Transatlantic tide for Gomez

HIGH TIDES: Gomez members Tom Gray, Ben Ottewell, Olly Peacock, Paul Blackburn and Ian Bell.

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When not in the studio or on tour, the five members of hit British indie band Gomez are still divided between the United States and Britain, but the tide is turning.

Drummer Olly Peacock lives in Brooklyn, New York, singer-guitarist Ian Ball lives in Los Angeles, and they used to be able to boast that bass player Paul "Blacky" Blackburn lived in Detroit and singer-guitarist Tom Gray lived in New York. But the two have now returned to Britain, where singer- guitarist Ben Ottewell lives at the band's base in Brighton.

"Really, what it comes down to is that I always wanted to live in New York. The whole music scene is pretty crazy. It wasn't too hard to jump ship from London to New York," says Peacock, who has lived in the city for the past three years.

He believes the band, now in their second decade since winning the prestigious Mercury Prize for their 1998 debut, Bring it On, has benefited from having time apart.

"It gives you an individuality and a sense of freedom. When you have just been on the road together for three or four weeks and living in such confined spaces, it doesn't matter who it is, you still want to get away.

"It has also pushed us into working in new ways. Ultimately, it has forced us to be more creative and has given better results."

Geography didn't make it difficult for their sixth album this year, A New Tide, largely because the musicians used the internet to send sound files to each other.

Peacock says minimal time together in the studio actually gave them a better perspective on what they were trying to achieve, rather than feeling rushed.

"I was at home recording things and sending them to Ian.

"Ian would be doing some vocals and send them back, and I would chop things up.

"When we'd return to the studio, the song would be integrally there or it would be developed to put down [on tape]. It's been good to be forced into this."

Gomez's gigs also remain a big drawcard - one reason for their regular visits to New Zealand. It hasn't gone unnoticed by music's biggest players either.

This year they had one of their biggest coups, opening for Pearl Jam in Europe in August, with sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena. In one swoop, they were introduced to an even bigger audience. "For a lot of people, it would be unusual. They'd say, 'That's kind of a weird mix'. But at the same time, we do have a lot of songs that are for a rock band.

"That tour itself was one of the most favourite I've ever done. It was great to see a band that have been around for a long time that are 100 times better than I imagined them to be."

* Gomez play Wellington's Opera House tomorrow.

- © Fairfax NZ News