Fun-loving foursome The Gnomes are at Singing Bird Studios in the beachside suburb of Frankston, Melbourne, when they greet Classic Rock. The building serves as their HQ, recording studio of choice and rehearsal space, and it’s also the beating heart of Frankston’s thriving rock scene.
Soon they’re off to see pals Rat Taxi at the Young Street Tavern, but for now Jay Miller (guitar/vocals), Ned Capp (guitar), Olly Katsianis (bass) and Ethan Robins (drums) are enthusing about The Easybeats and The Lemon Twigs, and the Behringer Super-Fuzz pedal that gives their own gnarly riffage extra bite on nuggets such as Matter Of Time. They also respond to Classic Rock’s request for moustache-care tips: “I give mine a little twist,” says Olly. “You know, for that pirate or Pringles guy look.”
Now handled by Amyl And The Sniffers’ management team, The Gnomes are in the ascendant. Recent single Magic Man conjured a thrilling conflation of The Monkees’ Pleasant Valley Sunday and Status Quo’s Down Down, while the video for it features Singing Bird’s owner (and Gnomes’ mentor/former manager) Stu Anderson, who was hungover from an all-night bender and wearing a wizard’s cape and pointy hat ensemble borrowed from Ned’s girlfriend.
“That song was inspired by this strange old dude who’s lived next door to my parents for thirty years”, explains frontman/chief songwriter Miller. “He’ll just magically appear in our local park holding branches and sticks.”
It was after Miller made his solo record Cows And Sheep in 2024 – and a failed stab at recording the first Gnomes LP alone – that his new bandmates helped turn things around.
“Ollie suggested I re-record it with a full band,” he recalls. “Then everybody’s individual flair took these bedroom-recorded sixties powerpop songs to a much more ballsy, garage-rock place. Everything was a lot more thought through.”
Famous fans of the band include Viagra Boys singer Sebastian Murphy, who joined them on stage wearing a green gnome hat when The Gnomes supported them at Sydney’s 5,500-capacity Hordern Pavilion.
“That was the first time we felt we were stepping out from where we’re from,” says Miller. “It wasn’t a tiny dive bar with a sticky floor – there was air-conditioning!”
The Gnomes now have the same US booking agent as prolific psychedelic Aussies King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard.
“We’ve heard how, in their early touring days, Gizzard would happily rough it,” says Robins. “They’d book one hotel room and have six people on the floor in sleeping bags. We’re ready for that. Bring it on!”