Bring It On: A Gomez Quiz

Answer: Operation Aloha

Operation Aloha were a Hawaii-based supergroup who also featured Maroon 5's keyboard player and guitarist, Jesse Carmichael and James Valentine, and Phantom Planet bassist Sam Farrar. Two of their songs, 'Failure' and 'Elephant Pharmacy', featured on Ian Ball's solo album.

Answer: Ben Ottewell

Ottewell has often been compared to critics because of his voice, which is one of Gomez's most notable musical characteristics. He sings lead vocals on several of their songs, and has also done solo work; his first album, 'Shapes & Shadows', came out in 2011. He has described his voice as 'an ability to shout in tune', according to an interview in 'Select' in 1998.

Answer: A warm trombone

As the song goes, 'Love is better than a warm trombone when blown softly by a two-tone brother.' Tom Gray sings lead vocals on this track. 'Two-tone' is a reference to the musical genre of the same name, a mixture of ska and punk which often featured brass instruments.

Answer: Whippin' Piccadilly

'Whippin' Piccadilly', named after the Manchester train station, is about a Beck gig that the band went to see in 1995, around the time that 'Odelay' came out. According to Tom Gray, the line 'I remember seeing someone dressed in a suit, looking like a lunatic' is a reference to Beck himself.

The title came about because a friend of the band who was at the gig was whipping the ground with the string from his coat. The band were living in Sheffield - Tom met Ben Ottewell at Sheffield University - hence the line 'rolling into Sheffield tonight'.

Answer: Getting Better

Gomez's version can be found on 'Abandoned Shopping Trolley Hotline', a collection of B-sides and rarities. 'Getting Better' is not the only Beatles song Gomez have covered; they've also covered 'Hey Bulldog' for a John Lennon tribute on Radio 2.

Answer: Shot Shot

'Shot Shot' - which, incidentally, is my favourite Gomez single - charted at Number 28 on the UK singles chart, and was released in March 2002. It has a rather strange video in which the band members repeatedly turn black and shadowy.

Answer: Girlshapedlovedrug

Ian Ball sings lead vocals on the other three answers (Ben Ottewell sings the chorus of 'Rhythm & Blues Alibi'). The five member group has three singers, who take turns on lead vocal duties, and four songwriters in the 15 years between formation and the release of the their seventh studio album 'Whatever's on Your Mind'. Percussionist Dajon Everett, who has played live with the band on various tours, is an unofficial sixth member.

Answer: False

The band are actually named after a friend whose surname was Gomez. When they played their first gig in Leeds in 1996, they put a sign on the door of the venue, saying 'Gomez in here', as a note to their friend. They did not have a name at the time, but decided to call themselves Gomez after people saw the note and assumed Gomez was the name of the band.

As Ben Ottewell said in an interview with the (now defunct) website Craccum in 2010, "It worked 'cause he didn't know where the gig was and we didn't have a name, so it kind of stuck."

Answer: Dire Tribe

Confusingly, the song 'Bring It On' is not on the album of the same name; instead, it is on the band's second album, 'Liquid Skin'. 'Dire Tribe' is one of the B-sides from the single, featuring vocals from all three singles, and can also be found on the compilation 'Five Men in a Hut: A's, B's and Rarities 1998-2004'. (It's also probably my favourite Gomez song.)

Answer: We Haven't Turned Around

'We Haven't Turned Around', with Ben Ottewell on lead vocals, was released in November 1999 and charted on the UK singles chart at Number 38. 'How We Operate', from the album of the same name, features on the soundtrack of 'The Hitcher'. Some of Gomez's other songs, such as 'Little Pieces', 'See the World' and 'Shot Shot', have featured in episodes of various TV shows ('Grey's Anatomy', 'Bones' and 'House', and 'Suits' respectively).