We're generally huge fans of Overlook Records here at Scottish Fiction, therefore it's no surprise that
Vasa, signed on the label, are producing good stuff at the moment too. With debut EP due out soon, and current single 'Cynthia', which is fucking mighty, gaining attention, you'll be hearing a lot more from this four piece in 2013. We caught up with guitarist Scott for a natter.
Hello, how are you?
Right now, the collective feeling in the band is giggly, yet cautious.
It's the question everyone hates, but could you tell us a little bit about your music and your influences?
Well, we're an instrumental rock band, so I think it goes without saying that we're influenced by the likes of Mogwai and Explosions In The Sky etc, as those guys are the front runners of the genre. However we take influence from a fairly wide range of bands such as ...And So I Watch You From Afar, Adebisi Shank, Deftones, Intronaut, Aereogramme, Brontide, LITE, Foals, Maybeshewill and 65Daysofstatic. Stick all that in some kind of blender capable of blending music and you'll come out with something that sounds a bit like us. Or just a fucking mess.
What's your song writing process like?
It depends really, some of our songs have been fully written by Blaine before they even come into the practice room, others come together from an idea that one of us brings into practice and then we play around with it until we're happy. We do our best to avoid the post rock cliché of just playing one riff for 5 minutes and building up to a crescendo, with no vocal melody for the listener to follow it's important for us to keep the music as interesting as possible.
What could we expect to see from a live show?
A ridiculous amount of guitar effects being utilised, lots of energy and a lovely wall of noise.
If it were all to end tomorrow, what would you say has been your greatest achievement?
We've been together for about a year now and we couldn't be any happier with how far we've come in that time, but I think the past week has been the peak so far, we've been offered a support slot with Maybeshewill, a band we're all big fans of and had our single played on Radio 1.
What have you got planned for the rest of 2012 and into the new year?
We've got a few shows lined up around Scotland before the end of the year, including a couple of mini-festivals in Thurso and Dundee and a Christmas Eve show in Perth. Most importantly, we're releasing our debut EP on the 14th of December on Overlook Records, we'll hopefully have details of a launch show in Glasgow fairly soon. As far as the new year goes, we're planning to get out on tour again as much as possible, hopefully with some shows down south and possibly a trip to Ireland as well.
At Scottish Fiction we focus on new Scottish music, how do you as a band view the Scottish music 'community'?
There's definitely a great sense of community among Scottish bands and artists, we've certainly been made welcome by other more established bands who we've played with as well as various promoters and venues across the country.
What other Scottish artists would you recommend to the Scottish Fiction readers?
So many!
Bellow Below, The Darien Venture, Trapped In Kansas, So Many Animal Calls, Crusades, Young Philadelphia, Campfires In Winter, Poor Things, Atlas:Empire, Bear Arms, WeCameFromWolves, Bonehouse, The Barents Sea.
Thanks for speaking with us, would you care to share a joke with us?
No problem!
I heard about this new cocktail, it's called a "Sandy"
It's basically just a watered down Manhattan.
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