In a short period of time, Melbourne band Boomgates have grown to become quite a sought after young act.

Made up of six members hailing from the city’s South, it brings together talent from Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Dick Diver and Twerps, and while they’re very similar sounding bands, there’s something very distinct about not only Boomgates’ sound, but their attitude too.

While talking to Shaun Gionis, the band’s drummer, it’s easy to see that the group is almost surprised at the hype that surrounds them. Having just come back from their first time playing the Meredith Music Festival, Gionis is still riding the wave.

“It was amazing man, it was so good. It was really remarkable, the way it’s run – everything. It’s so smooth,” he starts enthusiastically. “From a stage point, looking out to the amphitheater as well, it was just such a buzzy type of feeling.”

“We had a really nice timeslot, sort of midday on the last day, and there was still a whole heap of people there. It sounded great on stage, and yeah it was just a really cool vibe.”

The fun of the festival wasn’t just limited to what was happening on stage, with the ‘Band Camp’ also proving to be a meeting place for the artists as they prepared for their sets.“We had the Jungle Room. So our tent had like, fake lions on the wall, leopard print carpet. It was cool!”

Along with run-ins with other local and international acts, behind the scenes each band had a tent to themselves for a couple of hours with refreshments, a bite to eat, and of course, a theme.

“We had the Jungle Room. So our tent had like, fake lions on the wall, leopard print carpet. It was cool!” bleats Gionis, adding they had “sandwiches, orange juice,” which, “just makes you feel a little more special ‘cause you don’t usually get a backstage.”

As is the case with most festivals, Meredith had some fantastic performances, along with some not so stellar ones. Day 2 in particular featured some disappointing sets from artists like Twerps and Chet Faker, with some blaming the hot winds for their sound troubles, and others, blaming early time slots mixed with alcohol.

Boomgates however, avoided falling into this category, leaving their set to Meredith’s final day, and playing to the excitement of their first time on the festival bill.

“I don’t think we’ve ever finished a gig and thought, ‘Oh, that sucked’. We’re not one of those bands,” says Gionis. “We’re always like, ‘that’s fun’ trying to always enjoy it.”

“I think Meredith was something a bit more special than the usual. I don’t know why, maybe it’s just because it was a lot of people… Maybe it’s just because we’ve been to the festival a whole heap of times as punters.”

Their closing day performance was right near the end of Boomgates tour, adding to the positive playing vibes, or as the drummer puts it: “a little rewarding finish. We were really happy with how it all went. Crowd response was good, so you can’t really ask much more.”

Their first national tour took place in late 2012, and although they had previously done the sporadic weekend in Brisbane or Sydney, this was the first extended collection of dates as a tour across the country.“We don’t have any aspirations to lose day jobs and that kinda thing.”

“It wasn’t relentless. I think the most we played was three times in a weekend,” he says. “It wasn’t like a grinding tour… it was just like a weekend away with our friends. It was great.”

Setting himself apart from his bandmates, Gionis is the only member of Boomgates that isn’t a part of another well known project.

While the band is the closest Melbourne has to a jangly pop brat pack featuring Brendan Huntley from Eddy Current Suppression Ring, Steph Hughes from Dick Diver, Rick Milovanovic from Twerps and Gus Lord from Teen Archer and Tyrannamen; Gionis is content with the one band.

“You know, I kinda jam here and there with whoever. Do some recordings and stuff. But, this is the only current band at the moment, so it’s nice and easy,” he confirms. “But we don’t have any aspirations to lose day jobs and that kinda thing.”

As the conversation begins to steer into the everyday world of employment, the illusion of the band’s success loses steam. The image of the rock star is hard to attain when one has to go to work in the morning, but Gionis lets on that this idea is not what the band terms as success.

“It’s more like a hobby. It’s something we always wanna look forward to,” he clarifies. “Play good shows… make records, and make music we love to make, maybe tour overseas if we get a chance to. There’s no set goal, like, ‘in 12 months we want to be here’ or ‘in two years we want to be there’, none of that.”

Don’t they want to kick the 9-5 grind? “Everyone kinda likes their day jobs,” Gionis offers, “except me. I don’t hate it. I work with a mate, so that’s a positive.”

Still, the band must certainly take pride in the success of their debut LP Double Natural. Having released three EPs prior, the full record shows a progression and maturity from their earlier work, and has received much praise from critics.

Gionis isn’t much concerned with the opinions of reviewers however, instead, it’s the band’s response to a finished song that means the most to him.

“As far as the shows and stuff, they’ve all been great. There’s people there and they’re into the songs. They tell us they’ve enjoyed the album. So, that’s always a really good feeling. I don’t know if that’s successful. If that’s a measure of success, then maybe we’re a success. I don’t think we look at it that way at all.”

As with many bands, Boomgates write for themselves. The music sounds effortless and indeed Gionis’ description of the process makes it seem effortless too.“I suppose each individual brings that element of their band, and then moulded together you get Boomgates.”

“We just kinda get into our little bubble in our rehearsing room. A song might take ten minutes [or] a few hours. But, when it finishes we’re usually happy… if we’re not happy with it, we won’t finish it,” he says. “It’s a really comfortable atmosphere in the rehearsal room. Everyone’s kinda buzzing off of each other… so that makes us happy.”

Gionis details how the work of their twin vocalists, such as on the dovetailing ‘Layman’s Terms’, helps each song come together.

“Brendan (Huntley, vocals) and Steph (Hughes, vocals/guitar) have a whole heap of lyrics they’ve already got. Whether it be sort of in their brain, or in their eyesight, or in their notepad… One of them will start singing and they’ll kinda both be trading back and forth, and it’s usually so loud that they can’t hear what each other’s singing,” details Gionis.

“[But] when they come to look at what they’ve written, it’s always around the same subject – all kind of sits. I don’t know if it’s uncanny or what. They’re kinda the same person in that regard.”

Despite featuring members from some of Melbourne’s most popular acts, Boomgates manages to produce it’s own unique sound, something which their drummer admits he doesn’t “really pay much attention to,” but agrees “we’re certainly lazy and folky on the guitar.”

“I suppose each individual brings that element of their band, and then moulded together you get Boomgates,” says Gionis, trying to put his finger on it. “Where as Gus [Lord] might be a bit more aggressive as his band. Then, I’ve never played with a bass player like Rick [Milovanovic], he’s really unique.”

While it’s certainly a moulding of a handful of Melbourne’s best, one must be wiser than to label Boomgates a “supergroup”.

“We definitely aren’t. That’s why every time someone says it, I’m like, ‘Oh, goodness’.”

Double Natural is out now. Boomgates play Sugar Mountain Festival this Saturday 19th Januar. Set times and details here.

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