Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: In regards to who I am, I am a music student from Glasgow and I am aiming to pursue music as a career as it is something I am hugely passionate about. That said, I came to music quite late to be honest with you. As a kid I took part in school talent shows and musical theatre as I knew I loved performing. I also really enjoyed watching live gigs and listening to music. However, I didn’t start learning guitar until lockdown. My sister had an old acoustic that was collecting dust upstairs so one day I sat down and decided I was going to teach myself guitar. I had a lot of free time on my hands so I spent every day practicing and learning new songs. It was during this time I discovered a lot more music as well and fell in love with classic rock bands such as Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin however I also discovered post-punk music and started listening to bands like Joy Division, The Cure and Molchat Doma. Despite my lack of musical experience, I decided that when I left school, I wanted to pursue music further and thus I was set on studying at Riverside Music College, where I met Shannon. After playing with her in other college bands I asked her to join the new project I was working on “Vacant Pavements” and the rest is history.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Vacant Pavements”?
A: Currently we are aiming to get our music on as many radio stations and Spotify playlists as we can. We also aim to grow our fan base from playing gigs and connecting with other musicians in the scene. A message for anyone about to discover our music would be “Our songs all transition in to each other, so for the best listening experience, listen to the EP from start to finish”.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I’d say currently we are heavily inspired by Molchat Doma. Their sound is very unique and is very reminiscent of the post-punk and new wave bands from the 70/s80s. They frequently use drum machines and synths in their music which creates a robotic but groovy and nostalgic vibe to their sound. I’d also say a huge inspiration to us would be Fontaines D.C. who are currently making a huge splash in the post-punk/indie rock scene. As for where I find inspiration for making music, I’d say it has to do with how I am feeling in the moment. I usually don’t know exactly what I want when I write something, I normally go off of feelings and shape ideas around what I’ve created. Sometimes I’ll begin with a rough idea in my mind and other times I’ll start completely from scratch.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the EP, “The Cost of Complacency.”?
A: So “The Cost of Complacency” is a concept EP about the Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster. Each song on the EP tells a story about someone who has recently moved to the neighbouring town of Pripyat and is experiencing the disaster as it unfolds. The name of the EP comes down to the human fault that was involved during the disaster and the consequences that fell afterwards. As a whole, nuclear power has helped the human race and has assisted us in progressing together as a species. However, if mishandled or used incorrectly, it can have dire consequences. That is the core message behind the EP, and although it may seem quite abstract, it is very relevant as we see technology evolving at a rapid pace. Especially with the likes of artificial intelligence which can be used for good, but in the wrong hands could be harmful.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Atmospheric
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “The Cost of Complacency”?
A: There were several hiccups along the way, for a starter we had to re-record the EP because we had used digital amps which I thought lacked in comparison to a real tube amp. Additionally, my vocals had improved as I became more confident as a vocalist so we re-recorded all of the vocals. Furthermore there has been a few changes regarding the members of the band. We even tried out a drummer but it didn’t really go to plan.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I guess you could say we are trying to bring back a genre of music that we believe deserves more attention and recognition. The post-punk era of music saw so many iconic musicians and was responsible for a lot of great music that has inspired many. We are aiming to capture that retro vibe in our music whilst having an original spin to it. As for my goals as an artist, I aim to share our music with as many people as I can, as music brings people together, it transcends language and borders.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: this is a really difficult question but I’d love to collaborate with Peter Hook. He’s a very talented musician and his contributions helped shaped the post-punk and new wave genre of music. It would be an amazing opportunity to collaborate with him.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Surround yourself with people who want you to succeed. Build a network of people you trust and can depend on and do not let anyone tell you that you do cannot pursue your dreams. Especially in a band or music scenario. You need people who are passionate and willing to put in that extra effort, because those are the people that can make a project come to life. Yes criticism is necessary for growth, but if you find yourself surrounded by people who put you down and don’t believe in you, remove them from your life and find people who do.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: It would definitely be to pick up an instrument sooner. If I had started earlier I would be a lot more proficient in guitar by now and generally a lot more knowledgeable about music as a whole.
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