-
New Single and Video Out!!
Watch our new video and download Baby G Single for free!!
Tracklist:
01 – Baby G
02 – Baby G (Acoustic Version)
03 – Lady (Hear Me Tonight) – Modjo Cover
04 – Cooking PotatoesFree Download here.
-
The Vickers On CMJ!!!
The Vickers is a band from Italy that sings in English and plays Brit-pop infused guitars. With us so far? If not, try and imagine the Arctic Monkeys sans the grit of the English working class and you’ve got the idea. With an arsenal of guitar effects and a gift for snappy pop timing, the members of the Vickers are more than rock ‘n’ roll imitators. In true European tradition, they’re taking American music and making it their own.The foursome got together back in 2006. Andrea Mastropietro (vocals, guitar), Federico Sereni (bass, vocals), Francesco Marchi (vocals, guitar) and Marco Biagiotti (drums, vocals) took some time to gig around, playing everywhere from bars to the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool for 2008′s International Pop Overthrow. The band’s 2009 debut, Keep Clear, set a tone the band’s largely kept to since. Its 2009 EP, Sofa Sessions, sojourned into bedroom pop—or in this case, sofa pop—with acoustic strumming and a bare-bones approach. The coughs and count-offs that intro some tracks give it an intimate feel, like it was recorded in a living room.
The band’s latest, and very solid, effort, Fine For Now, arrived in February on their home label Foolica. Its musicianship is just where it should be after playing a hundred shows in the group’s native Italy alone, and countless others abroad. Frontman Mastropietro serves sleepy pop verses and sing-along choruses amidst a barrage of indie sounds of Vampire Weekend caliber. The record was mixed by Steven Orchard, who’s worked with megastars like U2, Iggy Pop and Paul McCartney, so you know the recording is as smooth as gelato. As an example, check out a video for the song “It’s All Really Mad,” taken off the LP, below.
By Alex Eriksen
-
The Vickers Artist of the week on Sonicbids!!
The Vickers were born at the end of 2006. Their sound is mainly influenced by British pop rock and the American indie rock tradition. They’ve been dominating the club and festival circuit from 2007 on with their throwback sound, and are setting their sights on a full rock takeover. We had a chance to chat with the fellows of The Vickers about music club history, the dominance of Facebook, and where you can see them next.What do you hope listeners will get from your music?
Honestly we hope people grow fond of our songs and, of course, with us. That’s a big gratification for a musician and is pure energy too. A song is a product of a feeling and to enjoy a song is feeling with the artist. When it happens by listening to a record you’ve shared something without knowing. When it happens live you can see it and it’s amazing. You can feel the sharing!
What’s the best gig you ever played?
We played a lot of gigs in the past two years and we really can’t choose one in particular so we’ll choose two! The first was in a small but very famous venue, The Cavern Club in Liverpool. We think that it doesn’t need any introduction. The Beatles, The Who and many others great bands played there, being on the same stage it was very exciting!
The second was the Italia Wave Love Festival (Ok Go, Editors, Groove Armada, Underworld): a very big stage, a lot of people and great emotions. Small venues and big festivals are two sides of the same coin and we love both!What’s your prediction for the next big advancement in how we find/listen to/share music?
Unfortunately, we think that there will be more and more digital music. In the future we can listen to a compilation or a record directly in streaming, the physical support will become rare. This is not so good for the musicians and for all the people who still love play vinyl or a compact disc in their stereos, but this is the future, and we’re ready.
What’s your favorite way/tool/site for you to interact with your fans in the digital age? Do you recommend anything to other artists?
The digital age is always changing. There was MySpace, now Facebook is predominate. To promote yourself, Sonicbids is great. Anyway to interact with your fans, Facebook is. But it is all in a limited way. Maybe the first-born of the digital age, the personal site (by the way, our site is www.thevickers.eu) is the full tool you can use if integrated with a blog, pictures, apps, etc. But when you’re not well known you need “social networking”. Let us quote a Young song, “I know I’m more than just a number, and I stand before you, or else we just don’t see the other. Computer age, computer age. Computer age.”
What’s your next big gig coming up? When/Where?
We’ll play two shows in Paris on September 28 and 29. It will be our first time in France. We’re sure it’s going to be an amazing experience. If you’ll be around, come join us!
Check out more on The Vickers here.
by Marya McLaughlin
-
The Vickers On Loud Horizon!!
Tuscan four piece The Vickers hail from the birth place of the renaissance but ‘Fine for Now’ is far from the high brow cultural bounty you might expect. No inspiration from Da Vinci or Botticelli here. What you get is culturally polar, an album full of text book jangly Brit-pop which is more miners welfare than opera.
Almost two decades have passed since the heights of Brit-pop but it still has a certain amount of undated charm. Most of the tracks are medium to fast paced with bouncy melodies and catchy hooks. Not a great amount technically going on but the simplicity gives it accessibility.
Opening track ‘They Need To Dance’ is the best on offer. Its hard to pin down why I prefer this song. It has a cheeky tempo and shares a lot of qualities to Gone up in Flames (Morning Runner) or Don’t look Back in to the Sun (The Libertines).
This would be right at home in Indie clubs up and down the country. It’s music to drink beer and chat up girls too. Its youthful and carefree. If any Libertines fans out there looking for a new fix you can‘t go too far wrong by giving ‘Fine For Now’ a listen. By no means a classic but you can’t fail to enjoy it on some level.(Available now through Foolica/Flake Records)
(7.5/10)
Gary Moyes
PLAYER
