Wesley Gonzalez to play The Wedgewood Rooms as part of Independent Venue Week: ‘Wax Limousine saved my bacon, mental health-wise’

He wrote the bulk of the album, Wax Limousine, in the early days of the pandemic lockdowns. Released in March 2022 it is sonically upbeat, soulful and poppy, but its sound runs contrary to the themes it covers.

As the singer-songwriter says: ‘It was quite cathartic. And this is definitely the quickest turnaround for me to write a whole record.’

His second album, Appalling Human, came out in June 2020.

‘I didn't have time to think about the break-up because I was taking my mum to hospital meetings everyday and stuff like that, then when I'd write in the evenings that would be my point where I had the opportunity to think about myself for a bit.

‘I took every opportunity to write as much as possible because it was so overwhelming. It takes your ego out a lot of that stuff – it cuts you to your base level point and you reassess what's important. As horrendous as it was, there were lots of positives from it, and lots of positives I gained from writing about it, and being open to how I felt about the situation.’

Following his break-up, Wesley had moved back into his mother’s home, and then she got ill and he stayed there during the pandemic.

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‘I'm very grateful to say my mum survived and she's fine and it seems like a weird bubble in time, that year. It all happened just before the pandemic. Luckily she got the thumbs up just before the lockdown.

‘That record saved my bacon, mental health-wise – it gave me something to focus on. It was a mad, intense time.’

Wes is now looking ahead to new releases – he has an EP in the can and is about to start recording album four.

‘I've not really talked about the new album yet, it's early days. It's mainly about capitalism and living through the lockdown as a very poor person. I started writing from the viewpoint of other people for this record, so I'm writing from the viewpoint of yuppies and people in society I don't understand, so lots of stuff talking about business and CFOs and my disdain for them and the capitalist world we live in.

‘It's kind of the same thing as Wax Limo – there's some really heavy stuff in there, but it's not heavy music – it doesn't feel depressing even though it's carrying on with those themes. Musically it's coming together, but we haven't finished the rehearsals as a band, so I can't say how it will turn out sonically, but I think it's the poppiest thing I've done.​​​​​​​

‘The EP is written from a lot of characters' view points too. A lot of it is writing it as characters I don't understand to try and get more empathy towards them, maybe – to try and understand them a bit more.’

Sonically, Wesley has moved on from Let’s Wrestle the cult indie-rock band he fronted in his teens to mid-20s.

When he began his solo career, Wesley reacted against his old band’s sound by banning guitars from his new work. He has, however, since relented from that hardline stance.

‘Having moved back to my mum's house when I was writing Wax Limo, I started revisiting bands I loved when I was a teenager like (Nick Cave’s influential post-punk band) The Birthday Party, and this band Mclusky - they were Let's Wrestle biggest influence, we loved them. Listening to a lot of those records, and when something so heavy happens I guess you stop worrying about the little rules you set for yourself – you just think, “This will sound good, so I'm going to do it”.

‘Now with the live shows, I'm playing more guitar than anything else, and the next record definitely has a lot more guitar on it.

‘I like change, I like when an artist does the opposite of what they're known for or gives something else a go – like Bowie. I also like quite cantankerous figures in music who rub people up the wrong way. When I did the press for the first record I was saying how much I hated the Velvet Underground and that guitars were stupid and not modern.

‘But there's a tongue in cheek element to everything I do, and it's better to say the most ridiculous thing than to be truthful sometimes... I like making up angles or putting on a facade of what I'm like rather than the unfortunate truth!’ he laughs.

But before the release of any new music, he plays at The Edge of The Wedge in Southsea as part of Independent Venue Week. Asked why these venues are worth supporting, he laughs: ‘Otherwise I'd be out of work!

‘They're important because they're hubs of likeminded people. And they're places where people maybe consider themselves outsiders, of think differently from the norm, or are interested in the arts and being creative or whatever – for them to have a hub to hang out in and to meet other people in the community who are like that.

‘When I was a teenager and I didn't feel like I fit in, there was The Buffalo Bar in Islington, that's where I used to hang.’ The 300-capacity venue closed in 2014 when its lease was terminated, despite a campaign to save it.

‘I may have been too scared to approach anyone else there, but at least I knew I was in there with the weirdos! It's important to champion these places, particularly under this horrendous, disgusting government which has no respect for the arts whatsoever, and it's important to embrace these things as much as possible.’

He is at The Edge of The Wedge in Southsea on Thursday, February 2 .Tickets £11. Go to wedgewood-rooms.co.uk.