LENNIE Tranter grew up listening to his father’s Beatles records and so it’s not surprising the Fab Four’s influence on his band, Lennie Tranter and the Bagism Revelation, is direct.
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And its not something Tranter shirks from, in fact, the band revels in the legacy. Tranter is an unashamed Beatlephile.
“The Beatles, that’s what got me into music and Oasis got me wanting to play music,” he said.
“I’m a massive nerd about it.”
“John Lennon said what the Beatles tried to do was recreate the sounds of their musical heroes.
“(The Beatles) lost all appeal to him when they stopped trying to do that.”
Tranter believes in ripping off his heroes and if he is going to do that, then he is also going to be straight-up about it.
But despite the use of Beatlesque harmonies and very catchy melodies there is plenty in the music that is their own. The songs are beautifully crafted, wistful lyrics glide across seamless musical progressions that defy the listener to not want to dance.
He decided to use his own name to ensure the direction he set for the band would be maintained.
“I don’t mind opinions and ideas but I wanted it to be sure thing that we are going to do it like this,” he said.
“It’s actually more democratic than any other band I’ve been in.
“Luckily I found the right people who can add to it and want to do it."
Tranter had previously played in the Havelocks, a Newcastle-based band who released two EPs and received airplay on Triple J.
Tranter plays a trademark Rickenbacker guitar, sings and writes the songs. Brothers Alex and Nick Thorpe are on bass and lead guitar respectively. On drums is Sam Smith.
The band has been together for about 12 months and is currently recording tracks at Tighes Hill’s Sawtooth Studios, with Sean Ballenden engineering, for an EP they expect to launch before the end of the year.
“It’s taking longer than we thought,” Tranter said.
“Getting the band laid down happens pretty quick, but people get ideas as we are doing it.
“I am a lot more patient than I used to be, but I just want to get it right.”
The EP will be available for digital download and released on CD.
Next gig: The Equinox of Sound, at The Croatian Club on May 14.