Perth Voice Interactive

THEY’RE middle-aged, loud and wear boiler suits.

I’m not talking about some deranged Clockwork Orange fans marauding around Perth with rubber truncheons, but the founding members of rock ’n’ roll power trio Triple Engine.

Seasoned rockers Chris Gibbs (guitar/vocals) and Craig Skelton (bass/vocals) have been performing in Perth for years and have played in more bands than you can shake a stick at – Stone Circle, Kingpin, The Skelton Collective and the Chris Gibbs Band to name a few – as well as a raft of tribute bands like KISSTake.

But the duo’s latest incarnation, Triple Engine, is one of their best yet and they’ve just released their self-titled debut album.

Featuring driving, infectious, upbeat rock with a good dollop of humour, there’s nods to Van Halen, Cream and Cheap Trick.

“Once we had the band name, the overall mood and style of the band pretty much presented itself,” Gibbs says.

“Early songs had references to engines, movement, and the like. Coupled with the intent of getting back to rock music that featured positive energy and a sense of fun, a set of parameters developed organically and we very much enjoyed working towards and within those parameters.

“Our music has a sense of hope throughout, as well as that tongue-in-cheek, playful rock ’n’ roll energy that so many of our heroes did so well.”

The genesis of the album can be traced back to lockdown in 2020.

Unable to get into the studio to jam together, the three original members – Gibbs, Craig Skelton and Dan Skelton – began sharing musical ideas electronically and piecing songs together.

“We put together the single Love Thing entirely in that fashion. Later we were able to workshop songs in person, but we were very pleased with our earlier method and still trend to adopt that songwriting style to this day,” Gibbs says.

Featuring a classic Van Halen guitar sound, catchy chorus and some lovely melodic bass playing, Love Thing has a clever interlude about halfway through, showcasing the band’s chops, but it doesn’t sacrifice the less-is-more feel. The video for Love Thing was shot in a mechanic’s garage in York, but ironically Gibbs and Skelton don’t know their camshaft from their dipstick.

“If there’s a pun, it’s maybe that while we’re great with the mechanics of music, none of us are known for our real-world mechanical prowess!” Gibbs laughs.

“The overall idea [to wear boiler suits] came very quickly after the band name. 

“It seemed a good way to lock in a direction and again, many of our heroes have at one stage or another taken similar approaches; bands like ZZ Top, Spy V. Spy and the like.”

Right now, the boys are getting ready to play a special album launch gig for Triple Engine at The Milk Bar in Inglewood.

Drummer Dan Skelton left the band a while back, so the youthful Elliot Jebb is now behind the kit and raring to go.

Gibbs says he’s at a stage in his career where he knows what he likes.

“Attempting to get people to think that we are decades younger, or are playing the latest musical styles is not an option and not something that we would be adept at, nor something that we would enjoy,” he says.

“We write and play the music that we love to hear, and we think that people pick up on that element of sincerity amongst all the notes and arrangements.

“It’s honest music that we loved writing, rehearsing and recording and it shows, so we lean into that when performing and have a bit of a laugh at our own expense.”

Triple Engine released their debut album this week and are playing The Milk Bar, 981 Beaufort Street in Inglewood, on Saturday November 2.

Get tix at oztix.com.au and for more info about the band check out their website tripleengine.net.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK