Interview with The Great Leslie: ‘We had funky bass lines before but we’ve gone more raw and aggressive this time, doing everything with a bit more attitude’

London-based rock band The Great Leslie will release their debut EP ’21st Century Problems’ tomorrow (15 September), their rambunctious, riffed-up commentary about some of the biggest problems we face.

The band, who have had the current line up for the past one and a half years, comprises Ollie Trevers (vocals and rhythm guitar), Alfie Pawsey (bass), Freddie Miles (lead guitar) and Ryan Lavender (drums). ‘I had a solo project and Alfie came to see us at one of our shows,’ Trevers said. ‘We were looking for another bassist – Freddie, was it via Facebook we met?’ Their name is taken from the 1965 film ‘The Great Race’ staring Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon: ‘Tony Curtis’ character is called The Great Leslie,’ Trevers explained. ‘He’s a daredevil character, it’s about him inventing a car, it inspired ‘Wacky Races’ (a cartoon from the late 60’s).’

The EP comprises five tracks: the recent singles ‘Burn Me, Drown Me’ and ‘My Left Eye’, the lead track ‘Aliens’ and two others, ‘Anxious Tendencies’ and ‘Who Asked You?’ It tackles weighty issues such as climate change, problems surrounding immigration and asylum, mental health, the right to protest, and misogyny and violence against women. Sonically, Miles describes ’21st Century Problems’ as ‘from start to end, it’s just full-on energy’. For Pawsey, the EP marks a shift towards them going ‘a bit heavier’: ‘We had funky bass lines before but we’ve gone more raw and aggressive this time, doing everything with a bit more attitude,’ he said.

‘We wanted to have a bit of chaos in there with the boat and the waves’

The stunning artwork for the EP hints at what we can expect inside, from the burning red sun to the boat – which also features on the artwork of ‘My Left Eye’ – atop swirling, sculptural waves of paper: ‘We had an idea, Ryan’s brother-in-law Michael Lisle-Taylor did it (he’s done their artwork since ‘Feel Alive’),’ Trevers said. ‘We wanted to have a bit of chaos in there with the boat and the waves, and the red sun to symbolise climate change.’ Miles agrees: ‘It represents all the issues on the EP,’ he said.

‘Aliens’ erupts with a thumping bass line and crashing drums before Trevers comes in on vocals as the guitars layer up. It’s a soaring, anthemic track showcasing the trademark energy and striking vocals we have come to expect as it builds to a sweeping crescendo. It turns out to have been inspired by watching The Beatles’ documentary ‘Get Back’: ‘I watched that documentary, it was brilliant,’ Trevers said enthusiastically. ‘I was in a mind to write something politically and socially motivated. I’m a casual fan of The Beatles, I don’t know their back catalogue as well as I should. We started writing ‘Aliens’ in Studio 2 at Abbey Road Studios, and I found myself thinking about wanting to echo the sentiments of ‘Get Back’, particularly as the anti-immigration rhetoric that was prevalent back then with the likes of Enoch Powell is still very much prevalent in British politics now. In many ways, nothing has really changed since then. The song is a protest fuelled by outrage, delving into the underlying fascistic propensities of the UK throughout history and highlighting how much things haven’t changed, especially within political discourse. At its core, it is saying that regardless of your race, religion, creed, or colour, despite what many faux-nationalists might claim, no one group has a greater right to exist in any one place than another, we are all equally worthy to dwell in any land.’ 

To give ‘Aliens’ extra gravitas, they have spliced in snippets of speeches from politicians such as Enoch Powell and, more recently, Suella Braverman. ‘I think it was my idea,’ Trevers said. ‘We touched on that idea with ‘My Left Eye’.’

As the track goes: “Come a little closer, I need to tell you about aliens. They’re here and over there and everywhere that you could ever have imagined. It’s probably too late to send them back and build a wall and claim the air. Possibly because nobody is or should be confined to anywhere.”

‘It touches on our back catalogue, it’s got an upbeat indie vibe’

Trevers’ huge vocal range – he estimates that it’s three and a half octaves – is at the core of their sound, although Pawsey reckons it’s actually closer to four octaves: ‘You can hit the low notes, too, that’s what drew me to the band,’ he said. Trevers says he knew he could sing from a young age but being shy meant that few people were aware he sang until his early teens. He cites Panic At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie as being inspirational because of his ‘huge vocal range’.

Typically, Trevers tends to write the lyrics but how a track is written can change enormously from song to song: ‘Sometimes, the lyrics are last,’ Miles said. Trevers nods: ‘When we’re doing stuff together, the lyrics tend not to be last. If I have an idea, I might have some words written down. Every time is different, it’s nice, it keeps it fresh.’ Pawsey agrees: ‘It’s very easy to get stuck in that formulaic way of writing, I’ve been in bands like that, it’s so hard to break out of that.’

Some tracks on the EP, notably ‘Anxious Tendencies’, are a nod to their classic style, according to Pawsey: ‘It touches on our back catalogue, it’s got an upbeat indie vibe,’ he said. ‘The lyrical content, it’s about mental health and feeling a certain way.’ Trevers weighs in: ‘The EP is about social problems. I know people who do and I also suffer from depression. We wanted to touch on that, the dichotomy of having the upbeat song with the darker lyrics. It’s almost an innate irony.’

