On the Record with Gallery One
Celebrating their debut single 'Rent Boy'
I love a band that makes unpredictable music. A group that refuses to be restricted by the boundaries of so-called genre(s) and embraces the sporadic and often uncontrollable nature of pure, untethered musicianship. I think that there’s so much value to be found in subverting the expectations of an audience, and I’m fascinated by bands like Kaurna Land/Adelaide’s War Room and Cagefly, as well as Naarm/Melbourne’s 00_ (“Double-O Nothing”), who share the remarkable capacity to introduce a groove that the audience can recognise and latch onto, before swiftly jumping into a new section, leaving listeners constantly on their toes.
Still relatively new to this underground scene of alternative bands is Gallery One, the experimental group formed on Kaurna Land at the back end of 2022. There’s a fascinating blend of emotions and sensations that one feels when listening to Gallery One: chaos, nostalgia, melancholy, warmth, claustrophobia, and ecstasy engulf their unique sound that, much like some of their primary influences, utterly resists characterisation and definition. Their music can be simultaneously chaotic and harmonious, fusing elements of post-rock, jazz, post-punk, and art-rock to create songs that are multi-sectional and feature unexpected changes in tempo, rhythm, and mood, building tension through repetition and variation before culminating in cathartic bursts of energy.
In February 2023, I saw Gallery’s debut gig at the Hotel Metro, where they were joined by War Room and Junk Harmony. I was instantly impressed by the band’s textural complexity and their dynamic range, which added a theatrical quality to their music, heightening the emotional impact of each song. Simply speaking, it was a sound I had not heard before. New to my ears entirely was this eccentric combination of distorted rhythm guitar, melodic lead guitar noodling, blaring trumpet, and vocals representative of their lyrical themes, oscillating from nonchalance to passionate explosiveness. At this point, I’d not yet come into contact with lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ethan Brandwood, striking though he was with his blonde mullet (since shaved off) and old-school rounded spectacles. I saw a handful of their follow-up shows but didn’t introduce myself to Ethan until August 26th, when The Empty Threats held their ‘Monster Truck Mondays’ album launch at Jive, supported by Gallery One and War Room. I remember standing up the front for Gallery’s performance and being dazzled by a particular song that I now recognise as their upcoming single ‘Rent Boy’. After their set, and a little drunk at this point, I spoke to Ethan outside about how that song had felt so personal, raw, and nostalgic. We also discussed bands like Black Country, New Road, Squid, and Black Midi, a selection of inimitable bands from the highly experimental South London music scene that have been influential on Ethan’s style.
A similar conversation took place when Ethan first met drummer Abbey Kerr. He’d gone to see Quebec Echo, a band that Abbey was drumming for at the time. The two bonded over their appreciation for the South London scene, and Ethan asked her to be in the band.
“I didn’t have an outlet for that kind of music, which I really enjoyed. So when Ethan came up to me and said he needed someone for Gallery One, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I finally get to play that style of music.” - Abbey
Despite officially starting the band with Abbey, Ethan first jammed the Gallery One songs with Louis Campbell, who he knew from high school. Louis would eventually join the band to play bass after two previous bassists had left the project. Ethan was excited to play in a band with Louis again, as the pair had played together in an indie-pop band during school, and Louis now praises Ethan for his resilience and persistence in maintaining what they say was an “unstable band for a while”.
In December 2023, Ethan established ‘Handsome Devil’, an “active take on the traditional blog, with a community that aims to unearth the personalities and works of its surrounding artists”. It’s more than apparent that Ethan has found within himself a deep appreciation and care for the arts scene in Adelaide, and I believe we share similar motivations surrounding our desires to write about local talent and provide platforms for artists. We met on February 7th at a café in Ebenezer Place to discuss the ways we could potentially collaborate in the future. Some of our ideas included interviewing artists and writing articles together, creating a short documentary for my Folk ‘N Words events, or collaborating with Louis, who, outside of playing in Gallery and War Room, runs a DIY record label called Caps Lock. Then Ethan told me about Gallery’s upcoming debut single, ‘Rent Boy’, and I offered to write an article about the band to coincide with the song’s release…which is, of course, what you’re reading now. After our meeting, Ethan sent me a link to listen to the latest mix of ‘Rent Boy’. I played it six times in a row on my walk home that day, and have not stopped listening since the official release on March 22nd. It’s a fantastic and beautiful song, full of unique guitar and trumpet arrangements, and introspective, resonant lyrics that I originally interpreted as representing the anxieties of growing up, becoming an adult, and feeling the need to adapt to adult expectations. I was later corrected, however, and told that they were extracted from the iconic opening monologue of Trainspotting.
