Get Ready To Groove With Gaslight’s "Inner City Sally": A Song That Redefines Melbourne’s Music Scene

STAFF
Jan 24
14 min read

Updated: Jun 6

A person sits on a bench in a rainy city at night. Red lights and reflections create a moody atmosphere. Text: Inner City Sally. Gaslight - The Cage, a music blog powered by Cage Riot — Photo provided by: **Gaslight**

From the heart of Melbourne, a sound like no other emerges, weaving humor and insight into a melody you won’t forget. Gaslight's newest single, "Inner City Sally," isn’t just a song, it’s an exploration of contrasts, a cheeky nod to the divide between inner-city cool and suburban simplicity.

But who are these enigmatic creators behind the track? Known for their electrifying energy and a knack for sonic storytelling, this Melbourne-based band draws inspiration from legends while carving a path all their own. Recorded in the intimate confines of a Burwood studio, their latest work transcends time, blending the warm tones of vintage hardware with a distinctly modern edge.

Curious to know more about the artistry, the process, and the personalities behind the music? We talked to the band for an exclusive interview. Dive into their creative world and uncover the stories behind "Inner City Sally", and why their upcoming Australia Day launch is set to be the event of the season.

Read on for the full interview and get ready to meet the minds behind the music!

Begin Interview:

Hello Gaslight, we’re thrilled to have you here for this interview! We've had an amazing time exploring your music and diving into your creative journey. Now, we’re even more excited to get a deeper look into both your brand and your personal and professional inspirations.

Q. What’s the story behind how you chose your band's name?

A. The name originally came from the classic movie Gaslight, which gave rise to the word gaslighting to refer to using psychological tactics to make a person doubt their sanity. The word was quite commonly used in the protests against the extended lockdowns in Melbourne in 2020 to describe the government and mainstream media’s response to the millions of people who showed up in the streets of Melbourne to protest against the government.

Q. The song “Inner City Sally” is a high-energy, exhilarating track that stands out for its dynamic vibe. What inspired the decision to shift from your previous politically charged style to this more tongue-in-cheek delivery and message? Is the story behind it rooted in a specific individual, or does it reflect a series of experiences?

A. It wasn’t exactly a conscious decision as I had jammed out the song in my dining room with a heap of other songs and our bass and keyboard player Nikk suggested recording it and playing it in our set.At that stage we already had a 10 song set and the album songs recorded. It wasn’t until we managed to put together a second set of songs that our drummer Mark and Nikk suggested we use it as an encore for our first gig/album launch. As far as the movement away from other politically charged songs that were on our first album it was kinda like I had to just write a song for its own sake and for it to be something that had nothing to do with politics to stay sane. The inspiration for the song came from an experience I had whilst living in St Kilda back in the grunge/post grunge era. I was sharing a unit with this junkie who had this shitty arrogant attitude towards anyone who wasn’t from the inner city. This guy used to berate me for going to a mate's place in Dandenong to write songs instead of jamming with his untrustworthy junkie mates who most likely would have stolen my equipment to support their drug habits. The amusing thing about it all was that this loser was originally from Dandenong himself, go figure.

Q. We wish we could say we can’t relate to these lyrics: “She’d like to believe / She’d make a poor man cry / There’s nowhere that she really needs to be / There’s no one that she really wants to see.” There’s so much depth packed into that statement. Could you unpack it for us and share the personal experiences or emotions that inspired these poignant lines?

A. I believe what I was trying to express with the first line was a brutal cold indifference towards the homeless that are camped out all along Swanston Street in Melbourne and Chapel Street in Prahran. Every time I walk around these places it’s like most people strut by them in their trendy gear like they’re invisible.

The other two lines are from observing people driving and walking up and down Chapel Street or Cavill Ave in Surfers Paradise or even in Bondi Beach Sydney for the sole purpose of being seen. It’s really superficial and completely idiotic.

Q. You’ve mentioned vintage hardware played a significant role in the recording process. What draws you to these classic sounds, and how do they shape your music?

A. Early on in my career I was usually the youngest member of the bands that I played in so the older members' influences would tend to dominate, usually all that classic 60’s and 70’s rock that every band would play live as audiences at that time seemed to be into that style. That sort of sound and production sounds quite natural to me; it’s not as artificial sounding as a lot of newer music.

Q. Gaslight Volume 1 showcased your raw talent and creativity. How does "Inner City Sally" build on or diverge from the themes in your debut album?

A. Great question! I have been so busy this year that I honestly haven’t had time to think about it, but now that you have brought it to my attention... Gaslight has only existed for not quite a year, every so often we look at each other and go did we seriously do that in under a year? I believe that we are still developing as a unit. I have a feeling that the music will still have this stick-it-to-the-man attitude but will probably be a bit more dynamic. There is talk of including a rock ballad in the next album. Ballads are not my favourite type of song to play so the only reason I would be willing to consider it is that the song in question is such a great tune.

Q. Could you share the names of all the band members and their respective roles? Additionally, how would you describe the dynamic between the members, and how does this chemistry influence the music you create together?

