Toby, Dan, Sam and Louis a.k.a The Velvet Hands are the latest outfit to face Skiddle's 'Simply The Best' Q&A.

Date published: 20th Sep 2019

Cornwall/London outfit The Velvet Hands are that perfect bland of riotous, garage rock'n'roll - with some punk chucked in for good measure - with sonic similarities to the likes of The Stones, JET, and at times The Libertines, and picking up plenty of plaudits along the way.

Their tunes are cocksure and catchy, catchy - with debut record, 2018's Party's Over luring you in with 11 short, punchy numbers plus a gargantuan treat of a title track - and it's clear that the album sees the band perfecting their powerful rock and roll sound, so much so that Radio 1's Huw Stephens made it his “Radio 1 Album of the Week”.

On the live front, the band have had massive success performing massive slots at the likes of Truck festival, YNOT and Isle of Wight for flourishing indie promoters This Feeling, while support slots for The Bluetones, Paul Weller and Liam Gallagher, no less, have done wonders to heighten the profile of the four piece.

This October the band will head across the country for yet more riotous live performances, and ahed of that they've faced the Skiddle 'Simply the Best' Q & A...

Best friend(s) in the industry?

I once fell through our managers' ceiling at 6am and nearly killed Mark Morriss. He still invited us out on tour with The Bluetones so maybe him, though I don't think the friendship is mutual. Gaz Coombs waved at me at Truck Festival because I had fashioned a waterproof outfit from nothing but bin bags so he's on the list too.

Best advice you’ve been given as a musician?

'Write big tunes'

Best venue you’ve ever been to?

The Old Bakery in Truro has a special place in our heart.

Best live show you’ve played?

Our hometown shows are wild. When we last visited Cornwall there was a stage invasion of about 30 people who broke all of our gear which was nice. Also, our mate John ended up with a Harry Potter-style scar on his forehead which is the classic sign of a good night.

Best tune you’ve ever recorded?

We have a Primal Scream style rocker called 'Star' which is shaping up to be golden. 

Best tune ever recorded by someone else?

'Heroes' by Bowie is perfect

Best artist of all time?

The Boss

Best supergroup out of any four / five musicians?

Toby Mitchell, Dan Able, Sam Hilder, Louis Mitchell

Best backstage hospitality? 

I think Dan had salmon before we supported Liam Gallagher which is alright isn't it? Bit of Omega 3 never goes a miss.

Best gig you have been to?

The Vaccines supported by Palma Violets when I was 14. Got so excited that I vomited on the way home.

Best city in the world to play a show?

We love playing Manchester. The people really care about guitar music and the city has produced some of the greatest.

Best moment of 2019?

Just played the biggest gig of our career so far, the sun's going down, got a pint in each hand, Liam Gallagher walks on stage and plays rock and roll star.. 

You should have been there x

Find The Velvet Hands tickets below.

The Velvet Hands London tickets - Roadtrip and the Workshop, Tuesday 1st October

The Velvet Hands Manchester tickets - Gullivers, Wednesday 2nd October

The Velvet Hands Leeds tickets - Royal Park Cellars, Thursday 3rd October

The Velvet Hands Liverpool tickets - The Jacaranda Club, Friday 4th October

The Velvet Hands Penryn tickets - The Fish Factory, Saturday 5th October