“I watched the film, and I thought that monologue was so great that I had to use it in a song. Yeah, and I wrote the song…probably like the next day.” - Ethan
Perhaps my favourite part of the song is its conclusion, when Abbey, Blake, Louis, and Sean harmonise for the lyrics “Your heart, my heart”, and Ethan joins in halfway to sing the similar yet distinctive line, “Your heart in my heart”. To emotively enhance this outro are long trumpet blares, jazzed-up drums, and lead guitar melodies that are so delicate and graceful that I almost mistook them for piano notes. ‘Rent Boy’ features a plethora of unique sounds to be appreciated, such as the acoustic intro, screeching feedback, distorted riffs, and layered vocals, effectively demonstrating the idiosyncrasies of the band and their fascinating blend of styles. It’s one of my favourite songs to come out of the Adelaide alternative music scene in the last two-to-three years.
The following day I found myself in the band room at Ethan’s house, this intriguing amalgamation of a DIY studio and a storage room. Perched up on a wobbly chest of drawers with my back leaning against an old baby’s cot, I sat in on their practise while they ran through their set, taking note of how well they communicated and worked together as a collective, making little tweaks to certain sections when they felt like they were doing too much or that they could clean up the sound. They understand the music they are trying to create together, and are great listeners, willing to adapt and learn together.
“It's all for the musicianship. I think we all value musicianship over ego.” - Ethan
As demonstrated in the band room and on ‘Rent Boy’, Gallery One have a great understanding of timing, texture, and space when creating and playing their music. Many of the songs I heard during their practise featured dissonant intros swimming in feedback and noise, groovy yet unconventional rhythm, experimental lead guitar, and smooth transitions between alternating instrumental sections that shouldn’t make sense sonically but somehow do. Ethan’s lyrics are emotional and earnest, Louis climbs and slides up the neck of his bass, Blake creates interesting lead guitar arrangements and distorted droning sounds, and Abbey skilfully controls the feel, gliding along the kit with a look of total nonchalance and effortlessness.
It is important to note that Sean McGowan also plays with the Gallery, but couldn’t be present for the practise I sat in on. Sean plays in a number of other bands, including three-time SA Music Awards finalists Coldwave, and thus has to opt out of Gallery One gigs every now and then. Nonetheless, his trumpet playing, which can be heard on ‘Rent Boy’, adds an important melodic counterpoint to the textures and atmosphere of the band’s music.
After practise, we sat in a circle outside and discussed their journey as a band and their plans for future releases, including that of ‘Rent Boy’. As previously mentioned, the group bonded over a shared appreciation for the bands coming out of the polarising South London scene. But, as individuals, the members of Gallery One draw inspiration and creative output from a wide range of influences and backgrounds. Ethan is “in love” with King Krule, a musician whose vocal and rhythm guitar techniques can be heard throughout the songs of Gallery One.
“I've probably said this to you guys so many times, but the Live on the Moon set is really what got me going with music, vocals, live performance, trying to add unique things into live shows.” - Ethan
Louis had his musical coming of age through his band War Room, whose style falls between the realms of post-punk and experimental rock. He’s also worked with ambient music, collaborating with Luka Kilgariff and Jack Buenfield to create a movie soundtrack.
“I'm also interested in the textures that come from guitar, and I vicariously experience that through what Blake does in Gallery One” - Louis
In terms of his bass playing for Gallery, Louis prioritises rhythm over modes and scales, drawing from bossa nova to work out the rhythms that can fit between the drums to provide a contrast that complements the drumming techniques of Abbey, who (falsely) claims that she isn’t a drummer, but has experience with production through her undertaking of a music degree.
“I just really like textures. So when I got into drumming - I don't know how to drum per se - but I just kind of play textures. I just listen to what's happening and fill in where I think there should be more texture” - Abbey
Does Abbey’s experience with production play into her drumming style?
