Alberto Veto Interview

Alberto Veto - Three piece playing live

According to one reviewer "Alberto Veto play live like men overdosing on skank...the vibes start at the feet and slowly creep up the body until you’re skanking like a goodun along with them." So if you fancy a bit of an overdose on skank then come down and see them playing with Yunioshi for LeftLion at Brownes on 21 November. We put some questions to lead Veto-er Sol...

What have you been up to recently?
We've just finished our latest EP Afraid of Thieves, and we're in the middle of a busy month: London, Manchester, Brownes next Friday with the lovely Yunioshi and Derby the week after with….the lovely Yunioshi.

What kind of people do you think will be into your music?
We seem to have a really broad appeal. We’ve had all apes and shapes catch us at gigs to say how much they enjoyed themselves. We put a lot of energy and commitment into our live performances which seems to hook people in whatever their tastes.

Describe your style in ten words or less…
Somebody recently said “like Elbow jamming with The Specials”.

What are you listening to at the moment?
Burial’s first release is still top of the playlist but more recently, Department of Eagles is taking some beating. Brilliant vocal melodies!

Tell us about one of your songs and what inspired you to write it…
I love the process of working lines and verses to develop themes and test out ideas, trying to understand the nature of things - usually why people do what they do. Start with an idea, never a conclusion, and the song then takes its own interesting directions. Melquiades was inspired in a fit of fury at being peddled rubbish on the telly –lamenting the energy, time and money wasted creating a need and fulfilling it by obsessively making and re-making the same awful products over and over – washing powder is the most evil example. Those hateful, hateful re-makers! But that ended up being only the first verse as the song developed into something entirely different. You’ll have to listen to it. Thankfully the musing on how many iterations it takes before a washing powder one day transcends its lowly origins into a truly post-modern cleaning solvent didn’t make the final cut!

Best gig you've ever played?
A recent gig in London, at The Miller for Up All Night, really hit the spot with one of those ‘crowd feeds our performance which feeds the crowd …’ circular energy things going on. A big love-in between the band, the crowd and the promoters (who were excellent) so we’re going back in the New Year.

If you had a super power what would it be?
At a gig in Manchester I broke a string - no spare string or guitar - and discovered mid-set that I am utterly unable to play a guitar with no G-string. So the ability to fuse wire with my bare hands would have been good!

What's your ideal night out in Nottingham?
When we’re not in Brownes on a Friday night you mean?! (we're generally Mansfield Roaders – The Fleece and The Maze - although we've been re-discovering Moog again recently).

Alberto Veto and Yunioshi play LeftLion at Brownes on Friday 21 November.

Alberto Veto on MySpace