VANT

VANT are gracing our ears in all manor of different places at the moment including Annie Mac's 'Hottest Record In The World' and with a release of their recent explosive single 'Fly-By Alien' it's looking like another exciting year ahead! Frontman Mattie, who hails from the small, ex-coal mining town of Seaham has secretly been working on VANT for four and a half years since he left home for Brighton however it wasn't until 2012 when he moved to the bright lights of London that he began the musical conquest to find the right direction for VANT.  They have supported the likes of Royal Blood, The Bohicas and Hinds, and receiving further extensive airplay from BBC Radio One, XFM and Amazing Radio. They are currently gearing up for a European tour which is looking likely to sell out, and with lots of festivals lined up for the year, it's going to be a busy and exciting year for the band!

Interestingly this band has a really cool background and Mattie met his band in all different circumstances all hailing from different parts of the UK and even across seas, which is what creates these eclectic musical musings. Martin Söderin, drummer, met Mattie when the band first supported a small known Swedish band in Sunderland, they quickly became friends and the depth of the sea didn't deter this relationship as they kept in constant contact and he didn't want anyone else to hold the sticks in VANT. Bassist Billy Morris met Mattie whilst working in the well known London venue of Birthdays and they immediately bonded over their music tastes. And finally Mattie then met guitarist  Henry Eastham, which was instigated through a mutual friend. They worked so well together and he helped record the initial VANT demos in late 2013 which led to him becoming the full time guitarist. 

I caught up with frontman Mattie about the year ahead:

"Kinks, Pixies & LCD Soundsystem and we'd be called Middle Class Karaoke." 

I love the addictive sound you have, so in three words how would you describe you’re music?    
 Sagacious garage punk

What artists and genres influence you’re music?

 Bands and artists that stand for what they believe(d) in - The Clash, Nina Simone, Fugazi, MIA etc

You’ve already had some great success including Radio 1’s exciting status of Annie Mac’s Hottest Record In The World, along with lots of live shows, how’s the past year been for you as a band?

 Pretty mind-blowing. Things get more and more insane as the days and months lead on. We're working towards releasing our debut album and enjoying every little part of the ride on the way towards it.

And of course you’re off very soon on a European tour are you looking forward to playing you’re music to lots of different ears?

Definitely, the best part of being in a band is touring, seeing new places and meeting new people, this tour looks like it might sell out as well, which would just add to the already bonkers scenario we find ourselves in!

What’s you’re funniest and most memorable moments whilst on tour? 

Hard to say as there has been so many of them, there have been a few occasions where we've had one off shows, got drunk afterwards and then continued drinking the next day until we got home that have resulted in some predictably, hilarious scenarios.

You’ve also already been announced to play Boardmasters and are on the bill for Gold Sounds festival with Yuck along with many more festivals lined up, are you looking forward to playing these and to seeing what else the summer brings? 

There is a lot of stuff in the pipeline that we haven't announced yet, it's going to be a really busy summer and year for us.

Fly-By Alien has recently been released, which is a lyrically intriguing track, what inspired you to write this interesting track? 

It's told from the perspective of an alien who is searching for planet's that could foster life. He deems Earth a planet without a foreseeable existence because of the way it's inhabitants are destroying themselves and the environment that surrounds them. It's a metaphor for the harsh reality we are facing as a species. It's not too late but if we don't act now we have little chance of creating a sustainable future for our children's children. 

And with a really cool vibrant video, did you have an image in you’re heads of how you wanted the video to look? 

It was created by the brilliant Youth Hymns team and illustrator Russell Taysom. I may be borderline insane but I haven't quite crossed in to the realm of craziness required to produce something this imaginative. I think they've managed to encapsulate the meaning of the song and it's themes spectacularly.

Are you writing and recording anything at the moment? 

We've finished the record so I guess we're moving on to writing album number two now, always keep your label guessing!

And finally if you could form a super-group with three other artists who would you choose and what would you call yourselves? 

The Kinks, Pixies & LCD Soundsystem and we'd be called Middle Class Karaoke.     

VANT

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