‘I’m big on 70’s and 80’s funk, a lot of electronic, soundscapey things‘

They bring a diverse set of influences to the band: ‘I grew up with The Stones, The Beatles and Elton John, I never listened to indie music, I still don’t much, really,’ Miles said. ‘I can speak for Ryan, he listens to a lot of heavy, dark stuff like Lamb Of God (a heavy metal band from Richmond, Virginia), there’s a lot of sacrificial stuff!’ Pawsey laughs: ‘He’s a natural drummer! I’m big on 70’s and 80’s funk, a lot of electronic, soundscapey things – I work as a music producer.’ Trevers’ tastes have shifted over the years: ‘Elvis when I was a kid, I loved Queen and Led Zeppelin. In the last 10 years, I’ve taken a massive interest in jazz – Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, they’re all influences but you don’t just go away and write like that. I love Paolo Nutini, he’s an incredible artist.’

‘Who Asked You?’ tackles a very different issue: ‘It’s about violence against women, sex and misogyny,’ Miles explained. ‘All of these topics are so relevant at the moment. The disco riff in it is very animating.’ Trevers describes the track as ‘a mixture of early Panic At The Disco and Kings Of Leon’.

The band has been on an upward trajectory since their first release in 2020, having formed during lockdown. Their debut single ‘Money’ was selected as BBC Introducing’s Track of the Week. This led to industry heavyweight, the late Janice Long, praising their energy and innovative songwriting and John Kennedy on Radio X called their single ‘Everything From Last Night’ an ‘instant hit.’

‘The crux of the whole song points to the seemingly inevitable fate that is facing humanity’

‘Burn Me, Drown Me’, which they released as a single in July, kicks off with a hooky, Kinks-like riff. It’s one of their most high-octane tracks and would be brilliant live, it’s impossible to sit still to it. Trevers’ impressive vocal range is especially apparent, as he effortlessly oscillates between the very high and low notes: ‘It’s a very hard-hitting track musically and contextually,’ Trevers said. ”Burn Me, Drown Me’ is a bit more on the punky side. The crux of the whole song points to the seemingly inevitable fate that is facing humanity. It talks about the effects of what is happening to our planet and, in its nihilistic approach, is almost accepting of the doom we see before us. There is an air of reticence, as no one really wants to accept the stark truth; unless we change our ways, we will be eradicated by the elements.’

The track turns out to have been written at Abbey Road Studios when they were making a live album: ‘The second day was a writing day, it started with a riff Freddie had like The Hives, an in-your-face progression,’ Pawsey said. Trevers agrees: ‘Sometimes, you have a bit of a song for years. I had a version of the chorus three years ago but I didn’t know what to do with it until Freddie came in with that riff and I thought, ohh, that would work!’

As the track goes: “I’m pretty sure we’re not safe anymore in this place. It’s all these new firestorms that are made of hurricanes and flames. Judgement day is coming they say. Despite if you pray, to wash your sins away. In the heart of the grey, in the place of dismay. That is where we will lay and where we will stay.”

‘It’s between the sonic spectrum of ‘Aliens’ and ‘Burn Me, Drown Me’, when it hits the chorus, it gets chaotic and angsty!’

Their latest single ‘My Left Eye’ starts off more pared back but builds and builds. They describe it as a ‘hard-hitting, punchy track, a protest song for the masses’. Here, they also weave in snippets of political discourse, calling it ‘a call to arms for the people of Britain to say enough is enough – it’s a modern, alternative take on punk that hopefully will evoke a reaction from its audience’: ‘The title is a line from an old song before Freddie and I joined the band,’ Pawsey said. ‘We took one small idea and elaborated on it. The ‘bom, bom, bom’ (laughs), we thought: “Let’s repeat that phrase and turn it into something else”. It’s between the sonic spectrum of ‘Aliens’ and ‘Burn Me, Drown Me’. When it hits the chorus, it gets chaotic and angsty! We’ve got bits of speeches from Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Teresa May. Cameron is in there.’ Such clips have also made it into their very well-put together and witty video for the track. Miles jumps in: ‘Rishi is in there as well. It was so easy to find those samples, where they make fools of themselves.’

As the track kicks off: “It’s gone too far now, guys. Anymore and I think I will cry. But only from my left eye, which will drench us like a flood from the skies. The jackboots in Whitehall are never off the throats of the poor. All those populist whores, say love me and then leave us ignored.”

I ask who they would most like to go for a pint with: ‘The only person who wouldn’t disappoint me would be Freddie Mercury or David Bowie,’ Trevers said. ‘I’d ask David Bowie: “When did you know it was worth it, that it was worth carrying on? Is it ever enough?”‘ Miles is mulling it: ‘Probably Freddie Mercury but I’d love to speak to Keith Richards. Or David Gilmour as he’s very much alive (laughs), I’d show him our stuff, I’d be very interested in what he has to say about it! Pawsey also picks Bowie: ‘Oh, bloody hell, David Bowie, the question would be: “How did you do it?” Such golden material, his last album (Blackstar, released in 2016) was a work of art. To shift genres but it’s still very much him, very consistent. It’s just incredible, such good quality. Some artists try to hard to be relevant but they lose it, don’t they? He didn’t.’

They’ve had some entertainingly hairy moments on the road, as Trevers recounts: ‘One of our funniest moments must have been when we were on tour in France and we had a long day playing for about three hours straight, after which we were obviously very tired. Then we got back to our Airbnb and it stunk of gas; we all – apart from Alfie – believe Alfie left the hob on after he’d finished cooking! It’s more funny in hindsight as Ryan was heading to the house with a lit cigarette which could’ve caused a massive explosion and killed us all, but it was worth it to bestow Alfie with the nickname of “The Gasman”!’

(Top photo from left to right: Alfie, Freddie, Ollie and Ryan.)