MISS VINCENT « The Northern Line

Miss Vincent

Miss Vincent are a punk rock band from the South East of England formed in 2011; I talk to Lead Singer Alex Marshall about charity singles, their new EP and supporting Fearless Vampire Killers on their current UK tour.

LB: You’re playing Newcastle O2 Academy on 2nd March 2016; how do find North East crowds?
Alex: We’ve always felt really at home in Newcastle – people have always been super nice and really into it and we’ve made some great friends who we always really look forward to coming to see. Shows up there are always mental and hopefully this will be the same.
LB: You recorded a Charity Christmas Single “Lonely this Christmas” for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice Care why did you choose this particular charity? Alex: Phyllis Tuckwell is based about 10 minutes away from me, and they do amazing work in the community with terminally ill people and their families. It seemed an obvious choice for us to choose them, I know that the money we raised was going to the right places and was going somewhere that makes a difference.
LB: You’re supporting Fearless Vampire Killers on their UK tour; how did this come about? Alex: It was one of those things that just sort of happened. We played their stage at Takedown last year, we’d sent some emails and spoken to some mutual friends we have about it being a possibility, and then they asked us to come out on tour with them. It’s awesome to be touring with FVK – they’re great dudes and a band that we admire hugely both for their work ethic and creative output.
LB: You have a new EP “Reasons Not to Sleep” came out in May 2015; what inspires you in the song writing process? Alex: ‘Reasons…’ came out last May and is available through all good online retailers and our web store. I’m always writing about things that I experience and things that affect me – there’s a pretty broad set of themes on there, but it’s a relatively introverted record. It gets pretty dark at points; I was exploring a lot of stuff around why this feeling of dread gets worse as I get older, and a lot of the consequences of that.
LB: What is your favourite song off the new EP “Reasons Not to Sleep” and Why? Alex: I’d have to say ‘You Can’t Spell Blame without ME’ – it was the last song we wrote for the EP and I got a lot of things off my chest on that song. I blame myself for a lot of things that are out of my control and that makes for a pretty miserable existence sometimes, and I sort of threw all of that into a song.
LB: Which type of venue do you prefer playing smaller intimate venues like Think Tank in Newcastle or bigger venues like the O2 Academies? Alex: we love both for different reasons! Smaller shows are great because you really get in people’s faces and it creates an atmosphere you just can’t get at bigger shows. But we also like bigger venues because it makes for a smoother show, the sound is normally much better so the music sounds better, and even with a bigger crowd we always feel a pretty strong connection.
LB: Who inspired you when you were growing up? Alex: As a teenager, The Ramones were like deities to me. In fact, they still are haha. There are loads of other bands and people that inspire me, like Billie Joe from Green Day, Matt Skiba from Alkaline Trio, Laura Jane Grace from Against Me and a whole lot more, but The Ramones were my first love and I still consider their career a bible of sticking to your guns and beautiful music.
LB: What is the best and worst thing about touring? Alex: The best thing is playing shows every day, meeting people and being in a bubble of creativity. The worst thing for me is long drives and the fact that touring is as much a tour of service stations as it is music venues – it’s difficult to stay healthy when most of the meal options are fast food.
LB: What made you want to join a band and what is the stories behind you’re band name? Alex: I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be in a band. I’ve just always been motivated to make music and play shows. The story behind Miss Vincent is pretty dark – I originally wrote a song by that name about Joyce Vincent, a lady that sadly died watching TV one day while wrapping Christmas presents. She wasn’t old, like in her forties – but nobody found her for more than 2 years and the only reason they did was because she had stopped paying bills etc. When they found her the TV was still on, and her story really moved me.
LB: If you were having a dinner party and could invite anyone famous dead or alive; who would you invite and why? Alex: Joey Ramone, because he’s one of the most beautiful people in all of history. Matt Skiba, because I think he’d be great to party with and then probably Johnny Depp, because he makes everyone around him cooler. And maybe Sue Perkins – I bet she’d get anarchic pretty quick after a few glasses of wine.
LB: Are you playing any music festivals this summer like Download Festival or Hellfest? Alex: We’ve not got any plans yet, because our focus after this tour is new music. We’d love to though, so if Andy Copping is reading this, give us a call yeah?
LB: What advice would you give to a band or solo artist just starting out? Alex: practice, practice, and… Practice! Write loads of songs before you play any shows, and make sure that you’re ready for it. You don’t get a second chance at a first impression. Also, never forget that the point of being in a band is a love of music and have fun playing it. That’s the most important thing of all.
LB: What does 2016 hold for Miss Vincent? Alex: New music and lots of touring hopefully! Our new songs are really carving out our identity, which is very exciting for us. Touring wise, we just want to play our music to as many people as possible.
You can catch Miss Vincent supporting Fearless Vampire Killers on 2nd March at the O2 Academy in Newcastle.

A big thank-you to Lisa Bartos for this interview.

LINKS:

MISS VINCENT: https://www.facebook.com/missvincentband