A. Mark Norton on drums, Nikk Kourmouzis on bass/keyboards, Ivan Beecroft on guitar/vocals

We are really fortunate to have a great energy and musical dynamic between us despite the fact that we are three totally different personalities and have had very different musical experiences prior to forming Gaslight. I still can’t explain how this chemistry actually works, it seems go on what intuitively feels right. I can’t really speak for Nikk and Mark on what their take on it is but speaking for myself I tend to react to other musicians' energy and personalities on a subliminal level which leads me to write songs that suit the band's dynamic and circumstances.

Q. The band was formed after meeting at the Ettamogah pub. How did that serendipitous meeting shape the direction of Gaslight?

A. Mark and I had jammed out a few times prior to 2020 and weren’t actively looking for a third member, we were just going to go out and make a hacked out noise as a two piece for the hell of it. The week before I met Nikk I was jamming with another guitarist/singer who wanted to play bass in a band but he decided to go in a different direction musically so we parted company. When I met Nikk I thought he looked like a rock star so I said to him after a brief conversation, "I don’t give a shit if you can’t play, you’re in. Let’s go have a blast!" Luckily for me Nikk just happened to be a fantastic musician and we just clicked from then on, as we were into a lot of the same bands and knew a lot of the same people. Unfortunately for us Mark had suffered a shoulder injury and right after he recovered from the operation we had one jam session and then he injured it again in an industrial accident and we weren’t sure that he was ever going to play drums again. It wasn’t until mid 2024 that we had Mark back on the kit doing his crazy Keith Moon antics on the finish of our songs. So Gaslight had only been together for six months and Mark had only played with Nikk and I a handful of times before our first gig. We played two sets and to Mark's credit he absolutely nailed it.

Q. What challenges have you and your bandmates faced in your musical journeys, and how have those experiences shaped Gaslight's identity?

A. Mark's shoulder injury meant that things had been on a knife edge for the band early in 2024 but his resilience and determination to recover and play drums again has really inspired Nikk and I to get motivated. Watching Mark kicking arse on drums in Gaslight at the launch and our other gigs this year, it felt like we had won this gargantuan battle with the odds totally stacked against us. It was a great feeling.

In some of my conversations getting to know Nikk I realised that we had a lot in common in dealing with a lot of weird fucked-up band dynamics in previous bands and the frustration with unmotivated band mates who couldn’t be arsed and just phoned it in and were happy for you to do all the work and then sit back and criticise, not to mention the usual underhanded crap which unfortunately seems to be all too prevalent in the music industry. If I had the time I could probably make some fucked-up soap opera that was filmed in an insane asylum that had every type of weird character in it like the alien cantina in Star Wars, or like a St Kilda bar on a Saturday night.

Seriously though, in amongst some of the highlights it’s been riddled with a lot of lows and a few personal tragedies. For a long time I used to write music with a guy called Wheels in a band called Haze. After that imploded we started up another band called Crimson Face that went through three drummers over a six year period. Then tragedy struck when Wheels was put in an induced coma after being brutally assaulted whilst protecting his neighbour from being carjacked. And struck again when our drummer Gaz went from doing ice and various other substances at parties, to becoming a total basket case from it. The last time I saw him he was sitting in his lounge room in torn clothes, scratching like a mangy dog and muttering incoherently. I can truly say that after seeing and experiencing all this I honestly feel like a rock n roll survivor. It has definitely influenced my lyric writing and is most likely the reason that a lot of my lyrics are sardonic.

Q. The intro for "Inner City Sally" was a spontaneous creation. What was it like seeing that impromptu addition become a fan favorite?

A. I wasn’t really sold on it to begin with as it was so off the wall and out of left field, but I trusted Nikk's gift for finding really cool sounds on his keyboard that have been blowing Mark and I away all year long. Mark suggested to Nikk to do an extended keyboard intro that has a combination of piano and synth sounds for our second set. It induces an eerie otherworldly type atmosphere that works really well. It was really cool to see the astonished look on the faces of the crowd and feel the energy from them when the guitar and drums kicked in. The feedback we got from the audience was incredible - we all agreed that none of us had ever had such a great response from an audience especially at the very first gig.

Q. With your launch event planned at The Soundbar, how important is supporting local venues and bands to Gaslight's ethos?

A. It’s especially important now after live music was shut down throughout the state for nearly a year. A lot of venues that supported original music are gone now and the ones that are struggling are putting on cover bands as they can’t afford to wait for an original act to get the crowds in. It’s never been harder to get a gig as an original band as Melbourne’s live music scene seems to consist mainly of cover bands now. It’s really sad to see so much musical potential stifled because of this, a lot of talented people we know and have played in bands with get really discouraged and see no other option but to play in a cover band or go broke. The ethos of Gaslight and the reason that it exists is to kick-start a renaissance of creatives who desire to rail against this current situation, where there seems to be a system in place that conspires to discourage, demean and ultimately destroy creativity and leave humanity a soulless empty shell. To sum up Gaslight: we create, therefore we are.

Q. You’ve mentioned the influence of classic painters from the Heidelberg School near your studio. How do you think visual art and music intersect in your creative process?

