Wednesday | January 02, 2019

"BEST BIT OF ADVICE I WAS EVER GIVEN WAS DONT EVER NAME DROP... PAUL MCCARTNEY TOLD ME THAT!": ALEX WESLEY FROM GORGEOUS GEORGE

"BEST BIT OF ADVICE I WAS EVER GIVEN WAS DONT EVER NAME DROP... PAUL MCCARTNEY TOLD ME THAT!": ALEX WESLEY FROM GORGEOUS GEORGE
Alex Wesley, the talented guitarist and keyboard player from the band Gorgeous George, has had quite the journey. From having played over 1,000 shows – including aftershow parties for bands such as Coldplay and Kings of Leon – to gearing up for the release of his first EP under Universal Music MENA, it seems like things are only looking up for this British-born musician. We caught up with Alex for a quick chat about his experiences so far.


Tell us how your musical journey brought you to Dubai.

I’ve been in Dubai for almost 2 years now but it was a long road getting here. About 7 years ago, I was playing in a band in the UK called The Amateurs with Jimmy, the now-drummer from Gorgeous George. Jimmy made some contacts to come out here, and to do various shows around the Middle East and China. So, he left the UK while I stayed on and continued for a while longer doing any show, session or job I could find. He would intermittently message me to see if I fancied doing a particular gig with a particular band, but I always declined. That changed a couple years ago when I flew out to Dubai and started playing six nights a week at the Waldorf Astoria on the Palm – which was quite an introduction! From there I caught up with Jimmy, and the opportunity to play at the new Lock Stock & Barrel (LSB) in JBR came up. So, I joined the other musicians he was playing with, and we all met Yalisha….and the rest is history!



Which has been your favorite gig so far?

Favorite gig in Dubai? Well, I just love playing with the band on a Friday night in LSB. It’s high energy and it has everything I love about playing music. Favorite gig of all time? I’ve done a lot! I was playing with a band a few years ago, and we were asked to play the aftershow parties for Coldplay and Kings of Leon at the Ricco arena. Those were pretty fun gigs! Otherwise, any time I had the opportunity to play with anyone higher up the echelons of music than I was. Best bit of advice I was ever given was don’t ever name drop... Paul McCartney told me that!



We know that Gorgeous George is a rock band, but what other genres would you be open to experiment with?

Well, we are in quite a lucky place with Gorgeous George. While it would be very easy to describe us as a rock band, we play a much wider range of music than that – incorporating dance/EDM, reggae, Latin music and others into our shows. In terms of my own material under the Francis name, I guess I’ve also been quite eclectic in my choice of song styles. This first EP that’s coming out starts off very rock but finishes more in the direction that I see what I know is coming next. I also have a blueprint in my head for an album which is again, quite different. I guess, personally I’m just interested in writing a good song – something with depth and meaning. A catchy chorus is essential – I just want people to have a good time and to take them on a journey. It’s lucky I get to do it for a living!



Name three of your favorite rock albums of all time.

I think for any musician picking a list of albums is a nightmare because there are so many great ones that have influenced you in some way or another. I find myself interested in the journey of a band as well and how they’ve evolved. I’m a massive Coldplay fan, and if I had to pick one of their albums I’d say, ‘A Rush of Blood To The Head’ is a perfect album to me. I love the songs and the production. I think the guitar work throughout Coldplay’s music is severely underrated. Chris Martin’s piano work is great too. I would also want to mention their album ‘Ghost Stories’ which comes a close second. The incorporation of more electronic sounds and the work they did on the track ‘Midnight’ with John Hopkins is awesome. Other than Coldplay – greatest rock albums of all time? Rage Against the Machine got it pretty right (bit of a jump from Coldplay I know). I also love Foo Fighters, Radiohead, Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd... I could go on all day.


What do you think it takes to make a performance great?

I think there’s a scale – between performing to a room that is pin drop quiet and completely immersed in what is going on, to absolutely everything kicking off and the crowd is dancing and having a great time. I’m less interested in the middle grounds. Both are pretty hard to achieve but when they happen it’s magic. Being able to take people to those places is a pretty awesome feeling as well. I guess, a great performance ultimately has to be honest and real. People can see through the veil if you’re putting up a front or faking it.


Have you always wanted to be in a rock band? If not, what other career path would you have chosen?

When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut! There were fewer opportunities for kids living in the countryside of England to go to space in the 90’s than there might be living in the UAE in 2018. I was always interested in computers and video games but to be honest, I don’t think my life could have panned out any other way. Playing music is just who I am, it’s ingrained into my being so even if down the road I’m not playing music as much – it will always be there.



Which musician/artist would you love to collaborate with someday?

I suppose the people I would be most interested in collaborating with would be the ones who might push or steer me in an interesting direction. Nile Rodgers would definitely fall into both of those categories! If I wasn’t doing what I’m doing now, then I would’ve played guitar for Robbie Williams – I emailed his management once but, alas, so far that gig has eluded me. I’m pretty easygoing about the whole thing, really. I’ll play any gig basically any time. I just enjoy playing music.


Anything strange a fan has ever done at any of your gigs?

There’s a bunch of stuff I definitely can’t talk about! However, I do have one particularly insane story. In the UK, I had a band and we would often go out and play at weddings around the country. We developed a Footloose-meets-Strictly Come Dancing style dance off for the wedding party to get involved in. It was always a highlight of the night, so we would start off with the best man and get him to compete against the bridesmaids. We’d then move on to the parents or family of the bride and groom, before finishing off with the bride and the groom. Spoiler alert – the bride always won. This one particular time, we started off with the best man and he started pulling these crazy dance moves and doing a load of breakdancing. If that wasn’t enough, after he had finished, he pulled up his trouser to reveal a prosthetic leg! He then proceeded to unscrew his leg, hopped over to us, pointed the leg at my face and said, “Play ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ right now...” So, we obliged. The leg was then passed around by the groomsmen, and was used for various air guitar moves by the groom later in the night!


Do you still get nervous before a big performance?

I definitely get anxious sometimes before a big performance especially if I’m waiting around to play – but that’s probably more impatience. I guess, I’m lucky that stage fright hasn’t ever been an issue for me. Just point me in the direction of the stage, wind me up and I’ll go do what I do best.



What’s in the pipeline next?

2019 is shaping up to be an exciting year. I have an EP coming out on the 18th of January as Francis. It’s called ‘The Long Way Back Around’ which is coming out under Universal Music MENA. So, I’m really looking forward to getting that out there and seeing what it brings. There are some interesting developments happening with Gorgeous George. So, how it all pans out will be a lot of fun. Also, a lot more music, another year of shows, another year of life. Let’s see what happens.

**Edited for clarity.

You can catch Alex performing with his band Gorgeous George at Lock, Stock & Barrel JBR. Follow them on Facebook
 so you don't miss any of their performances! Or hit 'Follow' on their Instagram page! 

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