Few places have had as profound an impact on Velociraptor frontman Jeremy Neale as The Elephant Hotel.
It's an hour before Jeremy Neale says anything to me, an hour which he spends high-fiving himself and practising 360 slam dunks using an apricot and a wastepaper basket. Finally he collapses beside me in his chair, his exhaustion overcome by the sea of post-dunk endorphins now flooding his system. Everyone knows that the mere mention of the words 'Elephant Hotel' to Jeremy elicit this response; the over-exuberance brought on by the subject is such that experienced interviewers now avoid it entirely.
Yet with Velociraptor's upcoming show this isn't a liberty I can afford. "When I was very young I thought it was a zoo, because of the animal element. I got there and I was totally surprised. There was alcohol, and pokies. So when Velociraptor plays there I think it will be good to get back in touch with alcohol and the pokies.
“In a lot of ways, on my first day of school The Elephant was there for me. When I played my first basketball game The Elephant was there for me. That time when I needed life advice I guess The Elephant was there for me as well. So I guess it's time to give back to The Elephant."
While Jeremy's passion for The Elephant certainly was undeniable, there came a point where he seemed to be talking about an actual elephant, presumably one residing within The Elephant itself.
"I think the main thing is, because I know the elephant is skilled in all instruments and also a master of vocals, and also of ideas, it's just great to know that when I'm drawing blanks in the studio I can count on the elephant to come up with the game-changing ideas. Sometimes I'm like 'What should the harmony be here?' and the elephant's like 'I know exactly what the harmony should be here' and just nails it first time."
Elephant or not, it's nice to see that Velociraptor is still a band, even if its hyperactive Facebook page has long-ceased spamming my News Feed. Jeremy assures me that any time the band plays it's still a 'very special occasion'. Given the extracurricular demands of all of the individual Raptors, it's hard to dismiss his comment as savvy marketing hype.
"We've definitely chilled out on what we've been doing with that band. We're all still best friends, so... it's not like the band's going anywhere. We've just taken our time, taken it easier, because we went really hard out and tried to do things [at the start] that just weren't achievable with that size of an ensemble as well as that many commitments outside of the band. We're just now, as of today, recording the rest of the album. We've got the new single ready to... come out at the end of February."
It's no shock to hear that the new single sounds a little different. This is an outfit that hasn't exactly been at the forefront of its members' minds. The resulting musical tangent is unlikely to be a straight one.
"We've had [the single] sitting around for maybe a year and just... well, I guess, waiting. Now that the EP's done it's freed up the schedule to get in the studio and do this stuff. I think it's a real winner, definitely the come-back special we've hoped for."
Jeremy follows this comment with a recount of the Elvis Presley '68 come-back special, an in-depth analysis regarding the time Phil Spector threatened the Ramones with a crossbow, and with a rather nonchalant remark that Mike Tyson will (probably) be at The Elephant to see Velociraptor play.
"I call him 'Mike Liveson' 'cause he loves live music. I don't know what he'll be drinking... it depends if he's got a fight on or not. If he's got a fight then it's rumbos. But if there's no fight then I guess he'll just drink something real pleasant. Like, maybe a gin and tonic."
Written by James Pearson
Velociraptor play The Elephant Hotel relaunch party on Wednesday February 26.
