Scandinavian riot grrrl band Velvet Two Stripes are back with a new EP, and it’s all leather thrills and helter-skelter drumming, scorched vocals and Delta blues guitar. Consisting of sisters Sophie and Sara, and co-conspirator Franca, the band’s sleazy riffing and blues charm calls to mind trailblazers such as The Kills, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Deap Valley. All of them with charismatic women right at the front conquering territories between Garage, Blues, and Fuzz Rock, a territory where this exciting new band feel right at home.
Velvet Two Stripes are now gaining some much-deserved international attention. Since their debut single Fire, the band has gone on to release their debut album on Snowhite Records and tour extensively; playing major festivals such as the Great Escape and Reeperbahn Festival and touring with the likes of The Vaccines and Toy. They have also attracted some top-line producers with their blues charm such as Tim Tautorat and Pete Lyman; their previous work includes releases for Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and Male Bonding. Listen to Hey Boy below!
The video for the EP’s first track ‘Hey Boy’ continues to kick the likes of Royal Blood to the curb to make way for VTS’ badass Riot Grrrl antics. ‘Hey Boy’ gets you hooked immediately; in the band’s own words – “this is exactly what the song is about. Being fatally attracted to someone. All or nothing.” Lead vocalist Sophie’s raw voice drags you to the dance floor while the seventies organ wraps itself around you. Rarely has such a snotty and bluesy all-girl outfit emerged from German speaking grounds, and now that they have broken out to the rest of the world they are here to stay. If you haven’t got to grips with this Scandi rock trio then do yourself a favour and check out their new video now.
We caught up with the trio as they talked about their latest release and more!
So how pumped are you for the release of ‘Hey Boy’?
It’s a really good feeling to finally show everyone what we’ve been working on so hard and put all of our energy and passion in. Since September, after recording our EP, we’ve been very keen to release our songs. So yeah, we are extremely pumped!
How has the EP Got Me Good gone so far? Can you tell us anything about the release?
We celebrated the release in our hometown St. Gallen in Switzerland with friends, family and fans which really was a blast. Being around so many loved faces really got us excited for what’s to come next.
Regarding press we got only good feedback so far so lets hope it continues like this.
What is your favourite song from the EP?
Plastic! It’s so unconventional! There are so many small details so you never get bored listening to it.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown. We really dig their sound!
What were your first ever gigs you went to?
The first gigs we went to were probably at the music festival in our hometown St. Gallen, but what band exactly we can’t recall.
What do you get up to while not in the band?
Franca is a snowboard instructor and a italian and politics student, sara studies popular cultures and I’m am going to art school.
What was your funniest moment while recording the EP?
The thing is when you spend too much time in the studio, everything gets funny after day four, especially when it’s above 30 degree celsius outside. So we can’t really point out one thing in particular because we were sort of in a delirious state of mind. And to answer the question: Day four was hilarious!
How pumped are you for your German tour this month?
Very!
Is there a particular venue you are looking forward to playing?
Definitely Berlin! We started here and we grew to love this city a lot over the past five years.