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 to access audio and video on collective you need real player.Gomez tell us what the difference is. Gomez are back. Two years on from the lukewarmly received In Our Gun, Tom Gray, Ben Ottewell, Olly Peacock, Paul “Blacky” Blackburn and Ian Ball are about to release their fourth and most straightforward album to date, Split The Difference. Sitting in one of Virgin Records’ plush lounges, I wonder how they would say it differs from what came before. “Shorter songs,” “Faster,” “Harder,” come the barrage of replies. “You can get it quicker, I think,” says Olly as they settle down. “After a couple of listens you can be in-tune with the songs. Some of our other albums you’d have to give it a good five or six listens.” Would they say it’s more straightforward? “We selected this album,” explains Tom. “We decided to put together a bunch of songs that made a more cohesive record. From the 30-odd tunes we had, we could have picked a totally bonkers record.”  Split The Difference is a rock’n’roll album, which came as a surprise to the band as much as anybody else. “It was something unexpected,” reflects Tom. “We suddenly started playing music with lots of energy in it, which made us feel good.” The fresh energy on the record can probably be attributed to the band’s new-found love of playing live. Much of the last couple of years have been spent on the road, particularly in the States. “We got kind of stung a bit with In Our Gun,” explains Ben. “It was released at the wrong time and wasn’t received well. But the positive thing that came out of the whole experience was going on the road.” Playing live may have gone some way to healing the wounds left by the critical reaction to In Our Gun but the attitude of the British music press still bugs them. “They think they know where you’re coming from, but they haven’t got a clue because they haven’t got any of the right reference points to be able to judge what you do,” says Tom passionately. “We’re from Merseyside and doing something that they don’t really understand. They don’t understand the culture of young fellas getting messed up on mind-expanding drugs and doing things because they’re bored, and that’s what they LIKE doing. And that it’s nothing to do with the Camden mafia.”  So, despite the frustrations, do they still have the same enthusiasm for making music? “I think there’s enthusiasm for different things,” says Ben. “I used to hate going on stage. I used to f**king hate it. We were bad. For the first couple of years we couldn’t do it and I knew we were better than what we were doing and that got annoying. But now we’ve got that shit together and I love playing live.” And is there ever a time they can see themselves as not being in Gomez? Ian opens his mouth for the first time since the interview began: “Maybe we’ll split up and get back together again. Three times a year. Or at least just before Christmas.” Personally, I think it’s unlikely. They seem to be enjoying themselves too much.
Matt Walton
Gomez - Split The Difference, released 03 May 04 on Virgin.
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