Newcastle Band Making It Big

by Michelle Iacono on October 6, 2011

If you’re a Novocastrian who follows the local music scene, there is probably a chance that you’ve come across home-grown Newcastle boys, The Havelocks. With a style reminiscent of the good old days of rock and roll and an attitude to match, The Havelocks will have you captivated with their engaging vocals and catchy melodies.

The Havelocks are; Lennie Tranter (vox, lead guitar), Jay Piper (vox, acoustic guitar), Craig Whibley (rhythm guitar, back-ups), Lawrence De Sylva (bass), and Luke Tweedie (drums). Playing locally since they formed in 2008, The Havelocks have established a dedicated following throughout Newcastle. They have developed their sound and live show headlining regularly at local pubs and clubs, as well as playing gigs in Sydney, Port Macquarie, Armidale and other regional areas of New South Wales. In September 2010 the band released their debut, five-track EP “Words”, and in 2011 played along side acts such as The Seabellies and Bluejuice at New Beginnings Festival.

On the 8^th of October 2011 The Havelocks will be launching their new EP ‘In The Valley Low’ with a show at the newly renovated Great Northern Hotel Newcastle with special guests Post Paint and The Family Clam, before heading off on their first east coast tour of Australia.

This week, I got to ask Lennie, Jay and Lawrence about their new EP, their upcoming tour, one of the band member’s tongue-on-cheek antics (yes, you read that right), and what we can expect from the Havelocks in the future.

Describe the sound of your new EP.

Lennie: The intention was to make something a bit psychedelic and flowing. It turned out not very psychedelic at all, but it does flow well. It’s a mixture of old rock’n’roll, 90s Britpop and big choruses.

You have said that ‘Words’ was an ‘exposé showcasing the different styles and influences of the group at the time’. What or who would you say your main influences were when making ‘In The Valley Low’?

Lennie: The bands that influence the music hasn’t changed from the first one; The Beatles, The Kinks, Oasis. ‘Words’ was more a general take on those influences. ‘In The Valley Low’ is more specific. It’s us trying to make songs from 1969.

Lawrie: We worked together better on this one. With the bass, I tried to be more melodic.

Jay: Yeah, there’s more collective input on this. As far as my contribution, I was pushing myself more vocally.

Do you have any apprehension heading into your first east coast tour?

Lawrie: Losing Craig the next day.

Jay: Not really. I mean, you always want people to come to the gigs, that’s it though.

Lennie: It’s pointless being apprehensive; we’re just looking forward to it. Jay’s right though; you hope that people will turn up. But we’ll play to the barmaid if that’s our audience.

What can we expect from the live show?

Lennie: We’ve been experimenting more with the songs in rehearsal. Whatever the basic groove of the song is, we’re focussing on getting that across.

Jay: For those who’ve seen us before, it’s a tidier, more confident sound. Craig may do his Tom Jones impersonation, but you never know what to expect of Craig on any night.

What is with the face licking? How did it start? (Craig has a tendency to lick unsuspecting punters)

Lawrie: It all started circa 1984.

Jay: Craig was born. Just to clarify, we don’t all lick faces.

Lennie: Craig’s easily over stimulated. When he has a few drinks he gets excited and turns into Jim Morrison. No cheek is safe. For the record, Craig, we had nothing to do with this question. Obviously the public needs an answer.

What do you like and/or dislike about the music scene in Newcastle?

Jay: I like it, there’s a lot of talent in Newcastle. But there’s a lack of outlets for artists, there’s only a limited amount of places for people to do their thing.

Lawrie: Live music is being taken over by DJs.

Jay: That’s what’s being pushed down kids’ throats.

What can we expect from you in the near future?  Do you think you will keep touring and playing live gigs, or do you want to spend some time making an album?

Lennie: Well we’re recording the EP launch, so if it comes off alright there’ll be some songs from that on iTunes. As for an album, we have to see how this tour goes.

Jay: We’ll keep writing music for the delight of your little ears.

Lawrie: We’ll always play live. An album won’t stop us doing gigs.

The Havelocks are performing at The Great Northern Hotel in Newcastle this weekend - Saturday, 8 October.

More Tour Dates:

Fri 14 October – Penny Black , Brunswick, VIC
Sat 15 October – Brunswick Hotel, Melbourne, VIC
Sat 29 October – Ric’s Bar, Brisbane, QLD
Fri 4 November – Macquarie Hotel, Port Mac, NSW
Fri 2 December – TBA, Grafton, NSW
Sat 3 December – Armidale Club, Armidale, NSW

For more information about The Havelocks, their upcoming tour and EP you can check them out on: Myspace
Triple J Unearthed
YouTube
Twitter