You may have heard us playing Stand By Me by Galba on recent shows this week – but who is Galba? We had a chat with him to find out more …
Tell us a little bit about your yourself?
My name is James Allen and I’m the singer for Galba. I live in a musical town called Byron Bay on the east coast of Australia. Byron Bay has world renowned musical festivals like Splendour in the grass and Bluesfest. Splendour in the grass made global headlines in July with mud up to the knees and campsites getting flooded. I write songs with my brother Jono Allen, Julian Ryan, Harry Nichols, Tom Dwyer and Shags Chamberlain. Galba is our family farm 6 hours south of Sydney. The Galba farmhouse was burnt down in the 2020 bushfires.
When did you first start to develop a passion for music?
I developed a passion for music at a young age. I started playing guitar at the age of 11. I wanted to play the songs I heard on the radio.
Which artists did you listen to while growing up?
My favourite band since the age of 12 has always been AC/DC. The first time I heard “You Shook Me All Night Long” it changed my life forever. I found a piece of my soul. This is why we covered ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ on ‘Wembley.’ It was a bonus to find out that AC/DC came from Australia. I had posters of Angus Young on my walls as a kid. It’s surreal that my sister Carla Allen is now going out with Ross Malcolm Young. Ross is Angus’ nephew and the son of Malcolm. Angus actually gave us permission to cover You Shook Me All Night Long.
My other favourite bands are Oasis, the Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Guns and Roses, Queen, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, INXS, Aerosmith, Elvis, Midnight Oil and many others.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard you before?
A mixture of INXS, Oasis, Def Leppard, Meat Loaf and AC/DC but with modern flavours.
What music have you recorded and released to date?
Galba’s debut album “Wembley” was released on digital stores 27th June 2022.
Which artists do you enjoy listening to at the moment – and do they influence your work?
I love listening to the DMA’s. They’re a young Australian band from Sydney doing really well in the UK. They’re touring England at the moment and the crowd sing their songs like ‘Silver’ from start to finish. DMA’s (like Galba) are influenced by Oasis and definitely have that Brit pop sound.
Who would your dream collaboration be with?
My dream collaboration would be with Paul McCartney. Paul is very good at painting and that’s my natural talent. My mum’s an art teacher so I’d love to do a painting with Paul before writing a song. Ronnie Wood is also a painter like me.
What are your plans for the future?
Realistically it’s to be sustainable and make more albums. From a fantasy standpoint it’s to play Wembley stadium like INXS on the 13th July back in 1991.
Where can we find out more about your music?
