Interview – Gallery Circus | Kryptonite Music Magazine

Rock duo, Gallery Circus, recently released a new track from their forthcoming EP. The duo is comprised of twin brothers Daniel and Graeme Ross. They recently returned to Europe and have been touring with acts such as King Charles and Little Comets. They’re new EP is titled Chi-Town Dogs and is set for release later this year. Learn more about Gallery Circus from their responses and be sure to check out their track “Holland On Fire” below.

How would you describe your music to others?

Untamed, aggressive and relentless; dripping in sweat

What is the story/meaning behind the name, Gallery Circus?

The band took shape When we lived in Chicago a few years ago. We used to hang out at this cool open mic spot called the Gallery Cabaret.

The first few GC songs were drunkenly born at this venue, so we decided to adapt it’s name a bit. If you watch us live, we are a bit like a circus!

When did you decide to pursue music?

When we were 5 years old, we watched a Top Of The Pops Brit pop special and knew we needed to form a band!

Who and what influences your music? Why?

Gallery Circus is all about big beats, big riffs and quirky melodies! We love re-telling stories of some of the messed up situations we’ve found ourselves in over the years.

We’ve escaped two burning buildings, an earthquake and a chase from the San Francisco police department so far.

One of our biggest influences is David Bowie – especially his ziggy stardust era. We grew up listening to his music and he has a huge influence on our melodies

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?

We’re both computer nerds and love hardcore functional programming – its not very rock n roll to admit.

How would you describe your writing process?

We grew up in Newcastle Upon Tyne. However, it wasn’t until we emigrated to Chicago, Illinois that Gallery Circus really took shape.

Watching our friends bands play at underground punk shows and the strong DIY ethic they applied to their music really inspired us and influenced our song writing.

How often and how long do you practice together?

Nowadays we rarely ‘practice’. We usually jam out a song idea once or twice and then if we like it, it goes straight into our set. Fortunately since we’ve played together almost

all our lives we’re generally in sync.

From start to finish, how long did it take to create, Chi-Town Dogs?

Our new EP has been a long time in the making! We recorded it over last summer and it definitely represents how we’ve grown and taken shape over the past couple years of

gigging a fair bit. I think this release captures what we’re about when we play live, something which has been quite difficult to achieve in the past

Can you talk about the inspiration behind the track, “Holland On Fire”?

Holland On Fire – it’s our new single and tells the story of when we were living in Chicago a few years back when a building we were partying in went up in flames on July 4th.

A small amount of dynamite was involved…We’re really excited for people to hear the track – it’s been awhile since we released new music

Do you play covers at practices or shows? If so, which ones are your favourites?

We rarely play covers at practice – due to the fact we rarely practice. We love throwing in a Bowie cover from time to time to end a show, ziggy stardust is a personal favourite.

What do you typically do post-gig?

Unlike probably every band, We love to detune by packing up and organizing our equipment after a show. After an intense sweaty, energetic performance, its nice to unwind in silence and follow a familiar routine. Afterwards, we each then down a bottle of JD.

What image do you think your music conveys?

It’s a category 5 hurricane just edging over the horizon

What has been one of your biggest challenges?

As we’re just a two piece and like to travel light, one of our biggest challenges is trying to fit ourselves and all our gear into a Skoda Fabia. Safe to say we are now masters of Tetris.

What has been your funniest or craziest fan/show experience?

When we first started out we played a friends rooftop party in Chicago. Every time the over ground El train went past we’d have to stop our song as it was so loud – we were literally playing in front of it. Oh, and I remember someone had dynamite instead of fireworks to celebrate with

What is something odd you want fans to know about you?

Being a band with just twin brothers, a lot of people find this quite novel or odd when we get up on stage. Because being twins is all Graeme and I have ever known we find people without twins strange!

What can we expect from Gallery Circus in the coming months?

We should be playing a few festivals over the summer and no doubt a run of shows over the UK (and maybe even Europe). Make sure to checkout our website or visit our Facebook page to keep up to date!