The Vryll Society interview: Too many good venues in Liverpool for it to die

Image: The Vryll Society

It's no secret that there's a musical revolution swelling on Merseyside and The Vryll Society are at the eye of it. The city is thriving culturally despite hardship from the authorities, shutting down a key venue like the Kazimier at the inclination of a crisp dollar.

There has of course been no shortage of high-flying bands to come out of the city throughout the years, but something just feels different right now.

Tunneling the mines of its DIY underbelly, beyond the infestation of bands making an impact on the UK touring circuit, lies a tight-knit network of independent promoters and venues fueling its cultural prosperity.

The Deltasonic signees are one of the city's many glinting prospects, exhibiting mesmerising cosmic-rock that's progressive in stature and esoteric in substance.

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A homecoming show beckons at the Invisible Wind Factory on Friday 2nd December, a warehouse space located on the docks that stands as a beacon for all that is positive in the city right now.

To get a greater sense of The Vryll Society and Liverpool's ongoing fortune, Ben Smith caught up with frontman Mike ahead of the homecoming gig - supported by RongoRongo, Zuzu and The Mysterines.

You're currently navigating a headline tour. Are you noticing things are really starting to pick up for the band? 

It's starting to snowball, hard work's starting to pay off, the work that you put in 18 months ago is starting to pay dividends right now. I guess in the major cities everyone's caught on quicker than in the sticks but give it a bit of time man and everyone will be on it. 

Is that why your branching out into the sticks on this tour then?

We've been playing gigs in places that we've never done before. We expect to do well in Manchester, London, Leeds, Liverpool... But you know, Nottingham on a Tuesday night can you make that happen? Because if you can make that happen then that's where it's really starting to catch fire. 

You've just released a new tune - 'A Perfect Rhythm' - was there ever an intention to capture your live sound in the recording? 

No not really, we just do it the way we normally do it. I guess the production team is getting better at what we do. The Pangea EP is quite shoegazey at times, but I guess with this there's a bit more attack in the production. And the band's getting better at the same time. 

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I recently read an interview with a band who said they enjoy the conflicting reactions and interpretations of their music, do you take note of the reaction when you put releases out?  

Even if you try not to that's gonna happen anyway because you're gonna see the reaction. I wouldn't sit there and go through my Youtube channel and look at every comment, that's just ridiculous. If the track gets on Radio 1 then you know for a fact that it's good and it's done what it's supposed to.

There's an air of mystery surrounding your music, with literary and cinematic references, do you enjoy keeping supporters guessing of its meaning?

Now and again we'll get someone who's switched on and get the points of interest in me, to do with the films and everything and literature, but most people aren't onto it. It's cool though man, it's good to try and turn people on to more esoteric stuff that you wouldn't normally here. If it's through your band then that's great. 

Do you think art is almost lost in music nowadays?

I've been thinking about that dude. The art is a little bit dead, I think so anyway. Bands that wouldn't have done well in the past, because there's no art in what they do, do well now. It seems to have gone the other way, the art is kind of a bad thing if you're an absolute sell out straight away then that seems to be the way forward, which is insane. 

In an interview with a guy called Jeff Wootton he said he was trying to "take guitar music somewhere else", are you trying to do a similar thing?

There's not much more bases to be covered really, so I don't know where he's going to take that. I guess what we're doing at the moment, it's not exactly not been done before, but the thing that makes it, it hasn't been played by five scousers before in 2016 with our mindset and our background.

That's what makes it different. As for taking guitar music in a different direction, I'd like to see what the guy has came up with. 

It feels like the same tag is often given to Liverpool bands despite its musical diversity, do you think that's starting to change... 

We don't really sound like a Liverpool band, I guess the only similar band that you could lump us in with is Echo & The Bunnymen. Liverpool's really healthy at the moment; there's loads of things going on and it's not getting as much light shone on it than it should be. 

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Is it as tight knit as everyone says? 

Oh yeah. Everyone knows everyone, it's like a little village. It's great, I think if there's a few more bands coming along then maybe it might get the recognition it deserves. There's loads of great things going on, but people don't get to hear about them. 

Has this feeling of progressiveness always been around in the city or has it only just turned on in the past few years? 

I'd says it's turned on in the past three or four years. I thought I was a good musician, but it wasn't until I was about 24 till I started getting good. It takes a while. You think you're great and then someone says "You're not that great" and you have to step up a bit. It takes time, but there's definitely been progression in the past three or four years.

What is the general feeling in Liverpool at the moment, is there a feeling of solidarity within the arts scene?

Well the Kazimier went, but as with every time in the art scene... if you try and squash one avenue then another will always open up. We lost the Kazimier but now we've got the Invisible Wind Factory.

There's too many good venues in Liverpool for it to die. Even with the mayor turning great venues into student accommodation, it's just ridiculous. Even with him trying to do that, you still won't be able to squash the live music scene. You can't stop it. 

That seems to be the way with every city at the moment...

Well you know students go to live music venues, so you're knocking down places that students are gonna go to. It's just a bit mad. 

Moving back to the Invisible Wind Factory you play there in December, why have you drawn it out from the rest of the tour? 

It's not really on this current tour, it's our Christmas show kind of thing. We haven't done a Liverpool gig in a while. After we'll probably release some more singles and go out on another tour before we release an album or anything like that. 

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