My Music Manager meets… Vardo and the Boss!
Vardo and the Boss are a double-fronted attack – defined by the unconventional harmonies of the feisty, instrument wielding females who share the centre stage. MMM caught up with the four piece band from Colchester to find out more…
Q. Thanks for letting us speak to you! Let’s start at the beginning – how did you guys form Vardo and the Boss?
Well, we had all been performing individually or in other bands before we first got together as a group. Originally it was just Lauren and Laura teaming up as a duo as a little money maker – we performed at a few weddings and some functions. Later, we decided we wanted to go further and get a band together. The boys were working with Laura at a venue called “The Twist” in Colchester, Nick joined first and later Liam and we’ve been together ever since!
Q. And what’s the story behind the name?
“Vardo” is the Romany word for “caravan” – the traditional horse drawn wagons used by travellers. “Boss” comes from the company “Boss” – the manufacturers of a little four track digital recording device, which Lauren and Laura used to make their first ever demo in Laura’s caravan when they decided to form a band. It sounds like a bit of an odd name when you first hear it, but there is a meaning to it!
Q. Your profile description states you’re “defined by the unconventional harmonies of the feisty, instrument wielding females”. Does that mean Laura and Lauren beat Nick and Liam with instruments?
Ha ha! It’s not fair to say that the girls beat the boys! To say that the band is “defined” by the female parts is more a recognition that as the front women, their parts are likely to be the most memorable. Obviously the drums and bass naturally seem to take a back seat with all bands, but that certainly doesn’t make them any less important, they hold the whole thing together and our boys are much slicker than your average!
Q You’ve been described as ‘funky piano driven folk’, ‘folk rock’ and ‘progressive funk and soul’ – where do you see yourself in the musical spectrum?
It’s quite hard to pigeon-hole ourselves really. We have a variety of different songs which are inspired by different genres. For instance, on our EP we have a couple of tracks which come across as pop-rock tunes; we also have a more soulful number as well, and the last track starts off darkly melodic and then launches into quite a heavy, climactic finish which is combines metal/rock drums and bass with classical piano and vocals. You could say we’re quite experimental really, almost unwilling to be constrained by a specific genre – we want to do it all!
Q So what distinguishes you from other acts that are around at the moment?
Well, we have two lead singers, who can also play instruments while they perform and can produce complex harmonies, which many acts are only able to achieve in a studio with the help of computer programmes or producers to guide the way. We write all of our own songs, which we try to make as honest and relatable as possible and we’re not afraid to try anything – we throw in a little rap here and there and some operatic vocal lines. We like to combine a variety of simple and complimentary melody lines on bass, piano and guitar and then float some overlapping, harmonising vocals over the top; this makes us quite distinctive – certainly locally, but probably also further a-field.
Q. Your EP is out in July, you must be excited – how long have you been working on it for?
We started recording it about a year ago, so we’re very excited to finally have it ready. It’s probably taken a bit too long really, but there are always bumps in the road – for example wanting to re-record certain parts, or taking the time to get the right artwork to suit the EP – things certainly can drag on! But we’re really pleased with it and can’t wait to reveal it at our EP launch on the 22nd July at The Bull in Colchester!
Q. Any plans for a full album?
Not for a while! We’d love to make a full album, but obviously a lot has been spent on the EP and we need to be saving our pennies first. We want to write some fresh material and re-structure a lot of our old material, which isn’t currently on the EP. We would want a full album to represent our very best. For now, we’re focusing on the EP and hoping to get a tour in with it for next year. It’s nice to have a change of scenery and to be back on the stage and out of the studio!
Q. And you’re also working on a brand new stage show – can you tell us a little about that?
Aha! This is still in the planning stage at the moment. We can’t reveal anything just yet, but it will be really exciting when it’s all finished, you’ll have to come to a gig to see it!
Q. You cite your influences as Jamiroquai, The Gorillaz, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin and The Doors – If you could play with any of these at their peak who would it be and why?
It’s difficult to say as we each have our favourites! We do cover the Gorillaz – we have put together a medley of “Dirty Harry”, “Clint Eastwood” and “Feel Good Inc” – it would be awesome if we could perform it either for them or with them, as it’s very popular amongst our fans!
Q. What do you all do with yourselves when you’re not practicing or playing?
Lauren has just finished her law degree at Cambridge and is currently taking a little time out, soon to go travelling but then coming back to focus on music and possibly looking to do some session work and tutoring. The others all teach music and Laura also puts on a performing arts school for kids who are interested in dance, drama and singing; for those who are interested, more details can be found at http://academyshowchoir.co.uk/
Liam does sound for lots of bands and has been on tour with a fair few this year already. Nick is in another band -“Eradication”. They’re very popular locally and are always really well received when they tour, but probably attract quite a different audience to Vardo and the Boss, as they are a metal band! www.myspace.com/eradication
Q Time for some shameless promotion – where can we find out more about Vardo and the Boss and when are you next playing?
We have several pages where you can get updates on what we’re doing and where we’re gigging:
Our facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/#!/vardoandtheboss
Our twitter page – http://twitter.com/#!/vardoandtheboss
Our myspace page - http://www.myspace.com/vardoandtheboss
Obviously we have the long awaited EP launch which is in the back room of The Bull on Crouch Street in Colchester on 22nd July 2011. Entry is free and the gig starts at 9.00pm, with some fantastic support acts playing as well. It should be a good one!
We’re playing at the Penn Street Beer Festival, in Amersham, on the 16th July at 2.30pm.
We’re also playing at “Robfest” on the 23rd July, which should be really fun.
There are some more gigs in the pipeline, which we are just waiting to confirm at the moment, but updates will be on all of our web pages!
