Interview by Simon Russell-White
To be honest I thought The Vinyl Tour was a play on words, I thought to myself “Surely this isn’t the final tour for the almighty Cog?!’. Such thoughts are not only bad for oneself but more importantly for the reader/listener of this interview!
But I can assure you, it’s time to relax and enjoy……
Kicking off my conversation with Luke Gower (bass/ backing vocals) it became very clear that my thoughts were simply an irrational panic, and that I/we indeed had absolutely nothing to worry about, thank goodness for that!
Byron Bay’s (originally from Bondi Beach) Cog will go down as one of the all-time greats that this country has ever produced, though they require an entrée of “if you know you know”, they’re and have always been seen as rock royalty by those who do truly know! And at the end of it all that’s who really matter, the punters, the attendees and those who connected with the almighty band.
The three pieces live show is something to behold, with Lucius Borich (drums/ backing vocals) enigmatic playing and emotion tripled with brothers Flynn (vocals/guitar) and Luke Gower‘s pounding conviction and sheer energy, knowing it’s all happening again this March is simply exciting for punters Australia wide.
Now we all know that it’s now possible to gain all of Cog’s releases on vinyl now, with the again joined EPs Just Visiting being laid to wax in 2016. Now both of the band’s full-lengths, 2005s The New Normal and its follow-up 2008s Sharing Space are too part of the nostalgia that only vinyl can bring to a diehard listener.
It’s no secret that life for original touring bands has changed, the days of making an income from the actual recorded music is simply a thing of the past, and just like most bands Cog has had to learn to adjust to these changes. Holding down day jobs, on top of all having families, touring isn’t like the old days, especially at the start (in the late nineties) when the band toured relentlessly.
There’s two ways of looking at this, the fun is spanned out as Luke explained but with tours being further apart does make for more special times. Knowing how much the band means to people is something that has taken on more as he’s gotten older, and something that was looked over a bit in the past.
Cog has stood the test of time, politics, and even major weather events to be where they are today, so it must be yelled from the top of a mountain, “IN COG WE TRUST!”
