going to be a recurring theme going forward?
Hmmm.... Hadn't thought of it like that but why not? Could be a fun theme to run with .... 'Drying out with The Glorious North'
You'll be touring Australia in support of the album, what can fans expect from your shows?
Tight, energetic performances but, above all, a fun show to watch. We have some pretty dark themes in our lyrics but there's a wryness to it all, it's not earnest. People often tell us listening to The Glorious North makes them feel good. So come to a show and leave feeling better than you did when you arrived.
When writing what comes first, the music or the words?
Generally, melodies come first. And that sort of informs what the song will be about - if it sounds up and jumpy or dark and sombre, the lyrics will follow the theme set by the melody and the rhythm.
Do you ever listen to your own music?
Only when drunk.
What music do you listen to?
Oh heaps of stuff. We run through classic country of Johnny Cash and Hank and Patsy Cline to guitar heavy indie bands of the 90s like Gin Blossoms or Buffalo Tom. I know PJ's been listening to a lot of 80s rap recently.
What do you have planned after your upcoming shows?
New material! Gotta start working on the songs for that 'Drying out with The Glorious North' album.
