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Gyroscope Talk Returning to the Game

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Gyroscope is the sort of band that has earned their place in Australia’s musical history, so it should come as no surprise that their return to the scene has seen them fall into the loving arms of metaphorical crowds in every state. Speaking to frontman Daniel Sanders, it doesn’t seem like the band themselves has changed much at all.

“The industry has changed tenfold”, he notes. “But we haven’t changed one bit. We’ve just gotten older and gained more knowledge. But the industry…”, he trails off. He elaborates on how there’s new media, new methods of listening and new ways to reach your audience. Despite that, music remains at the core of everything.

“I think it’s great that young bands can promote themselves in a way that doesn’t cost them an arm and a leg”, he observes. “Back in the day, you’d be forking out money for this, that and the other. But you’ve gotta back it up, you know. You’ve gotta do your live shows and put a bit of effort in”.

Live music is the driver for Gyroscope, rather than it being music first and shows second. Wanting to play the new songs they had written to an audience is what drove the Perth act to undertake their ‘Crooked Thought/DABS’ single drop in the first place. To play again, Sanders argues, Gyroscope had to “write some good songs…we were filling the gaps to play some live shows and get onstage and sweat it out. That was the point ”.

They’ll be doing just that in January, embarking on a national tour principally supported by Adelaide’s Horror, My Friend. It’s a conscious effort on Gyroscope’s part to include some local bands that they can take out, paying the generosity of the people who originally took them out on tour forward.

“We’ve tried to include some local bands to vibe what’s happening at the time, but bands that are sort of relevant to us and make us enjoy music”, Sanders says. But it isn’t just about that – he adds that they also “always make sure we can have a really good time, it’s a cool experience when you’re rocking out on tour”.

It’s not just the artists that Gyroscope is keen to see; it’s also the venues. “Some of these venues we haven’t been to for a while, so seeing the venues that have come along and changed” is exciting for Sanders. “Some have probably gone to the wayside, maybe become a little prim and proper, but it won’t take much to have a gyration in there and break as much stuff as we can”, he laughs.

It is about that inexplicable feeling you get from playing or hearing music for Sanders, and not so much anything in his peripheral vision. That’s why he doesn’t bother to elaborate on the intricate meaning of lyrics on tracks – it means what it means to others, but it’s about that experience of the music more than the poetry at the end of the day.

“People can make up their own cool little story or even just association with the song”, he explains. “if anything, I’m more of a melody man than a words man I think, it just gives me something to say along the way ”.

It’s been a process to get Gyroscope to this point, from the text message that reunited them a few years ago to where they are now, gearing up for a national tour after just releasing new music. The good news is that they’re continuing to push forward, and they aren’t going back into hibernation anytime soon.

“We’re still writing”, Sanders exclaims. “In the last few months we’ve written some stuff that can stand up on its own and there’s no promise as to what format it will come out in, but you’re going to hear some stuff from us”.

“We just like to do what we do. If it gets in people’s way so be it and if people like what we do even better”.

It’s not a particularly profound motivation for Gyroscope, but it sums up their modus operandi somewhat perfectly.

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