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As a Four year old in Geelong, Johnny Galvatron sat transfixed to his parent television watching a VHS copy of Transformers. Little did he know that upon seeing the 1986 animated film almost 20 years later, not only it spawn his rock star persona but also its sci-fi battles and cinematic soundtrack that would become opiate for his band The Galvatrons.
"It triggered a childhood memory of a more innocent time,"says Galvatron, 24, sipping a can of solo at his record company's Melbourne Terrace house office. "I wanted to recreate that escapism that outlandishness. Cinematic adventures and triumphant rock and roll is what we are all about."
After obtaining a degree in 3D animation and game coding followed by ghost writing songs for pop stars, frustrated with earnest rock and a need for his own bombastic expression, Johnny formed The Galvatrons in 2007.
Written by Galvatron prior to moving to Melbourne at 19, songs "Cassandra", "When We were Kids" and "Robots Are Cool" were demoed by producer Josh Abrahams and posted on the bands myspace. - Rolling Stone Magazine Australia
Already signed to Warners in Australia, Melbourne based electro pop band The Galvatrons release their first single in the UK through Another Music = Another Kitchen Records.
This is the most added track to Australian radio back in Australia in April, before the release of their debut EP there. UK industry attention towards the band, who have been together for less than 12 months, have been steadily building since the start of the year - festival shows (at Hyde Park Calling and Wireless) and some London club shows should stoke further interest.
This is a stylish, hook-laden and superb debut. - Record of the Day - UK - 26th June 2008
Every now and again we get hit with a "hype band", a group who the industry jumps on and lauds as the Next Big Thing and who get jammed down our throats at every opportunity. Of course over the past few years in particular, there have been more than just a couple - Jet, Airbourne, Wolfmother, and just last year, the Melbourne-based Galvatrons. This four-piece electro/rock band were, it seems, born in an arena whilst Poison were playing, and if you've heard even a snippet of their material, you'll know just what I'm talking about. Loud, brash, heavy on the keys but still keeping it on the rock n roll road, the Galvs have carved themselves a niche not occupied since the mid 80's, a time if Eddie Van Halen told you to Jump!, well, it was merely a question of how damn high?
As a result of all the hype, the Galvs hit it hard during 08 - they played all the major festival, they released an EP "When We Were Kids", the track of which became the most Added track to Radio of that year.
By Sam Fell - Tsunami Magazine June 2009
THE Galvatrons are a complete package. From the band's sci-fi moniker to the spacey font, band members' names (Johnny Galvatron, Gamma, Condor), the retro-style video clips, live send-off ("we are from the future") and their '80s inspired electro-rock sound, you would swear they were the product of a record company Svengali. But everything from the vision to the name, the songs and style is the brainchild of young Geelong-born Johnny Galvatron.
"I'm really into the idea of escapism through rock'n'roll - people should lose themselves in their rock stars, like Ziggy Stardust," says Galvatron. "I set out to make something larger-than-life and out-of-this-world. I started going back to watch all the old films I liked as a kid (the band are named after a character in the Transformers film) - that's where a lot of the synth sounds come from."
Galvatron's vision seems to have struck a chord. Despite having barely enough songs to fill a set, the young Melbourne band became a fixture on the summer festival circuit, blazing away at Meredith, Big Day Out and Cherry Rock festivals. And the first single, When We Were Kids (released tomorrow), was the number one most added track on radio last week.
But it was their oldest song, Cassandra, about a Geelong girl who broke Galvatron's heart, that was the genesis for him to start a band. "I didn't see her the night we were meant to hook up, and I had no idea she was moving to a different country the next day. So the whole run to the airport was very Sixteen Candles," he says, referring to the '80s film starring Molly Ringwald.
The future beckons for the band as they head back overseas to play with the Police at London's Hyde Park. It's refreshing to see a band young and fresh enough to be star-struck by the rock stars they run into backstage.
"Justin Hawkins (the Darkness) found us on MySpace and at our first gig Johnny went to the band room to grab a glass of water and he came running up to us saying, 'Smell my jacket - can you smell Justin Hawkins?'" says bassist Condor. "We had flown halfway across the planet and we should have been really nervous playing to these record executives, but when we saw Justin there singing our songs in the front row, we knew we had to put on our best show," adds Galvatron.
Hawkins is a sober recluse these days, so when he decided to leave his house to chaperone his new favourite band around London, the Galvatrons were followed by the paparazzi and ended up in the social pages of The Daily Mirror.
Patrick Donovan - The Age - Patrick Donovan
"Cassandra" is the explosive new single to be lifted from The Galvatrons debut album 'Laser Graffiti' and sees the band pick right up where they left off.
The title track from the band's EP 'When We Were Kids' was released in May 2008. The result was a top 40 single, #1 most added at radio and made the band one of Rolling Stone's "top 5 artists to watch in 2008".
Johnny Galvatron, front man for the band, says "Cassandra is based on a true story. The lyrics are very literal. I did leave her crying at a stadium. I did chase her to the airport. She does live in Japan now. She teaches English. I don't know if she knows about the song yet... I guess she'll come across it one day. This was the first song I ever wrote for the Galvatrons. Changed my life. Got me a record deal got me a pay check. Means a lot to me."