A. I was having a discussion with Nikk a week ago about this topic. I made an observation about our different musical personalities: Nikk is a true-blue music lover and he is really into anything musical and analyses everything we do, which has made me more appreciative of things that I create and take for granted; whereas I am totally into the creative process which works really well when complemented by Nikk's analytical ability.

When I see those classic paintings I am inspired and in awe of the creative process and skill involved to produce something so unique and sublime. However the appeal of being a musician rather than being a painter is that once a picture is finished it doesn’t evolve any more whereas a music piece is alive and constantly evolving.

Q. Who are some of the artists or bands that inspire your sound, and how do their influences show up in your music?

A. Initially I was right into the energy of the bands of the 70’s punk scene like The Anti-Nowhere League and Dead Kennedys due to the accessibility of the music and stick-it-to-the-man attitude. Later on I was introduced to The Doors which inspired me to learn how to sing - before then I couldn’t sing along with most songs on the radio due to the majority of rock and pop singers being in the tenor range, so Jim Morrison's influence definitely shows up in my vocals. The Georgia Satellites had a huge influence on my lead guitar playing which shows up in some of our songs.

Nikk’s influences include The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again on the keyboards and the organ sounds of Deep Purple. Rush are another influence as Nikk plays bass and keyboards at the same time in a lot of our songs. Kiss is in there as well.

Mark's influences are Keith Moon, Rob Hurst from Midnight Oil, John Bonham, Stiff Little Fingers.

Q. "Inner City Sally" combines nostalgia with innovation. How do you strike a balance between paying homage to the past and pushing boundaries with your music?

A. I don’t think that’s a conscious decision especially with that particular song, it just had this energy that appealed to us when we started playing it. I wasn’t deliberately trying to push any boundaries as trying to do that for the sake of it usually ends up sounding fake.

Q. How has the response to "Inner City Sally" shaped your plans for future projects or performances?

A. Cranking out the guitars was a favourite moment especially after they were recorded with a vintage compressor that I had just bought.

I think I speak for Mark and Nikk as well as myself when I say that we are very eager to get out and rock the arse out of the crowd again at the Soundbar at our upcoming single launch on Australia Day weekend. There's no better feeling than having a killer crowd that are so into your music that they start singing your songs back to you after only hearing them for the first time - it really doesn’t get any better than that. So I am pretty sure that Inner City Sally will stay as our encore and last song for the night; although the crowd demanded two more songs after we played it last time so it didn’t end up being the encore!

Q. What was the most challenging part of bringing this project to life from the initial idea to the final recording?

A. The arrangement was the most challenging part to begin with as I had been playing a version of it acoustically in 2023 and hadn’t even written the words out properly, so it was a bit of a dog’s breakfast for a while there.

Q. What part of the music making process is the most stressful, for example, the creation, the actual release date, etc.?

A. Providing useful insight about a song at the time that it is being released - by that time my thoughts are consumed by the next batch of music that I am recording, writing and playing.

Q. Which of your already released songs is the most important to you or had the most impact on the band's career, and why?

A. Great question! For me it would be the Cynical Express album that I released in mid 2020. We are playing quite a few of those songs in our first set and have had a great response to all of them. I was encouraging other bands and our friends to start writing songs to stick it to the man under a new sub-genre "cynical rock", so having the album reach the number 4 spot on Canada iTunes in 2021 was a pivotal moment for me.

Q. There is a lot of technology available today. Some artists have described it as “overwhelming” or “too much.” The current climate of music is growing with computers being more prominently used for both creation and correction. Do you feel this has a positive or negative impact on the end result for music?

A. I think that depends on how it’s used. For instance I never was a big fan of autotune as it sucks the soul out of vocals so I would never use it. I would rather be criticised for something being slightly flat or sharp - at least it’s real. I recently saw a post of someone I knew on facebook using AI to put music to their poetry and unfortunately it sounded sterile and completely lifeless. I am totally against taking the human element out of art: AI generated music should be listed as a crime against humanity! To take the joy and pleasure out of creating art by replacing it with a soulless inferior version is an obscenity to me.

Q. Not counting ticket sales or size, describe your favorite style of venue for performing.

A. At the moment we are content with packing out medium to small venues as long there is a half-decent stage. In the future we will be aiming at slightly bigger venues that have a capacity to integrate a visual aspect to our show. During this year Nikk and I have worked on putting together a visual component that would complement the music. Most rock bands in Australia don’t have that extra add-on, so we are looking forward to seeing that aspect of our show come to fruition in the very near future.

Q. So, what’s next? Can you share the full details on your future projects and what fans should be excited about? We’re hearing about more releases, and we’d love to be the first to announce it!

A. We plan to release another single and then an another album on Golden Robot Records in 2025. We have some video clips of songs that are on Gaslight Volume 1 that we will be releasing in the coming weeks leading up to our single launch. We will drop the video to Inner City Sally over Christmas to give our fans a sneak preview so look out for that one.

Gaslight, thank you so much, we appreciate you taking the time to talk to us!

End Interview

We’re happy to have shared Gaslight’s exciting journey with you and uncovered such inspiring insights about their creative process.

Now, click the links below to experience their incredible work firsthand!

Check out this latest release and listen to more on Spotify & YouTube