Q&A with Alex Gow
Oh Mercy front man Alex Gow teams up with Dan Kelly for the Australian Dreamers Tour playing old and new tracks, sharing stories, and paying homage to some of their Australian heroes. From Neil Young to the Triffids, this "part time Rainmain” spills the beans on some of his musical influences.
By Liz Trevaskis
What was the first concert you ever went to?
Neil Young, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, 2003. I was 15. Mum took me. She bought me a t-shirt – it was awesome.
What’s your favourite album of all time?
The Triffids’ Born Sandy Devotional. Why? Well, it’s hard to put it into words. But I’ll try. Firstly, falling in love with this album coincided with falling in love with songs, and the idea of writing them myself. I was probably 16 and I had been listening to Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen nonstop for a year or so. I adored them. It struck me that The Triffids were into Dylan and Cohen as well but had managed to introduce their own individual style into their music. Born Sandy Devotional is Dylan meets the Talking Heads meets Television married with icy cold ‘80s chorus guitars and reverb soaked synths. It’s mysterious, romantic, menacing, evocative and smart. I’m 28 now – David McComb was 23 when he wrote that album.
Finish this sentence. My friends would describe me as...
Part time Rainman. I tend to sway between easy-breezy and creative, into Spock/Rainman territory. Sleep, exercise and latte consumption dependent.
Whose posters did you have stuck to the wall when you were a teenager?
Blondie. Do I still have them? I sure as hell do.
Describe your sound in three words.
Post-Stadium-Lounge.
RAILWAY CLUB | ALEX GOW & DAN KELLY | SUN 5 JUN | 7PM | $25 + BF
