Taken from the ‘Wild Garlic’ EP released through Bingo Records
London’s Wesley Gonzalez releases new single and video ‘Dress Rehearsal’, taken from his latest EP, Wild Garlic. The accompanying video, featuring the band and directed by Daniel Nellis (aka Charles Howl), started life as a scribbled list of demands sent by Wesley to his manager and record label: access ride-on lawnmower, big field, shredding legal papers, smoking loads of dope. Various strings were pulled, and the necessary film was made, capturing a psychedelic visual jarring with pop production, and focusing on the theme of criminal double lives. On the music, Wesley said: “Dress Rehearsal is kind of an anthem for my mothers’ side of the family, where there is a rich history of crime, violence, alcoholism and mental illness. I remember police raids from my childhood; I’d be eating fish fingers whilst the cops were knocking down doors looking for uncles. My mother did her best to shield me from a lot of it directly but she’d always recount mad stories about crimes they had committed, sometimes funny, sometimes scary! Fights they’d had, people being on the run. “Hearing these stories had a big impact on how I see the world and this is my first time analysing it in my music. Musically, I wanted to write a song that had the vibe you’d get with a lot of 1980’s sophisti-pop bands when they would try and emulate the psychedelic 1960s. Records where the production doesn’t really meet in the middle and creates a jarring quality that really appeals to me.” Wild Garlic – a four-track EP – sees Gonzalez recording with a full band, with the aim of capturing a sound as close to his live shows as possible, for the first time since he played in his earlier band Let’s Wrestle. Production was handled by Jamie Neville (Puma Rosa) and Ben Romans Hopcraft (Warmduscher, Childhood, Insecure Men) at Teeth Studios in Northwood Junction. Of the EP, Wesley added: “I have been blessed with a new lineup of fantastic musicians to accompany me on the road, we started referring to the band as Wild Garlic and the camaraderie and talent of the band has had a direct effect on how I chose to record this EP.” The EP is the first release by Gonzalez on Sheffield-based independent record label Bingo Records (The Bug Club, Melin Melyn, Mr Ben & the Bens). ‘Dress Rehearsal’ is released by Bingo Records.
Director: Danny Nellis
Drone footage: Joe Watson
Live Dates:
Tickets: https://linktr.ee/wesleygonzalez
AUG:
Thu 24th – Glastonferret Festival, Preston
Fri 25th – Sumerhall, Edinburgh (supporting BC Camplight)
Sat 26th – Future Now, Birkenhead
OCT:
20th/21st – Left of the Dial, Rotterdam, NL
Tue 31st – Bingo Records Halloween Party, Crookes Social Club, Sheffield
NOV:
Wed 1st – Low Four Studio, Manchester
Thu 2nd – Bobiks, Newcastle
Fri 3rd – The Grayston Unity, Halifax