Indeed, it’s been a blessed run for the seven-piece New Orleans-style brass band. Though, there was one gig that didn’t go according to plan. “We ended up playing while it was raining on us,” Woods says. “We couldn’t find anyone that worked there and they hadn’t set up any cover or stage. We all got into blues with each other, not knowing what was going on. That’s part of being of a musician though; you’re going to face adversities all the time. Out of the hundreds of gigs we’ve done I can legitimately tell you only once or twice we’ve had good sound on stage. There’s always something that goes wrong, but that’s part of playing and making do with what happens.”
Horns of Leroy have made a name for themselves courtesy of their genre-hopping sound and innate ability to get everyone on the dancefloor. “My favourite part is always playing to people who enjoy it, want to party and get down,” says Woods. “There’s definitely uniqueness in our sound. We take a lot of elements from the New Orleans style of music, whether that’s jazz, funk or soul, then everything from Latin, to covers, pop music – whatever we can make work. Because there are so many aspects to it, we just make it a big party. We can turn up any time of the day or night, even someone’s birthday party in their backyard or whatever, and it’s always really fun.”
A recent highpoint for Woods and co. was returning to White Night for 2016. “That was one of my favourite gigs, there were so many people there and they were really digging it. Funnily enough we played Howler the next day, there were probably only 60-80 people. It was a really intimate kind of thing. Then the whole beer garden just went bananas. People were dancing on tables, it was really unexpected.”
Playing everywhere from the local pub to the national festival stage, Horns of Leroy have been lucky to avoid too many unruly punters. “I’ve got more stories about the drunk band,” laughs Woods. “We used to do a lot of playing on Brunswick Street though. Every now and then you’d have young drunk people wanting to throw things or play your instruments. Never anything too memorable though. We’ve had some fun times travelling around playing festivals. Usually by the time we get to the airport someone is at least one or two pints down. The band definitely likes to party, there’s no doubt about it, but we’re still professional.”
They’re a committed bunch too, and are looking forward a hectic few months. “Mostly we’re concentrating on recording our first album. We’ve got sessions booked in for early June so we’re going to do that, then organise a big launch and tour at the end of the year.”
While eager listeners will have to wait for the album, their upcoming show at the Port Phillip MusselFestival promises to be a banger. “We don’t play on that side of town that much so it will be fun to play to a mixed crowd. There’s also a really good lineup of bands. Plus the food and beverages look very appetising.”
BY BEL RYAN
