So… we’re in Leeds. Well, not really, but our attention is across the Pennines via the M62.
Leeds is a lovely city. Friendly and artistically thriving, it’s a surprise that we haven’t covered more bands from the heart of Yorkshire on these pages, thus far.
As the law of averages plays out it was only a matter of time and, with that, we bring you Leeds-based five-piece, Goose Chase.
The band (Taylor Jones – vocals, James Masterson – guitar, Jamie Waller – guitar, Eddie Lomax – bass and Rob Hughes – drums) released their debut EP, Relaxing Songs For Your Drive Home, last year and it’s something that immediately pricks the ears. A frenetic scramble across the sphere of punk, Goose Chase produce a sound that tickles the rib-cage.
To these ears, a lot of younger bands these days seem hell-bent on rejuvenating the ‘the band’ explosion of the early ’00s – a scene that always had a sell-by date and certainly doesn’t need any homage in 2021.
Thankfully, Goose Chase are removed from this, instead leaning on the aesthetics created by fellow Leeds legends, Gang Of Four, to create quite the lovely noise.
Also politically inclined, Goose Chase showcase this admirably on Relaxing Songs For Your Drive Home’s closing track, Rich Get Richer. With Jones‘ opening line of, “Another fucking Tory is standing by/Watching the poor with homicide eyes.”
It’s refreshing to see younger bands tackling these issues and while Goose Chase aren’t the only young political band kicking around, like everything, there’s still work to do.
At the end of April, Goose Chase released their new single, Fat Tony, and on the back of its release, the band were only too happy to take part in our 13 Questions feature.
1. Your new single, Fat Tony, was released earlier this month. Can you tell us about the track?
Goose Chase: “It is based on a real dude called Fat Tony. He was a DJ back in the ’90s and got up to all sorts of stuff, including being best mates with Boy George and getting his first line from Freddie Mercury.
“He also pulled his teeth out with a screwdriver, then turned his life around and got sober. Nowadays he’s running a clothing brand, has a massive social media following, and made the most of lockdown.
“He’s a pretty wild guy and fits the ethos of the band well, so why not write a song about him?”
2. You released an EP last year, Relaxing Songs For Your Drive Home. How difficult has it been releasing new music during the lockdown?
GC: “It’s been tough in some ways, not being able to play our songs to people has been a big let-down, but we as a band have definitely gelled much more and have been churning out some tunes on the song machine so [we] have a fat catalogue to play once gigs return. It’s been good to cultivate our own sound with creative freedom and without the worry of practicing specific sets for gigs.”
3. Can you tell us about the history of how the band got together?
GC: “A couple of us met online, he was in a band already with someone who left to stand for the Lib Dems in 2019, I was to complete the line-up.
“The bassist then left because of the 2019 election, so I asked my pals who I knew were in a band called Satsuma beforehand, and it just sort of coalesced into Goose Chase. A year and a half later, and it’s going very well.”
4. Who would you consider to be your major influences?
GC: “Gang of Four is a big one, as well as Queens of the Stone Age I’d say. We’re also big admirers of Idles, Fontaines DC, Yard Act, Everything Everything, Sorry, Black Country, New Road, and Shame.
“We also love a bit of the Wiggles.”
5. We ask a lot of artists this, what’s your take on social media?
GC: “It’s a necessary evil for us to use it, as with any band, brand, or business nowadays. It can be a power for good, especially for community organisation, as when COVID hit, it was massively aided by social media. However, there is always a dark side, and you get trolls and what not on Instagram, especially when promoting posts, alongside a bunch of ‘promoters’ built around the Spotify playlist culture.”
6. Have you got any hobbies outside of music?
GC: “Every summer we go to a field in the middle of Cheshire to try and communicate through space with Bob’s parents. Four years later, and all we have is this morse code that says ‘no thanks’.
“Outside of that, we’re all finishing/about to finish our degrees, so between the band, university, and work, a lot of the time though it’s just video games and drinking, as lockdown has kept us inside for the most part. Eddie throws knives sometimes, too, Rob likes his F1, Taylor makes stuff, Jamie has his guinea pigs and graphic design shenanigans, and James organises the YCL in the north west.”
Goose Chase - Relaxing Songs For Your Drive Home7. When did you last make yourself do something you didn’t want to?
GC: “Writing our dissertations.”
8. Films or boxsets?
GC: “Boxsets. Films are too long for Jamie to keep concentration.”
9. I know you formed from all around the country, but it’d be remiss to not to ask, how have you assessed Leeds United’s first season back in the top flight?
GC: “The ones in the band that follow football reckon they’re doing good, but one’s a West Ham supporter, so it’s not a high bar.”
10. Tell us about the scene in Leeds. Whenever I’ve visited, it’s always struck me as a very friendly place. What’s your take on it?
GC: “It’s compact, you can get anywhere you need to be within a relatively short walk, but there’s also so much going on all the time. There’s a bunch of outstanding venues, such as Brudenell, Lending Rooms, Wardrobe, Beaverworks, Old Red Bus Station, and Key Club, all supporting local artists, across all genres.
“Then there’s a bunch of art and music schools here, too, which feeds into this cycle of the local scene being innovative and ahead of its time. Seven universities worth of smart young people, creating everything from the London Olympic torch to Soft Cell, Gang of Four, to Alt-J, and so much more. Leeds fosters a scene unlike anything else, and more bands should celebrate their connections to this place, over calling themselves some Manchester band, despite no one in the band living there.”
11. Name some Leeds-based artists that we should be listening to?
GC: “Krispy Cayke Boys are outstanding, they’re supporting us in July and we’re looking forward to it greatly, they’re a self-produced two piece that remind me a lot of a funkier Sleaford Mods. If they get bigger than us, it would be a testament to their graft and passion.”
12. With live gigs slowly returning in the coming months, what’s the plan for the band for the rest of the year?
GC: “Gigs gigs gigs, getting back in the studio, releasing merch (coming very very soon), and releasing a couple more tracks around the end of the year/start of 2022.
“We then want to take the world by storm with songs about chips, cheese, and gravy, culminating in a complete autocracy by 2030.”
13. Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. Any last words?
GC: “Last words? That explains the laser and the table we’re strapped to.
“In all seriousness, thanks for your time, we had fun with this. We’d also like to thank our wizards Lewis and Thom over at DeadBasic studios in Manchester, they do some fantastic work for us, and do an outstanding job as a lost property depot for us.”
Listen to Goose Chase’s new single, Fat Tony, here.
Sun 13 
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