This week I get the honour of telling our wonderful readers about one of my current favourite bands; Vinyl Staircase. Not only do we get to introduce you all to their music, but we have an exclusive interview with them prior to their support slot with Wolf Alice at Guildford’s Boileroom.
With the resurgence of psychedelic music recently, bands like Vinyl Staircase are at the forefront of the indie psych scene. With clear inspiration from artists like The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Vinyl Staircase have managed to keep a genre alive that could easily have faded away and we’re ever so thankful to them for bringing us such incredible music to keep it going. ‘German Wings’ their first and currently only release, though not for long, has received much praise from NME, The BBC, and various other outlets.
The group are one of my favourite live bands and have had a whole host of incredibly successful support and headline slots, including supporting Sunflower Bean, and the modern indie legends Wolf Alice, which is where I managed to catch up with the guys. Their support with Wolf Alice was absolutely killer, if you can get to see them I’d entirely recommend it.
Firstly how are we all
All: very well thanks, yourself
I’m good thanks guys! Secondly for those who don’t know you yet if you were to describe the band/your sound in a word or phrase what would it be?
George (bass): is that a trick question
Mike (Guitar/Lead Vocals): four boys who love tinnies and good music
German wings has received a lot of praise from people in BBC Radio, NME, what’s it been like having that attention?
Jake (Guitar): it’s cool, it’s doesn’t necessarily feel that dramatic for us I’d say,
Mike: it’s an old song but it’s close to our hearts
Luke (Drums): it’s nice for us, it’s reassuring to know you’re clearly doing something right, it’s good press and good press gets you good gigs
You guys have killed it with ‘German Wings’ and all your gigs; what’s next for Vinyls?
Jake: We’re hopefully going to do a double A Side within sort of the next few months, there’s a couple people we might be recording with, people who’re doing us favours so we haven’t got a definite date or anything, but it’s all written
Mike: hopefully before Christmas, it might be a Christmas song
I asked you guys this earlier so you could think about it, but what’s the best first song off a first album in your opinions?
George: we have a couple, mine personally would be It’s Not Meant To Be by Tame Impala, sets the tone for their career, that song sold me the next two albums
Mike: beautiful lyrics, beautiful dulcet tones
Jake: mine is Pale Faced Fear by Kins, I thought it was nice how some bands do Intro songs, they found a perfect between that and a song within it’s own right. That album is one of our three favourite albums, a big inspiration for us just in term of it being such good song writing, its hot but edgy as well
Have you guys got anything other inspirations that stand out to you as a band?
George: Brian Jonestown Massacre
Mike: Love The Brian Jonestown Massacre, love the way they go about everything, their prolificness, every psych band since has to have cited them in some way or another
George: And obviously they’re just a band straight out of the 60s but from the 90s, Anton Newcombe kept the dream alive from that time.
Brilliant, Thanks guys!
I also managed to catch Joel from Wolf Alice briefly and asked him similarly the first song off a first album question:
Joel: That’s a good question wow
You can think about it if you want
Joel: I wanna be adored by The Stone Roses
Didn’t need to then! Thanks Joel
Header photo by Byron Chambers
