“If Dwight Yoakam was having a beer with J Mascis,” Peterson laughs. “There’s some loudish guitars in there as well, definite songwriting of the country ilk that lends itself to telling a story.”
The area of town that the band lives in inspired their name, sound and lyrical imagery. “The Glorious North is a take on the fact that we all live in the inner-North,” he says. “We’re inclined to use a bit of that sound. We vary from tales of drunkenness to an inability to get laid. We’ve got two murder ballads which tell a good story arc.
“So, sweet melodies, good storytelling and some suites of 20 guitars,” he summarises.
You can make your mind up regarding the band’s sound by grabbing a copy of their brand new, debut album, the aptly titled Welcome To The Glorious North. According to Peterson, the creation of the album was quite an arduous process, but nonetheless, he is pleased with the end results.
“Dave Rodgers, our producer, told us it took exactly 250 days from laying down the first drum track to sending off the masters,” he says. “We wanted to highlight our songwriting, but mainly the common thread of being able to tell a good story through music, and I think we’ve done that.
“You wouldn’t compare us to Nick Cave, but we love the way Nick Cave tells a story through his songs. So we sat down and we mapped it out, and concentrated on a lot of melodic hooks. We wanted things to be catchy and toe-tapping.”
While The Glorious North focused on bringing the hooks, the band also experimented at length with their sound and instrumentation, removing themselves from their comfort zones.
“We spent a lot of time on things we’ve never done before,” Peterson says. “We brought in fiddles and trumpet players, there’s [also] Hammond Organ and piano, and we really concentrated on the orchestration and getting the parts all right. We wanted to get some sweet-arse harmonies in there as well.
“We’ve got a duet in there, with a local lass called Jody Galvanator. [We’re] trying to mix it all up, but also give 12 songs of exactly what we are about.”
Punters will soon be able to check out The Glorious North’s sound, vibe and storytelling in a live setting at their upcoming album launch. The band are approaching the show in a slightly different way than expected, and the lineup is an absolute ripper.
“It’s an afternoon matinee show on Sunday July 24 at the Northcote Social Club, so doors are at 1.30pm,” he says. “We’ve got Jemma & the Clifton Hillbillies opening up, and then Chuck Jenkins from the old Ice Cream Hands [performing] his solo stuff as our middle support, and then us. It should be a lot of fun.
“We’re doing something different for merch,” he continues. “We’re doing some Glorious North Hot Sauce and some Glorious North Whiskey.”
BY ROD WHITFIELD
