A Chat with Gabriel’s Dawn (21.05.22)
Drawing together a passion for melodic pop, jangly guitars and classic songwriting, UK-based Gabriel’s Dawn is entirely infectious. We speak with bassist Fran Feely about their self-titled debut album, celebrity crushes and future plans.
OSR: How did Gabriel’s Dawn come about?
Feely: Gudg (vocals) contacted Leon in 2018 regarding making music as we knew each other from playing live together. I had a lot of songs and found I was writing a lot of new ones too. All the songs were recorded in Leon’s studio and that gave us the time and flexibility to really hone the sound. Stu was a friend of us all and he joined a little later on keys.
OSR: What do you hope people take from your music?
Feely: Hopefully, some sort of emotion.
OSR: Is there a backstory to your self-titled album Gabriel’s Dawn?
Feely: Me and Gudg are huge Peter Gabriel ‘Genesis’ fans. So, that was where the name came from. The name Gabriel just sounds nice too. We were initially just called The Gabriels but received a few emails informing us there is an artist called Gabriels, so we decided to change the name as we didn’t want to cause confusion. We chose ‘Dawn’ because we love the Genesis 1968 song ‘Hidden in The World of Dawn’, and also we all love Pipers at the Gates of Dawn.
OSR: Did you face any challenges when recording the album?
Feely: Due to us living in different cities, it was quite hard to all get together and jam and record. We ended up going into Leon’s studio at different times, but we all had a clear and shared vision of the sound we were after.
OSR: Do you have a favourite track on the album?
Feely: For me, ‘Real Love’. I think sonically it sounds cool, but if you lift up the bonnet there is a bit more going on underneath.
OSR: What about a least favourite track?
Feely: I love ’em all.
OSR: If you could change anything about Gabriel’s Dawn, what would it be and why?
Feely: To have had the ability to all get together more and practice more and to have gigged. The pandemic made things so hard.
OSR: What TV show do you secretly enjoy?
Feely: The Eurovision Song Contest!
OSR: Who was your first celebrity crush?
Feely: Linda Ronstadt.
OSR: If you could spend a weekend with any musician (living or dead), who would it be?
Feely: I think it would be cool to spend time with Syd Barrett.
OSR: Do you have any future plans as a musician?
Feely: To keep writing really. See where that takes me next I guess.
Thanks to Fran Feely for speaking with us. For more from Gabriel’s Dawn check out their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
