I caught up with one of Scotland's newest bands for a wee chat!
Who is in the band and what do they play?
Jake Morgan - Vocals and Rhythm Guitar
Lachlan Will - Lead Guitar and Backing Vocals
Charlie Lightowler - Bass Guitar
Ryan Connor - Drums
How did the band come together?
*Lachlan speaking
Vandal Palace came together after the split of Lost in Vancouver. It was an emotional time for myself and Jake, but more so for Jake, as he had started the band back in 2013. When the decision was made to end LIV, I was unsure of what I wanted to do band wise. I was planning on giving it a bit of time before jumping into something new. Jake didn't share the same outlook on things, and instead he was keen to get something sorted ASAP. He was contacted by Ryan, who was in Blind Summit at the time. Jake told me that a drummer had got in touch and that he was going to start something, so obviously, there was no chance Jake was getting into a band without me. We then roped in Charlie, who I knew from my days in The Cliftons. Where did the name come from?
*Jake speaking
The name pretty much comes from the flat that both Lachlan and I share. It's the contrast of us living in not the nicest of areas, yet our flat is kitted out with a tonne of expensive music gear, which is littered around our flat. Therefore, we wanted to highlight the same kind of contrast with our name. Half regal, half not-so.
Who are your main musical influences?
The Wombats
Viola Beach
The Night Cafe
Bad Suns
Catfish and the Bottlemen
Circa Waves
Whats the song writing process like?
*Jake speaking
It's a bit of everything really but primarily it will come from either a song I've written at stupid o'clock in the morning and Lachlan has shouted through "here that's pretty good like" or if Lachlan has a riff or a chorus idea then I'd write around that. Charlie and Ryan then compose their parts based around a pretty messy acoustic recording.
What should we expect from you in the next 6 months?
We've got some pretty exciting things planned, the main being our first single "Come Back Down", which is released on March 29. We're playing with folda on April 6, and that definitely won't be
the only show we play in the next six months, hint hint. Big tunes, class gigs, questionable attire.
Where do you see yourself in 12 months time?
We'd like to see ourselves with a name made for ourselves in the local/Scottish music scene, hopefully with 5 or 6 tunes under our belt. If we were in a position to be playing festivals, then that would be amazing.
If you could cover one song each, what would it be?
Jake: The Smiths - Hand in Glove
Lachlan: Cover of the Rolling Stone - Dr Hook and the Medicine Show
Ryan: Hot Hot Hot - The Cure
Charlie: 7 - Catfish and the Bottlemen
If the band were to run a festival, who would be your 3 headliners and why?
The Killers, Kings of Leon, and Indigo Velvet, but just Laurie on his own with his bass.
Who in the Scottish Music scene do you listen to?
There's a tonne of amazing music in Scotland at the moment, but we'll try whittle it down.
Vansleep
Retro Video Club
Rascalton
Indigo Velvet
Declan Welsh and the Decadent West
The Snuts
SWAY
The Reason
What's your thoughts on the Scottish music scene?
As we said, there's a lot of great bands/artists in the Scottish music scene at the moment. It seems like Glasgow is where it's at right now. We need a stronger sense of community, bands being pals with other bands and giving each other a leg up. It can be very cut throat at times, with trying to do one up on someone else, but it should be about the bigger picture, which is getting Scottish artists heard. We're happy to be pals with anyone, building community and friendships is important to us. No Palace, no Party
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