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Trentwood.
 Trentwood
might well have a solid base in Melbourne, but the band do have
a key Adelaide connection in drummer Tom Mann. Mann, who moved
across to Melbourne recently at the request of Trentwood’s main
man Phil Ceberano. Mann was happy to talk about their new single
Operation Never Fall Apart, and their forthcoming album due
in March.
Trentwood are a solid three piece, playing what Mann describes
as "an updated Mersey sound" music, which I suggest means a
few nods to the swinging sixties in London. He explains further.
"I guess there’s a swinging feel to the music on the single
and album, that sort of Beatlesque sixties feel. But it is a
mixture of stuff. If you were to describe the sounds, you could
say there was some slamming Weezer type tunes, as well as some
slower, nice ballads. It is a real mix of songs."
Mann is full of praise for the band’s leader, declaring him something of a musical genius that has gone underrated in Australia for far too long. "He’s brilliant," he asserts. "I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who was more talented when it came to writing and recording really good tunes. He has a great feel for what makes a great song, musically and lyrically. And he is always wanting to entertain and trying to do more each time there is a gig or a song to record. He really strives for that, to entertain and to be something different, and that rubs off on the entire band and really lifts the music. Our live shows especially take on a more all-round entertaining feel than normal, and the show we’ll be doing at the Fringe will be no different."
Trentwood’s show at the Regal for the Fringe promises to be something quite special. Not just content with whacking out some solidly good tunes, the band is keen to add an element of Circus-type rock’n’roll to it all, something that really hasn’t been seen since the days of the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus in the sixties and seventies. "We are going to have some surprises, maybe a few more performers on stage with us, adding a little bit more to the performance," Mann reveals. "These days, people are overloaded with entertainment options, and so we figure ‘why not give the crowd more than just the standard rock and roll concert?’ They may be an element of Circus performers with us, but you’ll have to wait and see." Sounds well worth having a gander at.
One of the bonuses on the CD single is a wonderfully made clay-animation video clip for Operation Never Fall Apart. "These guys in Adelaide basically came up with a few ideas, and we ended up liking that one the best. I think it’s good to avoid literal clips. Some things work better if there are deeper meanings to what you see up on screen so, that’s what we went with. When I come back to Adelaide for the show I’d be happy to catch up with them and say hi, because I never actually met them in the first place, but they are seriously brilliant."
Mann’s last words on the single, ad the up-coming show, really some up Trentwood. "Expect the unexpected," he says. Something tells me there is no other way to approach them.
Chris Niehus
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Trentwood play at the Regal on Sun 22 Feb and Operation Never Fall Apart is out now on Pact/MGM.
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