“I think so. When recording things, I like heaps and heaps of textures thrown together. I really love Yo La Tango and StereoLab. So I think, throughout my music degree I’ve played with a lot of different people, and it's just kind of learning to listen to what they're playing and fill in the spaces, rather than trying to come up with an interesting part that makes you shine. Filling in the gaps is how I view it…” - Abbey
“…You shine girl” - Ethan
One of the most ear-catching elements of the Gallery’s music is Blake Tabart’s melodic lead guitar. His style, which focuses more on melody than chords and draws from the solo work of Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s guitarist John Frusciante, has developed continually over the decade he’s spent playing guitar.
“I haven't fully got my head around [chords] yet. They're not completely my style, I guess. I've always found melodies easier. That's how I express myself through my guitar. I don’t do a whole lot of singing, like that didn't come naturally to me at first. So I kind of see myself as singing through the instrument.” - Blake
Blake also plays guitar for The Munch, a four-piece of high school friends whose frenetic sound resembles punk and garage but maintains authentic emotional value through fiery vocals and melodic lead guitar. Speaking about Blake, Ethan says he couldn’t have found someone “more in love with music” to be in the band.
I wanted to find out more about ‘Rent Boy’ and its creation. The song was engineered by Jack Medlyn, a talented musician and producer working with numerous bands in Adelaide.
What was it like recording with Jack?
“Recording with Jack is just like all about playfulness. Yeah, nothing's ever like too silly to not chase up.” - Louis
“He was so open to everything.” - Abbey
Ethan, who had recently published a Handsome Devil blog about Adelaide musician Aloe Vittoria, spoke about how a lot of bands can record in a studio and consequently sacrifice some of the music’s personality. However, due to his close friendship with Jack and their shared appreciation for the DIY ethos, Ethan believes that the personality of Gallery One shines through on the recording:
“When we weren't recording, we were doing something silly like dancing to the song or just fucking around. We could just be ourselves. I think I really want to go back to Jack. He's just great, and so polite.” - Ethan
“I think the sound we got recording with Jack from SwapMeet is that bedroom sound, bedroom art music? That's kind of what it is to me.” - Louis
After ‘Rent Boy’, the group will continue working on a future EP, with loose plans to travel to Victor Harbour to spend some time writing new material. Their single launch is scheduled for March 30th at The Metro, where they’ll be joined by Perfect 50 and Soria Moria. I find it beautifully poetic that they’ve decided to launch ‘Rent Boy’ at the venue that hosted their debut gig over a year ago now.
It’s incredibly exciting to continue watching this relatively new crop of South-London-influenced bands in Adelaide flourish and reach audiences with their unique and experimental sounds. Gallery One are a fantastic band that I’m eager to keep hearing, and ‘Rent Boy’ is a song I’ll have on repeat for the foreseeable future.
“We can't wait for this single to be out. We’ve spent a lot of time on it and I think it's my favourite thing that I've ever recorded, so I really hope that the passion and love that we put into it translates into the listener’s ears.” - Ethan
Funnily enough though, Gallery One have a foolproof plan for the unlikely scenario in which ‘Rent Boy’ doesn’t reach the heights they hope it will:
Louis: If we don't make it number one this year…
Ethan: We'll just change the name and go again. Gallery Two.
Abbey: Every single time. I want to make it to like Gallery 38 at least.
Ethan: Fuck, I'm going to be like 58 by then.
Louis: Why 58?
Ethan: Is it like every year? We change name every year.
Louis: We change every gig?
Ethan: Yeah, will we be going when we're in our 50s? Yes, probably. I wonder, maybe we'll all be living in different spots at that time.
Abbey: We can probably hologram to each other.
Ethan: Yeah, with the Apple goggles.
Virtual band practise via hologram sounds interesting, but I don’t believe that this hypothetical needs to become a reality. Congratulations to Gallery One on the release of ‘Rent Boy’ and good luck to them with their future endeavours, including reaching number one on the charts. Thanks again to Ethan, Louis, Abbey, and Blake for answering my questions and allowing me to hear your practise.
This article was written, recorded, and edited on the traditional lands of the Kaurna People. The Infinite Rise observes that Country is central to the social, cultural and spiritual lives of Aboriginal people. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be, Aboriginal Land.
Thanks for another great read Max
Tnx Max. Informative and a punchy read
Jq