Miss Vincent recently released their EP Somewhere Else and also launched it at their hometown Southampton last week at the The Joiners. The band have also announced that they will support Boston punks Energy on their UK tour this July/August.
Now gearing for another EP release show in London, the band are ready to take their live shows up a notch with new material from the recent EP. They consist of Alex Marshall on vocals and guitar, guitarist Lawrie Pattison, Jack Donnelly on drums and bassist Owain Mainwaring.
Since their inception in 2013, Miss Vincent have grown to become an unrelenting live force – highlights to date include support to the likes of As It Is, Dead!, Bayside and Calabrese. 2017 will see the band push their live shows to the limit, with their EP release shows and a fuller live tour to be announced soon.
Armed with a game-changing EP, the band are a more self-assured and determined band than ever before.
We managed to catch up with vocalist/guitarist Alex as he talked about the band’s latest show, latest EP and more!
How was your recent set at Southampton’s Joiners?
It was awesome. Southampton is our adopted hometown and to come back after a while away and see people singing the new songs at us was just amazing. The Joiners has a real hallowed ground vibe – almost like a CBGBs sort of feel, and it’s always felt like home to play there.
It was really nice to see you guys do a minute of silence for the Manchester Terror Attack victims, would you say this made the show more emotional for you guys?
It certainly changed what the show meant to us. By the time our show came around, I’d seen such an incredible outpouring of love that we felt everything that needed to be said had been said. Nobody should ever go to a show and not come home, and so it put a totally different life into going to a music venue and enjoying the experience with other music lovers. We’d heard about the minute’s silence through the Music Venue Trust and our friend Kate, and it just seemed like a respectful way to remember the victims as part of something bigger. We didn’t want to say too much about it, because it was about them, not us. So to be together and quiet for some reflection and remembrance was a little emotional.
How has the release of Somewhere Else’ gone down initially?
In a word, incredible. You never know how people will react to a slightly different release form your last one, and it’s hard to tell if people will understand what you’re doing, but we’ve been shown such love and support from friends, listeners and everyone that’s reviewed it, which is amazing. We’re so proud of it, so to feel like people understand is so great.
What is your favourite song from this EP?
I struggle with this a lot, and my answer changes all the time. Right now it’s Beauty in Darkness, because whenever I listen to it I’m always reminded of the process of how it came to be. There had been so many previous versions, with different buildups, a totally different pre chorus and chorus at one point, and loads of other alterations – to to hear it finished still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. I love the slow build, the way that the song starts in this super 50s vibe with almost an anti-Elvis feel, and then builds up to something bigger.
You have also released a Vinyl to go with it, why do you think these have got so popular again?
I think people have rediscovered the beauty of enjoying music physically again. The novelty of being able to get access to music whenever and wherever you want is wearing off, and so people want a more personal connection with a record. When you stream something on spotify, you just get an immediate way to consume the music. But that’s all you get. With records, you can enjoy a much more immersive experience – from the artwork and lyric sheets, to the inserts and the beautiful sound of the vinyl itself, it’s just a great way to listen to what the artist has created. I own all of my favourite albums on record (well, most of them. A few are pretty hard to find!) because then I can feel like it’s mine. Spotify isn’t yours. iTunes isn’t yours. It’s just a way of diluting music ever further into an instant, forgettable thrill.
So you have a London date coming up as well? Are you looking forward to playing there?
Absolutely! We’ve only done one headline show in London before, and it was in this amazing tiny basement in Camden Town that we managed to sell out, so to go back and step up to The Garage is such a buzz. We just love playing shows, so we’re always excited wherever we’re playing, but a headline show in London is always a bit different.
If you could work with any band on a new song, who would it be and why?
Well, The Ramones are mostly dead so I’d have to say Alkaline Trio. Because first of all, it’s been too fucking long since we had new music from them since Skeebs is off impersonating Tom Delonge, and second because I would love to see what goes into their process. Their songs are like gospel to me, so to be on the inside for a writing session would be almost like meeting the Pope or something.
What do you get up to while not in the band?
Well, being in a band takes up a lot of time and money so although there are loads of hobbies I’d love to have, I don’t get much time for them. I’m really into American Football, and of course I have a day job, but mostly I can be found listening to records, playing guitar or at a show, even when we’re not doing band stuff.
What was your funniest moment while recording the new EP?
Recording vocals for the EP was the opposite of fun because I had a burst eardrum. That kinda put a dampener on the whole experience for me. I guess it’s a pretty funny story now though, even if I still can’t hear properly… We were in a bar in Southampton, and they’d handed out glowsticks. Lawrie was playing silly buggers and waving it near my face – I turned away to talk to someone and when I turned back he still had his hand outstretched, and by some freak accident it went straight in my ear and burst the shit out of my eardrum.
Miss Vincent on Tour
5th Jun – London, Thousand Island
29 Jul – Manchester, Satans Hollow* supporting Energy
30 Jul – Liverpool, Arts Club* supporting Energy
31 Jul – Birmingham, Sunflower Lounge* supporting Energy
01 Aug – Glasgow, Audio* supporting Energy
02 Aug – Newcastle, Jumping Jacks* supporting Energy
04 Aug – Leeds, Key Club* supporting Energy
05 Aug – Nottingham, The Maze* supporting Energy
06 Aug – Milton Keynes, Craufurd Arms* supporting Energy
07 Aug – Bournemouth, The Anvil* supporting Energy
08 Aug – Dover – The Booking Hall* supporting Energy
09 Aug – London – O2 Islington2* supporting Energy