Great Gable are an Australian indie rock band formed in Bunbury, Western Australia in 2014. The band consists of Alex Whiteman (lead vocals, guitar), Matt Preen (lead guitar) and Chris Bye (bass guitar). Brandon Richards previously performed as the band's bass guitarist until 2017 and Callum Guy as the drummer until his departure from the band in 2023.
Their 2020 singles, "All My Friends", "Blur" and "Tracing Faces" were added to rotation on national youth broadcaster Triple J. They released their debut album Tracing Faces on 7 August 2020, which peaked at number 78 on the ARIA Albums Chart.
Their musical style consists primarily of indie rock, rock and alternative rock, with occasional reggae and blues influences.
Band members Current members Alex Whiteman – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (2014–present) Matt Preen – lead guitar (2014–present) Chris Bye – bass guitar (2017–present)
Past members
Madi Hanley - drums (2023-2025) Callum Guy - drums (2014-2023) Brandon Richards – bass guitar (2015–2017)
Career 2016–2018: Formation, GG, and Modern Interactions Lead vocalist Alex Whiteman and lead guitarist Matt Preen became friends at the age of 12 or 13 whilst playing cricket competitively. In late 2014 in Bunbury, Western Australia, Preen and Whiteman decided to form a band, deciding to name it Great Gable. They had decided to form a band after "jamming" together. In mid-2015, Whiteman met drummer Callum Guy and bass guitarist Brandon Richards at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), and asked the duo to join the band. Guy has since stated he thought "[Alex's] voice was awesome".
On 7 March 2016, Great Gable released their debut single, "Only for You", as the lead single from their debut extended play, GG. On 11 May, they released GG independently. All tracks were co-written by Preen, Whiteman, Guy and Richards. On 29 January 2017, they released "Early Morning" as the lead single from their second independent EP, Modern Interactions. On 31 August 2017, the band released Modern Interactions. Callum's friend, bass guitarist Chris Bye joined the band in late 2017.
On 25 July 2018, they released "Pillars", the lead single from their third EP, Lazy Bones Tapes. On 26 October, they released "Golden Slums", the second single from the EP. On 1 February 2019, they released "Cool Mind Blue", the third single from the EP. On 11 October 2019, they released "I Swear", the fourth and final single from the EP. Lazy Bones Tapes was released on 1 November 2019.
2019–2020: Lazy Bones Tapes and debut album Tracing Faces
On 13 February 2020, Great Gable signed with ADA Worldwide. On 21 February, they released "All My Friends", the lead single from their debut album. On 15 May, they released the single "Blur", alongside the announcement of their debut album, titled Tracing Faces. On 26 June, they released "I Wonder", the third single from Tracing Faces.
Tracing Faces was released on 7 August, with the title track being released as the album's fourth and final single on the same day. Tracing Faces peaked at number 78 on the ARIA Albums Chart in the week following its release.
2021–present: On the Wall in the Morning Light On 9 September 2021, the band released the single "Hazy" and announced a 2022 Australian tour.
On 22 April 2022, Great Gable released "Dancing Shoes" and announced the forthcoming release of On the Wall in the Morning Light, scheduled for July 2022.
Musical style and influences Great Gable are primarily an indie rock, rock, alternative rock, reggae, and blues band. In 2015, then-bass guitarist Brandon Richards described the band as having "strong reggae and blues influences."
The band list Matt Corby (who produced their debut album Tracing Faces) as a defining influence, and cite his albums Telluric and Rainbow Valley as specific influences. They have also described their music as being inspired by Jeff Buckley, Sticky Fingers, and the Clash.
They consider the records Revolver by the Beatles, AM by Arctic Monkeys, Kinfolk by Nate Smith and IV by BadBadNotGood to be significant musical influences of theirs.
Philanthropy Great Gable have contributed to multiple social causes. Great Gable donated $1 of every ticket sale for their 2019 Australian tour towards solar initiative Future Energy Artists (FEAT. Artists). The band are also CanTeen Side of Stage ambassadors, an initiative which provides free tickets to shows for young people affected by cancer.
Discography Studio albums +List of studio albums, with release date, label, and selected chart positions shown Title Album details Peak chart positions AUSPeaks in Australia: Tracing Faces: Small Fry: Tracing Faces Released: 7 August 2020 Label: ADA Worldwide, Warner Music Australia Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 78 On the Wall in the Morning Light Released: 8 July 2022 Label: Warner (RVRCD003) Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming — Small Fry Released: 11 October 2024 Label: Rainbow Valley Warner Formats: CD, LP, digital download, streaming 66
Extended plays +List of EPs, with release date and label shown Title Details GG Released: 11 May 2016 Label: ADA, Warner Music Australia Formats: LP , digital download, streaming Modern Interactions Released: 31 August 2017 Label: ADA, Warner Music Australia Formats: LP , digital download, streaming Lazy Bones Tapes Released: 1 November 2019 Label: ADA, Warner Music Australia Formats: LP , digital download, streaming Read the Room Released: 7 September 2023 Label: Great Gable, Warner Music Australia Formats: digital download, streaming
Singles +List of singles, with year released and album shown Title Year Album "Only For You" 2016 GG "Early Morning" 2017 Modern Interactions "Pillars" 2018 Lazy Bones Tapes "Golden Slums" "Cool Mind Blue" 2019 "I Swear" "All My Friends" 2020 Tracing Faces "Blur" "I Wonder" "Tracing Faces" "Hazy" 2021 On the Wall in the Morning Light "Another Day" "Our Love" 2022 "Dancing Shoes" "Best Friend" 2024 Small Fry "Think Again Mother Fucker" "Fine Wine" "You Shall Not Pass" "Home Town"
Awards and nominations National Live Music Awards The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.
! |- ! scope="row"| 2020 | Themselves | West Australian Live Act of the Year
Tours Great Gable have performed at multiple festivals, including Groovin' The Moo, Falls Festival, SOTA Festival, On the House Festival and Outfield Festival. They have also supported Ocean Alley, the Jungle Giants, Thelma Plum, the Jezabels and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets on their respective national tours.
Headlining Pillars Tour (2018) Golden Slums Tour (2018) 2019 Australia & New Zealand Tour (2019) Tracing Faces Tour (2020 – delayed from April to October due to COVID-19 pandemic) 2022 Australian Tour
Supporting Psychedelic Porn Crumpets 2019 National Tour (2019) New Order 2025 Australian Tour First night Perth Arena
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