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A Chat With, Interviews

A Chat With : The Vex

We caught up with Jacko from the Vex to have a chat about the release of their new ‘The Vex’ EP and to see what makes them tick.

Who are The Vex and how did the band come about?

The Vex are 4 people who create sonic noise with guitars and drums. We love heavy riffs and we love rocksteady.

You have released your new EP tell us a bit about that and what can we expect to hear from it?
‘The Vex’ EP is our debut vinyl which we’re very excited about. It’s a single sided 12 inch with 5 tracks. Sonically it goes from punk to rock n roll to heavy reggae to dub. We sing about a young girls gallantry, existence and freedom of speech.
Your style smashes punk rock against sharp-edged Jamaican rhythms and stomp ready beats how do you come up with these catchy tracks and what is your writing style?
Thanks for noticing! Yeah we love these styles of music so when we jam it always sounds like a mash up of the two, we think they compliment each other perfectly too. There’s normally a riff that its based around a song will come out of that.
Do you have a favourite track on the EP and why?
It changes from moment to moment, but right now I’m loving the coolness of ‘Darker Shade Of Black’.
You have a track called ‘Satori’ which is the  Zen-Buddhist term for awakening, or enlightenment how did you discover this term and what brought about writing the song?
I am a massive fan of Alan Watts’ talks (YouTube him). He shined a light on eastern philosophies Toaism, Zen-Buddhism etc, its a very enjoyable way of looking at the world. Worrying is pointless.
You guys definitely like to face the issues of injustice with tracks like ‘Education Kills’ which references the bravery of Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head by the Pakistan Taliban while campaigning for women’s rights to education and ‘Darker Shade Of Black’ a defiant nod to freedom of speech, is this appealing to your following or are these issues close to your heart?
We’ll always write about issues that strike a chord with us. With Malala Yousafzai I remember being really impacted by her story I wrote the song almost immediately.
Whats a live show with you guys like?
Loud, skanking, singing, dancing and hopefully make you think about what you wanna do in life and give you the nerve to go do it.
Have you any live shows coming up?
Wednesday 8th May Rich Rix. The Finsbury in July
 Any Irish dates planned?
Not as yet, but would love to get down to the south and west coasts of Ireland, Kerry is on the list.
Whats next for The Vex?
More riffs, more messages, more EPs, more vinyl, more spreading the good vibes!

Jacko x

You can get  ‘The Vex’ EP here https://thevex.bandcamp.com/

Stream ‘Living In The’ below


Glam Rock, indie rock, New Music, Rock

The VEX ‘Living In The’

Rock band The VEX have released their new single ‘Living In The’. The VEX came into being while on tour in Moscow with a previous band, the schisms in the group were made apparent by an offer of management from one Adam Ant. The faction that opposed the deal broke away to form The VEX, playing their debut gig at Moscow’s BlastFest, where the only thing that wasn’t ice-cold was, typically, the band’s beer rider. Josh (guitar/vox), Jacko (guitar/vox), Andrew (bass) and Joshua (drums) soon honed a sound inspired by the classic roots and rock of both Kingston, Jamaica, and London, England. Dealing in dirty guitars and big beats, played with passion and precision, the quartet’s heavy rocksteady sonics became a draw on both sides of the Thames, their ferocious shows earning them a rep as one of the best live bands on the circuit. The new single ‘Living In The’ is the lead track from the bands eponymous self titled third EP set for release April 21st.
‘Living In The’ is a boisterous rough and tumble punch of mighty rock smothered with strut worthy swagger and flamboyance. Right from the start The VEX blast us with their blend of ska-punk. Razor sharp jagged guitar pierces through the track while the elastic stretchy bass gives the track a wobbly flexibility that will have hips moving and grooving in no time. The track leads to a shredding stinging guitar solo that is thrilling and wild. The robust kick drum pounds with a mighty brawn while it prances with panache and slick attitude. Insanely catchy this mighty track steam rolls in with glam rock charisma and charm while slapping you in the face with their riotous attitude. The VEX hit hard and they cut deep.
When asked about the track The VEX frontman Jacko explains:
“Inspired by the wonderful words of English philosopher Alan Watts, who has become a huge influence of mine, ‘Living In The’ is about existing in an eternal NOW. It’s all there ever has been and all there ever will be. With today’s mobile phone culture, it sadly seems more important to photograph or record an event than to be totally present and take it all in. As the song’s title suggests, we play and feel the NOW.”
Stream Living In The’ below