Already a household name in their native Australia, Gang of Youths are making their way around the world. Known for front man Dave Le’aupepe’s charismatic and intense performance style, with songs ranging from indie rock crowd pleasers to songs about fear, depression and finding hope after losing it, the band are making a name for themselves in the U.K. – having supported Sam Fender on some of his recent tour dates.
Their next effort, Angel in Realtime, is a beautifully personal and deeply emotional look into the life and legacy of Le’aupepe’s father whilst also delivering the indie-rock sound that the band are known for.
I caught up with Max Dunn, the bassist of the Australian indie-rock band, with just a little under a week to go until the release of their latest album Angel in Realtime.
Fresh from rehearsals, his excitement for the band’s impending release is evident. Whether discussing the long process of creating an album, or touring with a recent Brit Award winner, Dunn – much like his bandmates – has an infectious but thoughtful enthusiasm.
The Indiependent: Hi Max, how’s it going?
Dunn: Great, thanks!
The Indiependent: The band’s new album Angel in Realtime comes out next week (February 25th), how are you all feeling ahead of its release?
Dunn: It took us ages! Dave started writing demos four years ago but we’ve been recording non-stop for over two years. There’s a gigantic relief and it’s really exciting!
The Indiependent: How would you say Angel in Realtime compares to your previous releases?
Dunn: It’s definitely a big change. It’s our most musically ambitious. There are influences the band has wanted to use for a long time that we didn’t have the balls (or the opportunity) to do and we had to go through a crazy process to get to this record. You’ll hear U.K. garage and other influences throughout. It’s also our first-ever record where we’ve heavily featured samples, like David Fanshawe’s indigenous recordings and Pasifika and Māori vocalists.
That’s one side of it but it’s a personal record (about Dave’s Dad). It’s existential, it’s a story about a boy and his Dad. It’s been a creative process because we’ve had all this time to produce it.
The Indiependent: My favourite track on the new album has to be ‘The Returner’, what’s the band’s favourite?/ what track(s) are you most excited about performing live?
Dunn: Personally, I love that track. All of our releases have these moments where you get Dave’s personality and sass, ‘The Returner’ has heart. It’s an intensely sad song but it’s weirdly fun and hopeful. Tom’s work with the orchestra is incredible. It’s a weird track and it’s going to be fun to try and pull that one off live as well!
The Indiependent: Speaking of performing live, you supported Sam Fender on some of his tour dates recently, how was that? Any interesting/funny stories you can share?
Dunn: We loved it! Anyone who’s hung out with enough Geordies knows they’re the coolest fucking people. Sam is so chill and it was a side of England I’d never seen before. He’s like a Beatle, he’s so famous. I’m really proud of him and we were grateful to be on his shows to be honest.
The Indiependent: You’re back on the road next month, how are you feeling about performing the new album? What do you want the audience to get from it?
Dunn: I literally just left rehearsals! It’s been fun (putting everything together), it’s extremely complex but I’m really excited to see how people respond, particularly to the garage-y moments. It’s going to be really fun to play in front of a live audience and hopefully create an experience people can get lost in a way we haven’t been able to before. The new stuff is more musical with a lot of nuances, so we’ll have to really listen to each other.
Some of our old shows were full throttle. This one is still going to have the rock show aesthetic but it’ll be a little bit more nuanced. We’re excited to see how people respond. That always happens, you make a record and get surprised which tracks become cult favourites. It’s fun seeing which tracks pop.
The Indiependent: Any pre-show rituals?
Dunn: We have pre-show rituals but they’ll remain secret (laughs). We’re all mates so we have a lot of quirky inside jokes. We have rituals but we’ll have to keep them secret!
The Indiependent: Thanks for your time, Max! Any final words for The Indiependent?
Dunn: We appreciate your support and we hope we can get people down to shows and put something memorable together.
Interview conducted by Jen Rose
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