Norwegian Wrestling and Elton John: Exclusive Interview With The Vinos

Being in the right place at the right time was how I found The Vinos and met their leading lady, Grethe Borsum. Deciding to arrive at Liverpool's Zanzibar earlier then planned in the evening last March was the said time and place and being the first band on stage that night, it was The Vinos' job to kick things off for the night. With their heavy, solid tunes there was a mutual agreement between the crowd that there was a definite edge to this band.

So having formed in 2012, who are The Vinos exactly? Grethe explains, 'Me and Ian already knew each other from playing together in the past. He studied with Tim and knew Joel from the jam-nights he'd host. We're all passionate musicians and came together to play the music we love to people who will listen. The band clicked the second we jammed our first tune. You could say it was 'rock' at first sight.'  Heading over to their website ( http://thevinosmusic.com/ ) The Vinos are described as 'Rock Music, lyrics with ambiguity and a few surprises along the way'. Those who have listened to their music have no doubt been pleasantly surprised, but what has managed to surprise this Liverpudlian four piece so far? 'I'm pleasantly surprised by how open people are to genre-blending and listening to music they normally wouldn't. A lot of our songs can be quite heavy and I've met people who usually listen to pop or r&b really enjoy what we do. We're not afraid to experiment or play around. We even did a rocky cover of "Let it Go" from Frozen recently live and people loved it.' 

I knew that I had a new band ticking away on my radar when I walked out of the Zanzibar that night but it wasn't until I had got back to my laptop back down in South London that it became a certainty that I needed to have this interview! It was the video to hit track 'Bite The Bullet' that decided this for me as the action packed, gritty track is suitably set in a wrestling ring, with Grethe herself doing the fair share of the heavy lifting (which you can see for yourself here) Where does one even go about finding a Norwegian wrestler these days anyway? 'I've been a fan of wrestling for years so when I wrote, "Bite the Bullet" there was no doubt in my mind we needed a wrestling music video. "Big-John" the wrestler in the video is a retired Norwegian Wrestling Champion and a dear friend of mine. So when I asked him to feature in the video I got a firm and booming YES! Also, I've always wanted to kick some ass and wrestle! This was a great excuse to finally be able to do so! And the rest is history ;)'   

So between throwing grown men to the ground and paving the way for kick ass leading ladies in rock, Grethe also manages to find the time to enjoy a bit of photography. 'For me they (music and photography) go hand in hand. I'll take a picture and maybe it'll give me an idea for a new song. I almost always play music during my shoots as it relaxes or energizes the person I'm photographing. Music is a powerful tool. Sometimes I'll get ideas for photoshoots I do for artists because of their songs. I listen to the music of the bands I photograph before the shoot to understand them better and come up with ideas that match their style.'  Not only does Grethe find her inspiration within photography, but The Vinos also turn to a variety of artists and genres to create their sound. 'I listen to absolutely any and every genre. I draw inspiration from songwriters like Kate Bush, Patti Smith, Elton John and Janis Ian. Bands like Foo Fighters, Queen, Heart, and metal bands like Disturbed and Metallica. In the end, it's not about the genre or the band but about what the music gives you in that particular moment in time. How it inspires and excited you.'  That has been their journey so far, but there are still plans bubbling away underneath the surface as Grethe explains about future schemes 'We definitely do have plans for an album. At the moment we are working on an EP to build a momentum and get people excited about the album. Our main focus is playing live to get people to hear our music. In fact, if you happen to be in Liverpool Saturday 19th April, we'll be playing at the Pilgrim. Come down and have a beer and listen to some good music!'


Visit the links below to find out more about The Vinos but before you do, here's their promotional video for ApplePicking

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/TheVinosBand

Website: http://thevinosmusic.com/

Magical Musical Mixture (A Week of Bands Beginning With 'M')

Although it has relatively been a while since my last blog entry, this is not a sign that  I have been complacent. Three exciting gigs in the space of one week have been squeezed between my 'normal' working hours in retail which has left me little time for recovery. I'm by no means complaining however because when else do I get to see three great bands in the space of one week? Oh....and they all begin with 'M' !

Magistrates - Friday 28th February at The Lexington (North London)

Since their comeback, Magistrates have learnt to be experts at teasing their fans with the promise of new material. Playing to a full crowd at The Lexington meant that fans were brought another step closer to this promise with new tracks such as 'When We Are Apart' along with 'Faces' being granted a new format. The light-hearted party anthems created a vibrant atmosphere which should keep fans' appetites full until the eventual album release.


Metronomy -  Thursday 6th March At Kingston's New Slang 

I had last seen Metronomy perform live at Hippodrome, the previous venue for Kingston's 'New Slang' nights, back in 2011. All the way back then they were heading to Glastonbury the very next day and the size of the Hippodrome was suited to such a band. Since then, New Slang nights have been moved to the smaller venue of McCluskey's and so I was holding my breath in anticipation at seeing Metronomy in such close quarters. In fact if I had wanted to, I could have quite easily have given Joe Mount a pat on the head as he was sat at the piano.  Metronomy have always been quite a coordinated bunch, paying close attention to the aesthetics of their sets, which was the same case for Thursday's performance. Pure, white minimalism was applied all over, right down to their matching trousers.  The intimacy of the venue only intensified the experience of Metronomy however.

Metronomy both teased and pleased us by showing us the progressing sound of their new album 'Love Letters' (opening with 'Monstrous' and closing with 'Immaculate Haircut') but still pumping up the crowd with old classics such as 'The Look' and 'Radio Ladio'.  'I'm Aquarius' was placed in the centre of the set, the stripped sound with catchy backing vocals showing us how far the musicians are willing to evolve and progress. Although they maintained their original electronic groove, there is a sign of experimentation in working on maturing their sound. I have 'Love Letters' sitting beside me in its film wrap and I am looking forward to playing it on full volume once this entry is posted!

Mutineers - Saturday 8th March at Liverpool's Zanzibar 

Following on from their sold out show in their hometown of Manchester, the next stop for Mutineers on the 'Love, It's A Killer' tour was Zanzibar in the heart of Liverpool. Despite the many acts on the bill that night, they stood out for all the right reasons. The low-ceilinged bar created a fitting atmosphere for the rock-fuelled set. My highlight of which was hearing 'Love, It's A Killer' (available to purchase on the 17th March) with it's contagious riff sending a ripple of excitement through the crowd. In addition to favourites such as Shadow Kisses and You Used To Be Ok, two brand new tracks surfaced which has only left me impatient for the album release. With the combination of a charismatic frontman, unapologetic guitars and powerful stage presence, you can't help but realise that Mutineers are big fish swimming in a cramped goldfish bowl. Although Mutineers have legion of loyal fans, they still remain an underrated band as they could have quite easily blown a hole in the roof with their unrestrained energy and passion with which they play.