The Galvatrons are preparing to unleash their retro rock sounds on a nation, with the release of their debut album Laser Graffiti next week, and their support slot with Something with Numbers. I caught up with the band’s flamboyant lead singer Johnny Galvatron to chat about his group’s big sound, their “ridiculous” new album, and his uncanny knack for always getting just what he wants!
Your sound harks back to the 80s, with the big synthesizers and sing-along choruses. What do you love most about that period of rock music?
I was more influenced by soundtracks than specific bands. I guess that’s kind of where the band stems from, that whole science fiction soundtrack, that whole 80s soundtrack vibe. So I think the record has that whole Breakfast Club meets The Last Starfighter kind of vibe, which is definitely what we were going for.
I caught you supporting Cheap Trick and Def Leppard last year. What was it like to be on the road with such legends?
I mean, it’s Def Leppard! How awesome’s that? I had a sweet time! And I really like Cheap Trick, I’m a massive Cheap Trick fan. They came out one night, I think it was at ACER Arena, you know like 15, 20 thousand people, and they walk out and go “Good evening ladies and gentlemen, we’re The Galvatrons!” and then played “In The Street” from That 70s Show and that was like the highlight of my life, like single tear down the side of my face. Cheap Trick just introduced themselves as my band. That was probably the most amazing thing ever.
And the Def Leppard guys, if you ever become a big stadium rock band, you want to be like those guys, because everyone who’s on tour with them loves them. They eat all the same catering as everyone else, they all sit around with the crew when it’s dinnertime and stuff, and the crew love them for it. They’re just geezers, they’re such nice guys. So I think it was a very good lesson on if you do succeed, how to treat everyone and how to do it the right way.
You have such energy on stage. How do you keep things fresh when you’re on the road for long periods at a time?
Umm, probably just drugs! (laughs) No, no. I think we really love what we do, we love playing rock and roll. We’re not one of those bands that are too serious about what we do. We know we all have a really good job and we love playing rock and roll. It is hard being on the road for a long time, and being in a band for a long time sometimes, but we love what we do. We’re very thankful for it.