The Courier’s Ezra McConachie sat down with rising Dundee punk rockers VFLambda at the city’s Duke’s Corner to chat about the local music scene, the band’s unique sound and their upcoming Halloween-themed gig at Gloomfest.
VFLambda have only been together for the best part of two years, and the name is one that would confuse many people, but bassist Neill Beattie has a sure-fire explanation for it.
“V is velocity, F is frequency and the sign for wavelength means Lambda”, he says.
“We all come from quite nerdy backgrounds but with a deep love of music and we hit the stage with high velocity, work at a range of frequencies and we’re all on the same wavelength”.
Punk-rock trio VFLambda consist of bassist Neill, vocalist and guitarist Johnny Threshold and drummer Alex Allan.
The band’s sound has been shaped by a diverse range of influences with inspiration coming from weird and wonderful places like the Tony Hawk games, The Dub Pistols and The Amazing Snakeheads, all of which we chatted about in great detail.
Determined not to have just one sound like so many bands, the group experiment with different styles and are all about expecting the unexpected.
Neill says: “We might have a big heavy metal release next but then after that something else, because all of us are into different music and styles. We’d hate to be pigeonholed into just being a punk rock band.”
“We’ve had our first mosh pit so we can go to the grave happy”
Having played Dundee’s Leftfest last month, and experienced big sing-a-longs and a landmark first mosh pit, Johnny believes that “the band is riding high at the moment” and that their recent gig experiences “felt like a total proof of concept”.
He adds: “We’re in the middle of recording and we want to come out hot, everything that’s coming out next is definitely going to be worth listening too”.
Dundee was controversially labelled a “ghost town” for up-and-coming bands by one local music promoter in 2017, but with the city’s regeneration in full swing – are things changing for the better?
Johnny believes that “opportunities are coming up in the Dundee music scene for bands”, adding: “It might not be at a grassroots level but on a bigger level it’s changed over the past few years, and with the opening of the V&A, and attracting more people to Dundee, it will only continue”.
In recent years, Dundee has occasionally attracted big performances but the band believes the City of Discovery is now becoming a “major player” on the Scottish music scene, with big-name acts including Primal Scream recently playing at the city’s Slessor Gardens for the 3D Festival (“not forgetting Aqua and Steps” Johnny adds jokingly).
“It’s going to take a while and it might not benefit everybody but it’s an improvement on what it has been in the past.” Johnny continues.
All three members of the band agree that Dundee has a lot to offer musically – it’s just about directing everyone’s attention and being creative with the opportunities that come.
Johnny – the self-styled “ego behind the band” – states that the “eye of the world is on this town ever so slightly and it’s really cool” but adds he is “not 100% sure it will benefit us and the music scene”.
He adds: “But if there is more attention coming to Dundee, and it’s on art and music culture, then hopefully it’ll get a boost from that. I certainly think it deserves it and I’ve seen better bands here than I have in most other cities.”
VFLambda will be playing at Conroy’s Basement in Dundee on Saturday, October 27 as part of Gloomfest. Johnny describes the night as “one big Gothic Halloween party”.
This Dundee band is definitely one to look out for and the event this weekend is what they’ve all been working towards. Expect quite the show.
Gloomfest will be headlined by First Temple of the Atom. Tickets are £5 in advance and £7 at the door.
