Great Gable have taken to the triple j studios for the broadcaster’s Like a Version segment, performing a cover of Owl City‘s 2009 single ‘Fireflies’.
It’s a complete reimagining of the electronic original, replacing its whimsical production and distinctly American vocals with instrumentals and frontman Alex Whiteman’s Australian twang.
The Bunbury outfit lend the song an indie-rock edge, turning it into something that could slot easily into their own repertoire. Check it out below:
“I remember we used to play it when we were playing cricket, one of our best mates would always listen to it and we hated it at the time,” Whiteman said in a post-performance interview. “But the chords and the melodies and everything, you break it down [and] it’s just a beautiful song.”
The band also performed their own original song, opting for their latest single ‘Dancing Shoes’. Watch that below too:
The band shared ‘Dancing Shoes’ last month, along with the announcement that their second album is on the way. Titled ‘On The Wall In The Morning Light’, it’ll feature previously released cuts ‘Hazy’, ‘Another Day’ and ‘Our Love’, as well as the aforementioned ‘Dancing Shoes’. The record is set for release on July 8, via Matt Corby‘s Rainbow Valley Records.
Great Gable dropped their debut album ‘Tracing Faces’ in August 2020, making it into NME‘s Australian album picks for that month. “There’s an earnestness to what Great Gable do that makes them difficult not to find charming, with singer Alex Whiteman’s from-the-hip reflections on love, loss and mental health feeling like an authentic snapshot of a period in the band’s lives,” wrote NME‘s Alex Gallagher.
The band are currently on tour around Australia, and are heading to New Zealand later this month for their first shows there since the COVID-19 pandemic began.