Gareth Leach - Biography:
A Narrative of Hope
Raised on the muddy banks of Echuca’s Murray River, songwriter Gareth Leach draws inspiration from the introspective and reflective lyrical concepts of his outlaw heroes, tinged with guitar-riff driven hooks that have remained in his blood since he was a young kid growing up with a background in punk-rock.
In other words Gareth writes, performs and delivers country music with attitude. That should be Attitude with a big arse capital A.
But don’t think for a moment that Gareth hasn’t absorbed the nuances, emotion and craft of the very finest in country music.
As record producer/engineer with diverse tastes and influences, Gareth has also collaborated with musicians from the rock, country, folk, punk and pop industries to further refine and realise the ideas of the songwriter.
Gareth’s debut single “Freeway Lines”, from his self-produced debut EP Settle Like Stones (2016), peaked at No.10 on Australian Country Radio. Then 2017 was a year of touring and new music, with 2018 marking his return with debut full length album, Death & Taxes, released in September of that year. “Turn Back Jimmy Creek”, the first single from the debuted at No. 4 on iTunes, was added to the A-List Americana Playlist and Aussie Country Playlists, CMC programming and charted on across the country, most notably topping Australian Country Radio charts at No. 1 and remaining in the top 10 for over 2 months. The title track and third singles were also added to the Apple Music Americana A-List Playlist and CMC programming, with the album debuting at No.3 on the iTunes Country Charts, and saw to Gareth and his band being invited headline the day-stage at 2019’s Deni Ute Muster.
The unpredictable year that was 2020 saw Gareth perform on the main-stage at the Tamworth Country Music Festival for Americana in the Park and the Mornington Country Music Festival. It was also a year that has featured the release his first 7" AA side vinyl singles "Down The Rabbit Hole / Old Crow Feather" both songs gaining strong airplay nationwide on ABC Country, and Top 10 charting on the AMRAP Regional and iTunes Charts.
His duet "My Crime" with Michaela Jenke followed in May. To further consolidate Gareth’s position in contemporary country music, he released the iTunes music, iTunes music video and AMRAP Metro chart topping #1 single; “Honey”. His sophomore album, "Trigger", was released on September 4, debuting at #2 on the iTunes Country and #4 Overall charts and #2 on the Official Australian ARIA Country Charts.
After teasing us with a swag of eclectic singles over the past few months, the hard-hitting Australian outlaw country singer/songwriter has returned to continue challenging the boundaries of what it means to be a "country musician". By tackling tough subject matter and bending genres whilst staying absolutely true to each song and the art-form of "the album" with his self-produced and engineered third full-length record "Gareth Leach & The Narratives of Hope", released in June, 2023, debuting at number 1 on the ARIA Charts.
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Introspective lyrics and a powerful vocal performance are met with traditional folk and country instrumentation across this exceptional album, featuring the collaboration single "Big Ole Feelings" with the Aussie bluegrass legends and Golden Guitar slinging Davidson Brothers. The song was also nominated for a Golden Guitar at the 2024 awards for Bluegrass Recording of the Year.
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Gareth Leach is at the forefront of contemporary country music in Australia. He’s a performer and songwriter who understands and respects the tradition, whist giving it a contemporary edge.