London based alternative Pop trio Vertebrae have currently been making a buzz and with a slot at Camden Rocks Festival, things are certainly looking bright for Daire Mulvihill, Josh Clarke and Anthony Sullivan.
The band has just released their brand new single Half The Time last month, produced by the renowned Neil D. Kennedy who has worked with many upcoming bands on the UK alternative scene as of late including Creeper, Milk Teeth, Trash Boat and Bad Sign to name a few. You can check this out below!
We managed to catch up with the band as they talk about the latest single and more!
So how has the release of Half The Time gone down with fans so far?
Really well thanks! We’ve actually been quite surprised by the reaction to the single so far, we’ve gotten a lot of very kind things said about the track both online and in person which is great, I think anyone who liked our debut release (Summer Trains) has certainly been able to get on board with this one. We’ve managed to hopefully turn some new people who maybe hadn’t heard of us before on to our music also, which was a huge goal for us!
Can you tell a bit about the single?
With Half The Time, I think we definitely had more of a direct idea what we wanted. We had been demoing the track for quite a while and felt it was the right song to go with for the next single. We wanted to show a slightly heavier grittier side to the band while still making sure to keep a distinct clarity and melodic quality to the music. As opposed to our debut single where dynamics and buildups were key, here we just wanted a more balls out rock song that never really loses pace.
What was it like working with Neil D. Kennedy?
It was amazing, really. We’re big fans of so many records he and Ranch Studios have been a part of, so it was the dream for us to work together. It’s also very comforting when you’re starting a recording session to actually have complete faith in someone that they will be able to deliver the sound you’re after. I think Neil understood from the get go the kind of tone and feel we wanted and between himself and his assistant producer Daly George who is a fantastic producer in his own right, they both done a bang on job, it really was minimal stress!
How pumped are you for Camden Rocks?
Uber pumped, the vibe of that festival is always special! It had been the plan since we started last year to try and get on the bill this summer, it’s such a great festival for up and coming bands as well as bigger acts on the Alternative scene in the UK. When we found out we were actually doing it we were delighted, I think the plan is just to have as much fun with it as we can. Because it’s our first year and we’re on a bit earlier (Simmons Stage/ 1:30pm) it also means there’s plenty of time for us to go and check out lots of other exciting up and coming acts and there’s a LOT this year so it should be a great day!
Do you find it different playing at Festivals rather than live venues?
There’s definitely a bit of a different vibe with both. Festivals have so much atmosphere and a lot of people go as much for the overall experience as for the live music. But they’re also excellent ways for people to discover new music they might never have heard or seen otherwise. I think in recent years that’s become as exciting to me as watching the bigger acts that draw the big crowds. There’s something really exciting about seeing a small band who are just there to give it their all yknow?
Playing standard venues also has its big advantages too though, normally bands will have a longer set time and can do a lot more material you might not normally hear in a ‘The hits’ festival set. You can also tailor the show more towards a specific bands style and needs as opposed to the maybe more rushed festival style of bands getting on and off stage with very quick turnaround times. But both are winners, after a year playing clubs doing festivals is a great way to mix it up.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
That’s a tough one! It’s a bit of a toss up between who we would just love to work with and then what might actually sound half coherent by the end of it! I think working with someone like Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins would be incredibly interesting, you can tell he is just an absolute perfectionist at what he does, he practically co produced a lot of the Pumpkins work so you can pretty much guarantee the finished product is going to sound big! Plus he has done a fair bit of credited and uncredited co-writing so if he wanted to write a song for us, we would be all about that, haha!
Will be even more new music announced this year?
Yes, for sure. We have two quite different ideas in mind of what to release next so we’re going to take the summer and just concentrate on playing shows and come autumn I think we’ll have a good idea what direction we want to take.
What were your first gigs you went to?
I think my first ever show was actually Radiohead! It was during their Kid A tour, and they were travelling around with that massive blue tent they had. Seeing that band and Johnny Greenwood in particular live is still one of the high points of my gig experiences, it was a flawless show.
What was your funniest moment while recording the single?
Erm, to be completely honest the entire session was a bit hilarious, I was massively sleep deprived at the time so there was a lot of absolute crap being spoke in between takes!
I think the funniest memory for me was probably us planning on a very quiet night as I had vocal takes early the next day when we found out a band we’re big fans of, Black Foxxes, were doing a gig at the Joiners that night. Of course we ended up going and getting back at a none too respectable hour of the morning, after cruising around Southampton for an hour with a very nice uber driver looking for somewhere we could still buy beer. It was all very Rock n Roll until we finally got back and all just fell asleep anyway!