No Resting For The Laurels

By Em Allen on August 22, 2012 in Other

The Laurels are a four-piece band from Sydney who create luscious, complex and dangerous psychedelic shoegaze bliss.
Their influences extend from sonic pioneers The Velvet Underground through to the inner city filth of Australian legends The Saints and the trance-like psychedelia of Spacemen 3, all the way back to the lush pop harmonies of The Beatles.

In mid-July they released their debut album, ‘Plains’, and they’re just about to hit the road to promote the hell out of it.
During the month The Beast caught up with The Laurels’ bass player Conor Hannan (the ginger-headed chap pictured above)…

The Laurels in a sentence are…
Four humans who enjoy nature and loud music with harmonies.

First memory of music…
When I was eight or nine my dad used to constantly play ‘Winds of Change’ by The Animals, and Cream’s ‘Disraeli Gears’. I didn’t like them much at the time, though I rediscovered ‘Winds of Change’ a few years back and still remembered just about every word. In hindsight, ‘Disraeli Gears’ is a petty great record too.

First album you bought…
Triple J Hottest 100 Volume One! Though the second was Savage Garden’s first album, so I guess I wasn’t that cool as a ten year-old.

Song that gives you goosebumps…
‘Cattle and Cane’ by The Go-Betweens.

Fave driving album/s…
‘Bad Vibrations‘ by Panel of Judges. We always listen to that when we drive down to Melbourne as it’s the perfect soundtrack to the Australian landscape. I think it’s an amazing record; definitely my favourite local release of the last few years. Mind you, for night driving I’d have to say Public Enemy’s ‘Fear of a Black Planet’ or Iggy Pop’s ‘The Idiot’.

A The Laurels highlight…
Supporting Swervedriver was pretty big for everyone. We love that band!

If you could pick a supergroup its members would be…
I reckon I’d get Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones) on drums, Chris Hillman (The Byrds) on bass, Fred ‘Sonic’ Smith (MC5) on guitar, and Ronnie Spector on vocals. Wooah!

Sydney bands giving you the good tingles at the moment…
East River, Holy Balm, Straight Arrows and Day Ravies.

Fave Sydney venue…
Goodgod Small Club. They put on lots of great shows. And the Annandale Hotel is always a fun place to play too.

Band or genre that gives you an ice-cream headache…
There are plenty, but who am I to judge?

If you bowed to corporate sponsorship it would be to advertise…
Right now I’d be pretty happy with anything that provided me with some free footwear. I seem to wear my boots out every two minutes.

Your dream bill for a night (The Laurels included of course)…
How about Neil Young, The Scientists and The Clean. A total mismatch, but I’d be in heaven!

An unknown The Laurels fact…
Despite his general lack of enthusiasm for sport or exercise, Luke can drop-punt a football an obscene distance.

What next for The Laurels…
We have an album called ‘Plains’ out on July 13, which we’ll be launching around the country shortly. We’re also playing with Band of Skulls at the Factory Theatre on July 27, which should be a blast!

To find out more about The Laurels visit www.facebook.com/theelaurels.