If you havenÔÇÖt heard of The Vryll Society, LiverpoolÔÇÖs finest new offering to the UK, you will have soon. After a slew of glowing festival reviews over the summer, theyÔÇÖve embarked on their first main headline tour promoting their new album ‘Pangea’ which is due for public release from Deltasonic records on October 26th. Our resident Liverpudlian, (if you didn’t already know, but you probably did) Erin, caught up with them before watching their show at Clwb Ifor Bach.┬á

Hello, boys! Nice of you to come to Cardiff again, the last time you were here you were supporting Blossoms in the same venue. What does it feel like to be on your own headline tour this time around?

• ItÔÇÖs really nice to be the main attraction this time to be honest! Last time we were sat where Psyence (the bands support for tonight)┬áare now and Blossoms were being interviewed, and next time itÔÇÖll be Psyence that are getting interviewed while their support watch on, as a band we always want to be the main attraction really, itÔÇÖs just natural jealousy! ┬á
• ItÔÇÖs boss to get the airtime and recognition that we have always wanted. We donÔÇÖt see much of the hype people talk about surrounding us as itÔÇÖs all online, weÔÇÖve worked dead hard for all the good comments and I think for the work weÔÇÖve put in we deserve it!
• IÔÇÖd hate for it to be an inflated economy which ÔÇÿhypeÔÇÖ sometimes can turn out to be, weÔÇÖve grafted and itÔÇÖs paid off.

What do you make of Cardiff then?

• Cardiff, itÔÇÖs boss yeah.
• Good kebab shop on Chippy lane, got grease on me pants though.
• Nice castle, from the outside. We love a bit of sightseeing on tour, went to Stratford Upon Avon the other day too.
• Yeah, Lloyd walked round in slippers and tracky bottoms┬áin the poshest place ever where literary geniuses are born, as you do.

Must have been the comfort of the slippers, then. You got some amazing reviews from your festival appearances this summer, which was your favourite one to play?

• Definitely End Of The Road by far. We went on about midday, and it all kicked off the day before, it was a funny, funny time.
• We expected no one to be around while we were on stage like considering the time slot, but there was a 2000 strong mob listening to us dead intently and it was amazing. ThatÔÇÖs probably because itÔÇÖs a proper music festival, people have gone to it with the intention of listening to the music and thatÔÇÖs it. If we werenÔÇÖt playing weÔÇÖd have still been in our tent at that time so fair play to the boss crowd.
• We got lovely writeups from local Liverpool media, which is great and is bound to happen really, theyÔÇÖre closer to our sound and we hope itÔÇÖll travel to a national level over time, to be exposed┬áon a bigger level too would be boss.
• Small, intimate gigs have their place, but put us on a big stage and we lap it up, bloody love it.

Your sound is definitely all-encompassing, not exactly a quiet acoustic act you can sip your cider to – do you think being signed to Deltasonic has changed your sound at all, or has it just increased your confidence in delivering the sound you know you have?

• They definitely worked us hard because they can see what we can see in our music – they get what weÔÇÖre about. Our EP is definitely the best of what we are right now and itÔÇÖs largely down to them.
• Being with them and working dead hard has paid off big time, theyÔÇÖve supported us for ages and itÔÇÖs slightly changed our sound, yeah. We play for longer now, just jamming with each other.
• That definitely makes our sound way more interesting and intricate and we love it.
• ItÔÇÖs so easy, us doing what we love, and Deltasonic have a big part to play in that. We know whatÔÇÖs best for our band like a baby, we know what we want to do with it.┬áDeltasonic have made us more refined, intricate and yet expansive than before. WeÔÇÖre definitely a music lovers band, the audience want the vinyl and want the t-shirts, we love it because theyÔÇÖre so into our music, thereÔÇÖs no ÔÇÿtrendinessÔÇÖ going on and no teenage girls.
• WeÔÇÖre just doing what we want to do and love seeing how other people respond to it.

Talking of responses, what are your hopes for the EP when itÔÇÖs released later this month?

• The first track we released from it, ÔÇÿAirÔÇÖ has had a boss response already which weÔÇÖre made up with, everyone whoÔÇÖs come into contact with it has loved it so far, itÔÇÖs done itÔÇÖs job.

From my personal first listen I bloody love it, one of those that you need to listen to in your room on your own and then see the transition to the live version straight away with a big group of mates.

• Definitely. The plan of action was to make it so good that it was unavoidable. Anyone who listens to it has to hold their hands up and say ÔÇÿthatÔÇÖs bloody amazing.ÔÇÖ
• We wouldnÔÇÖt have let the EP go out unless we thought it was ready. Obviously there were differing opinions and we changed some things round a bit but I think itÔÇÖs as perfect as possible at the minute. WeÔÇÖre 50% of our potential in the studio right now, and thatÔÇÖs going to take time to improve, but we are buzzing to get our stuff out there.
• If we had a bottomless pit of money it would be different of course, like we would have access to the studio equipment like synths & stuff in our live shows, but for where we are now it sounds like us and itÔÇÖs near perfect from our point of view.

“The plan of action was to make it so good that it was unavoidable. Anyone who listens to it has to hold their hands up and say ÔÇÿthatÔÇÖs bloody amazing.”

In terms of your current tour, what places were you most excited about playing in?

• Definitely The Kazimier in Liverpool before it closes, because itÔÇÖs our home town and all our mates can be there. ItÔÇÖll go off.
• ScotlandÔÇÖs always a mad crowd as well, and London gets all the music lovers down who we love playing to. Mind you, thereÔÇÖs been a few surprises already – we didnÔÇÖt expect so many people to come down to Birmingham last night and see us and we loved it.

Lastly – if you were playing a DJ set to Cardiff students, what would get everyone up, and what advice would you drunkenly shout at them in the smoking area?

• Dancing in the Moonlight, Toploader. Classic.
• Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – CanÔÇÖt Take My Eyes Off You.
• The Bee Gees – Night Fever
• Grease is the word
• WeÔÇÖve got a full DJ set going here, weÔÇÖd smash it.
• In terms of student advice, stop the WhereÔÇÖs Wally fancy dress shit. And the pub golf. And being so loud.
• If you donÔÇÖt want to do it, donÔÇÖt do it.
• Bloody hell this is an etiquette lesson now. Tip bartenders, though, and theyÔÇÖll love you.
• Oh and stop being so loud.

The boys, who all met in school/from being in various Liverpool bands, then played downstairs in Clwb. They followed Psyence on stage, a band from Stoke who have an impressive stock of gigs behind them. TheyÔÇÖve supported the likes of Tea Street Band and The Charlatans, and now ahead of their single You & I (out 23rd October) theyÔÇÖre doing a few shows around the UK. Evidently a close knit set up, on stage their earworm worthy melodies descend into messy, substantial guitar solos, managing to break the awkward ice of the small crowd gathered to see them by their last (and most impressive) track, Chemicals for Breakfast.

The Vryll SocietyÔÇÖs set was transcendental, playing tracks from their soon to be released EP to an underwhelmingly small crowd with dynamic lifts provided by guitars and lustrous vocals floating above. Swapping audience interaction for glittering guitar riffs throughout. They delivered standout track ÔÇÿAirÔÇÖ with the intricate guitar work required, astounding all 40 of the dedicated audience. The band’s love and interest clearly comes across, dedicating themselves fully to their music on stage to make it expansive yet intricate, a sheer joy to experience.

Definitely a band to watch out for on their rise to bigger national fame, hopefully on their return to Cardiff theyÔÇÖll get the much bigger crowd they deserve.