The Gentlemen's Agreements interview 13.7.18
Who would you say are the quintessential Mod revival band? The Jam? The Prisoners? The Clique? Add to that list France’s answer to all of the aforementioned The Gentlemen’s Agreements. Freakbeating their audiences with the sort of Hammond grooves the likes of Brian Auger and Booker T Jones would sell organ grinders for, the band have recently released their latest long player Last Call for the Gentlemen released on Sound Flat Records. Matt Mead meets up with the band.
The Gentlemen’s Agreements
are back with yet another Freakbeat-Hammond-Mod masterpiece on vinyl, CD and
download. After their fabulous debut album Understanding!, their two hit
singles and many legendary live-shows all over the international 60s-scene, the
Frenchmen have once again captured their groovy, Hammond-driven, fuzzy, 60s Mod
sound on their record, featuring a touch of soul and a hint of jazz that will
always leave you completely stunned.
Whether it is fantastic
instrumentals, such as Grand Bi Chase, which bears resemblance to Link Quartet,
displaying a jazzy, masterly Hammond organ, or simply danceable, catchy songs
like She’s So Fine and You Got The Flower, each song on the album catches you
all over again in its very own way. This record is just 100% pure energy. The
only cover version included on this album is Howard Carpendale’s Du Hast Mich,
without any doubt a great approach to the song, whereas anyone German speaking
will also find a slightly comical side to it while trying to figure out what
the hell these lyrics are supposed to mean.
Finally the record finishes
off with the incredibly cool and furious Catch A Plane that definitely makes
you hope that this won’t be the last call we get to hear from these boys, but
there will be more to follow. Last Call For The Gentlemen is a brilliant,
powerful record from the first second to last, but you’d be better to hear it
for yourselves.
Interview with the band
LTW: Can you tell me what
are your first memories growing up? Where were you born?
Alain (bass): I was born In
Avignon, south of France. The first thing I remember is meeting French singer
Claude François covered with sweat after a wild gig near my place. I still have
their autograph!
Barnabé (lead vocals): I
was born in Lille, north of France. My first memory is listening to the rain
falling.
Alexandre (drums): I was
born in Marseille, south. My fist memory is waking up this morning.
Coog (organ): I was born on
Venus, my first memory is the attack of the female troops of Melusina, the bad
witch of the Galactic Fence.
Waldo (guitar): I was born
in Nimes, south. I remember the strip-tease stand at the fun-fair.
What was the first music you
can remember hearing?
Alain: I started listening
music with Les Chaussettes Noires, the twist band of Mr Eddy Mitchell.
Waldo: I was 5 when I first
found a box full of French EP’s in the street: The Seeds, Music Machine, The
Electric Prunes, 13th Floor Elevators or West Coast Pop Art
Experimental Band. Unfortunately I traded the records for an ice-cream cone at
the age of 7.
Barnabé: The first music I
enjoyed was a nursery rhyme about a bad wolf and the little red riding hood. I
guess the song ended bad.
Alexandre: I guess it was
the ringing of the alarm clock early this morning.
Coog: I first heard the
cosmic vibrations of the sun. It was on a Sunday, 2025 years ago.
What was the first serious
music you remember listening to?
Barnabé: I never heard about
such music, can you tell more about it?
Alain: The Doors, Serge
Gainsbourg, Brian Auger, the Specials, the Shadows. My father was a rocker and
he used to bring me to the bar where there was a jukebox full of oldies.
Coog: I remember the huge
galactic hit of a band that you will be able to hear on earth in 2765.
Waldo: I guess it was the
beat album of Christian singer Père Didier.
Alexandre: Iron Butterfly’s
In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida.
Who were your first music
idols?
Alain: France Gall, the
Monks, GG Allin.
Barnabé: The Gentlemen’s
Agreements!
Coog: My first idols were
the Venus Army Choir. I loved their hairstyle.
Alexandre : What?
Waldo: Orion, the real
voice of Elvis Presley.
When did you first start to
be involved with bands?
Alain: At the age of 11,
with guys for the mod scene in Avignon. The band was called Boolings.
Coog: I started my musical
career as an assistant for the singing giant flower of Venus City.
Barnabé: I started singing
in a karaoke restaurant in Japan.
Alexandre: I think the
answer is on the Internet.
Waldo: I started to play
with bands as soon as I started to drink beer, at the age of 9. I discovered it
was a great way to drink for free.
When and why did you first
start to write music? How does this process happen for you?
Alain: The Gentlemen’s
Agreements started as a cover band, then we started composing our material. The
new album is filled with our compositions, we write very fast. We steal things
we love from our favourite records and do our thing out of them.
Waldo: I started by
sticking two fingers in a socket. Very inspiring!
Coog: I wanted to share my
feelings with the whole universe, so I ordered a Hammond Organ from Earth, and
started composing an opera for humans and non-humans. I should be out in 3079.
Barnabé: You know I hear
voices all day and night. One day I decided to write what the voices were
telling me and that makes songs.
Alex: Bam! Bam! Kapow!
Bling! Tche’bam!
If you can go into detail
about The Gentlemen’s Agreements? How did the band form?
Alain: The Band started 5
years ago as a super group (we prefer saying super friends group)
made out of different garage/mod bands such as Sheetah & the Weissmuller,
Towerbrown, Penelope, The Fuggets, Les Arondes, The Link Quartet, les
Braqueurs. We made several personal changes but the band keeps the same spirit.
Barnabé: The big challenge
for us is that we all live far away from the others. I’m in the North of
France, Coog is from another Galaxy, others are in the south.
You’re about to release
your latest album. What can you tell us about the album? What will the fans get
to hear?
Alain: We started out being
a covers band so we are trying to make a nice, concept album. It’s more
psychedelic but still dancehall I think.
Barnabé: “Last Call for the
Gentlemen’s Agreements” is the score of an imaginary movie. Rate it the way you
want.
Alexandre: I guess our fans
will get to hear our latest album. Pow?
Who are your current
musical influences?
Alain: We have a lot of
influences like some Soul, Freakbeat and Psychedelic stuff.
Barnabé: Our influences are
the hairy bands of the sixties.
Coog: My influences are the
stellar forces of the milky way.
Alexandre: My main
influence is myself.
Waldo: The biggest
influence is Orion, the real voice of Elvis Presley.
Do you have a big fan base
in France?
Barnabé: Our fan base in
France is not huge, but they travel as much as we do for a GA gig. Some come
from England, Germany, Spain, from all over France just to party with us. It’s
very inspiring, you don’t want to disappoint them.
The band have a big
following in England. Will you come to England to play for your fans?
Alain: I really hope so,
yeah. We have friends there who really care about us, who are trying to plan
those gigs. We will have a great time in England!
Final question. Who is the
greatest French musician?
Alain: Nino Ferrer? Bernard
Estardy? Serge Gainsbourg?
Barnabé: Vincent Furnier?
Haha!
Coog: Pierre Henry, I guess
he must have come to Venus to play like he did.
Alexandre: Myself.
Waldo: Orion, the real
voice of Elvis Presley. I think he was French, don’t you think?
You can follow The
Gentlemen’s Agreements at their Facebook and Bandcamp pages.
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