- JB HI-FI online
Get set, ready, go: guitar systemised drums powered, bass engaged and keys boosted. From Melbourne, stadium rock saviours The Galvatrons are all systems go with the release of their debut full-length album Laser Graffiti.
Band members Johnny Galvatron, Gamma and brothers Bozz and Condor bestow the planet with eleven tracks of high-energy, Transformers-inspired musical gold. A blockbusting marathon of synth, strings, vox, guitar and drums. Laser Graffiti opens with 'And So They Invade....' chanting just one line "Were here to save the world" Tracks 'The First Starfighter' and lead single 'Cassandra' are both highly enjoyable, cinematic and catchy tunes that could easily be invited to sit at the same table as hits from Journey, Starship or Toto. Meanwhile 'Robots Are Cool' operates as an obvious and successful nod to songs from the Devo back catalogue like 'That's Good' or 'It's Not Right'.
At the halfway point there is no slowing down The Galvatrons breakneck guitar riffs and power-synth slams. Both the title track and 'Light Speed' offer some often chuckle-worthy and at times touching lyrics, delivered with great vocal prowess that is reaffirmed by the soft-stepping 'Stella'.
'Molotov Cocktail' provides exactly what the song title might suggest - through a series of bubbling-hot harmonies and sonic layers, Laser Graffiti ends with the beautifully comforting 'Galaxy Destroyer' - a glorious finale to a fresh and original Australian album that demands listening, commands attention and rewards repeat listens. Hold on world The Galvatrons are here to save you.
***** Carlin Beattie
- Time Off - Album of the Week by Carlin Beattie
Discography
When We Were Kids EP
Cassandra Single
Laser Graffiti Album
Photos
Bio
Where have all the great rock & roll acts gone? Acts that play the kind of uplifting cinematic anthems that aim for the stars. Well, here are The Galvatrons, just in time to save the world.
The synth-rock & roll saviours are masterminded by the effortlessly charismatic front-man Johnny Galvatron, who cherry-picked three diverse and incredibly talented musicians in Melbourne to bring the epic project to life. There’s the modest, oh-so stylish Gamma, classically trained in piano and a whiz on keys and synth; straight-shooting Bozza, who packs a punch behind the kit; and his brother Condor, a deft and dextrous bassist and Johnny’s perfect foil. Fitting for the Transformer-appropriated name, each piece of The Galvatrons is larger-than-life – but the sum is simply spectacular.
After moving from his hometown of Geelong to Melbourne to study and “write music for pop stars”, Johnny began crafting his synth opus at home before assembling The Galvatrons in August 2007. They were clearly onto a good thing; the buzz was on the saviours of rock & roll and everyone wanted a ticket to the show. After their fourth show, the band inked a deal with Warner Music.
“We had five songs. We got signed with five songs. We knew how hilarious it was at the time. We played for 25 minutes at the gig we got signed,” Johnny says.
Then came shows with You Am I, the Divinyls, Shihad, the national support slot for Def Leppard and Cheap Trick, and a set in front of 55,000 people at London’s Download Festival alongside Kiss, Judas Priest and The Offspring, and a gig with the Police at Hyde Park Calling in the UK. At home, they impressed on the festival circuit. With a fierce reputation stemming from their killer stadium-styled live shows, The Galvatrons made a big impact with their debut EP, When We Were Kids – its title track the most added to radio ahead of its May 2008 release. But while it’s been an auspicious rise for The Galvatrons, it’s one that’s deserving.
“We played the Big Day Out, Meredith, Splendour in the Grass, and I think we just thought that’s what happened to bands,” Johnny says. “I don’t think we knew how lucky we were.”
There’s more than luck at play on their debut album Laser Graffiti. A sweeping, visual trip through space and beyond, with honest emotion and empathetic storytelling that keeps it within sight of Earth, the set perfectly marries uplifting electronica with fist-pumping rock & roll. The making of it was equally epic – it took two months in Sydney’s Big Jesus Burger Studios with Scott Horscroft (the Presets, Sleepy Jackson, Silverchair) and another month of mixing to bring this synth-rock beast to life.
“Our catchphrase has been to do the soundtrack of the coolest sci-fi never made,” Johnny explains. “This whole band is inspired by that sound, the ’80s soundtrack as opposed to ’80s music. We’re more inspired by film than radio or records.”
From the synth-rock shredding of unrequited love anthem “Cassandra” and the bouncing Devo-style keyboards and beat of toe-tapping “Robots Are Cool”, to the rousing reach-for-the-stars epic “The Last Starfighter”, and the irresistible and organic keyboard melodies of more ethereal “Light Speed”, Laser Graffiti is an immensely rich and varied set. Killer Van Halen-esque rocker “When We Were Kids” has been re-envisioned superbly. And it’s bookended by two grandiose intro and outro tracks that ooze playful confidence.
“There’s a lot on the record. I think a lot of people expect us to have 12 songs that sound like ‘When We Were Kids’,” Johnny says. “I think the record will surprise a lot of people.”
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