Last week, when New Zealand four-piece The Leers released their latest single It’s Not Right, we were immediately hooked on their psych-pop sounds.
So fresh off the release of the single, we asked the band to write us an article… so they all got together, sank some piss, and interviewed one another. If you want to see the following conversation in video form, the band will be uploading the footage to their Instagram.
We asked New Zealand psych-pop four-piece The Leers to write us an article… so they all got drunk and interviewed one another. Here are the results…
JAMES: What’s been our shittest gig?
JACOB: ‘My Heart Beats Electro’ you remember that? We played in a massive hall to no one. It was an American style gym with bleachers on either side. We started playing and all these 15/16-year-olds starting evacuating within the first chord.
JAMES: (laughing) Do you remember looking out and you could actually see them piling out single file through two exits like someone had told them to leave haha
JACOB: There was this one guy that was one of the organizers, and while we played this cover (Use Somebody by Kings of Leon) he was having the meanest time dancing while all of these people were leaving his event haha.
JAMES: My girlfriend at the time was chilling outside and she heard this random girl yell out “That shit band’s finished! We can go back in now” hahaha.
MATT: (laughing) At least we still got paid 500 bucks for that gig
JACOB: I think it was only 200
MATT: Jesus hahaha
JACOB: What’s everybody’s guilty pleasure? Like artist, song or band or whatever…
JAMES: Mariah Carey
JACOB: Fuck off… really?
JAMES: Oh yeah (sings the chorus of Heartbreaker by Mariah Carey drunkenly). Weren’t you really big on Shania Twain?
JACOB: Oh fuck yeah, Shania Twain is definitely mine. The Queen of the pre-chorus ay (reaching for his phone) mate, I got you a pre-chorus mate. That album Come On Over is epic. (Continues to play random Shania Twain song while singing along)
JAMES: (Shifts uncomfortably)
MATT: (laughing) I have no idea what fucking song that is
JACOB: (furiously air drumming)
MATT: And there’s the guilt haha
JACK : (laughing) You just need a cowboy hat and boots and it’d be perfect
MATT: Remember the Police gig when James played super hammered?
JACOB: (laughing) Oh yes!
MATT: For context, my dad’s been a cop for 13 years and he thought it’d be a good idea for us to play an annual police ball in our hometown at the top of our local police station. Earlier that day, James had played cricket and hit a century.
JAMES: Fuck yeah I did (Nods head bragging)
MATT: What was the penalty for hitting a century though? Like what were jug sessions like after?
JAMES: So if you hit a century, after the match finishes you go back to the clubrooms and everyone’s obligated to buy you a drink but you’re not allowed to be double parked (holding two drinks at once). We used to do these strawpedos (look it up) and I had like 3 or 4 drinks lined up for ages so I was strawpedoing constantly. I was beautifully smashed by like 7 pm.
MATT: I have this beautiful memory of you rocking up the stairs of the police station and drunkenly stumbling into a room full of cops before we played. Were we even 18 at that time?
JAMES: Yeah, because my cop friend that I play cricket with (laughs) was like “you’re too drunk mate, and I know you’re playing tonight. I’ll give you a ride in the squad car back to your house so you can get your shit.”
MATT: (Laughing)
JAMES: So he pulls up into my parents’ driveway, and my folks start freaking out
JACOB: (Laughing) because you were smashed as well.
JAMES: And I come out drunk and was like (slurring) “I’m just grabbing my shit.” Probably the drunkest I’ve ever played live before haha…
MATT : (Laughing) Remember that time we tried to play at Shadows Bar? (Local university bar)
JACK: And you didn’t have an I.D?
MATT: We had to carry all of our gear up these stairs and then I realized that I didn’t have an I.D, totally dropped the ball and they wouldn’t let us in (shakes head). I was like “what if the rest of the band sets up on stage and we just run a mic and guitar cable out to the entrance/balcony and I’ll play the set from outside of the bar?”
JACOB: (laughing and clapping)
JAMES: Wasn’t he going to let us do it?
MATT: Nah the bouncer was like “No mate. You can’t run a fucking cable across the entire bar and play the set outside.” I remember the promoter being really gutted as well, cause I rock up without a fucking I.D (Puts head in hands)
JAMES: (In a mocking tone) “yeah but I got a picture of my birth certificate though!”
EVERYBODY: (laughing)
MATT: Any moments that felt like milestones? Like when you felt we were actually doing good things as a band?
JAMES: Yeah, when we got into Rockquest National finals (NZ school-based competition). It wasn’t that structured, so it almost felt like we were doing it ourselves. I remember we got up for an early sound-check and we’d never played through a proper big PA system on a big stage before. We played that slow song that gets real big at the end?
JACOB: Ooh yeah that’s right.
JAMES: We played that and it felt wicked. I looked over at one of the techs and she was like (nodding head appreciatively while talking to someone). For me, the smallest thing but I was like man maybe we’re on to something.
JAMES: (laughing) In hindsight though she could’ve just been talking to someone like “man it smells really good in here ay?”
JACK: (laughing) or “see I told yah that band was shit”
EVERYBODY : (laughing)
It’s Not Right is available now. Listen above.
