Vulgarians have become Hull’s most exciting new export in recent times. They have gained the attention of artists such as The Wytches via their previous single, ‘Wet Juice’, they have now tacked into a subculture that is currently bubbling gently below the surface of the music scene within the UK. With a relentless touring schedule in recent times, they have garnered slots with the likes of Bad Breeding, the aforementioned Wytches and Dinosaur Pile-Up.

Their latest single release, ‘Lost Sanity Smiles’ is an abrasive take on The Fall, Fat White Family and The Birthday Party. It’s cloaked in darkness and gloom, it’s hell bent on dragging you through the muck and mire with it and it sure as hell made them a one to watch at The Great Escape. I managed to catch up with bassist, Jodie, before they headed home to Hull on Sunday morning to ask about their time in Brighton and how they are breaking through right now, tapping all the right veins in their musical circle:

So, how have you been finding The Great Escape Festival and your first time down in Brighton so far? Have you seen any memorable acts or have any recommendations for acts that are playing across the weekend?
Yeah, The Great Escape has been so much fun. At the start of the year it was the one festival we really hoped we'd be at. We love Brighton already considering it’s our first time down here and we think this festival is really great. We've seen some great bands over the weekend, yeah. We caught Idles, Nots, Traams, Ulrika Spacek, Ewan Watson and The Mark & Kristian Band, The Parrots, The Wytches at BLEACH. The list goes on. We've seen so many great sets.

Ace. So, how did Vulgarians come about as a band?
We started out as friends of friends, really. We were all in other bands in Hull and we kind of had this idea of a side project, because we all wanted to make similar music and had similar interests outside of the other projects. It eventually just became a main project and we moved forward with it fast. We all get on so well, so we ended up being in this rat infested room most nights and that lead to writing a bunch of songs.

Right okay, and where did you start with writing? What kind of music do you cite as your influences?
We have a really wide music taste as four individuals. We all like the obvious bands around alternative rock, obviously. But we all really love early post-punk. The likes of The Birthday Party, The Cramps, Mary Chain, PIL, Sonic Youth – the obvious one. We also love bands and artists like Portishead, Elliot Smith and Roland S Howard. So it is a big mix, all-in-all.

What are your plans for the future in regards to releases and tours?
We have a debut EP coming out in July called Life's Successful Death – which we're so excited about. We think it really captures us as a band in regards to where we are right now. Then we're playing a few more festivals and shows in the summer, followed by a couple of tours this autumn. We're unfortunately going to be those guys that say loads of tosh but can't really announce any of it, yet. Sorry. Should be good fun though.

Ah, gutted. Well, we look forward to it. How do you find Brighton differs, if at all, from anywhere else you have played?
Brighton is so great. Everybody is so god damn loose about everything. Such an open group of people who dig everything. It's a great atmosphere to be around, especially for a band. We love this place.

Of course, how has your reception as a band been down here then?
We went down really well on Friday. The BBC Introducing stage is kind of nerve-wracking because you know, so many industry folks are watching, so it adds a bit of pressure to say the least. But, we had a great response on the night and had a hell of a lot of fun. It was a real pleasure to play on it and to be hand picked by Mr Lamacq.

How do you find Hull works with Vulgarians, can you tell us a bit about the local scene up there?
Hull is an awesome city. We can't stress that enough. The music scene is absolutely kicking at the moment and there are so many people supporting it. The likes of Mark Page at The Sesh and a load of others make it a real musical hub right now and an exciting city to be in. There are so many great bands in Hull right now too. It's a great place to be for a musician.

What sort of music are you all listening to at the moment?
At the moment we've been listening to some alternative 90s stuff, mostly. There’s been a lot of Portishead, Morphine and Modest Mouse. We are big fans of Tom Cohen’s solo stuff too. A band called Nots released there debut last year and we really like it, we saw them at Bleach last night too.

Is there any deeper level of meaning to the name which we are missing out on?
There's nothing deep about our name, haha. I read the word in the book 'Lolita' and thought it was an interesting word. Then we found out it – Vulgaria – was also the place where the child snatcher lives in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, so that sealed it.

How would you describe your ethos towards music as a group?
Our ethos towards music is just to make music that interests you and makes you feel good. That it shouldn't ever be made to please anyone else's ears other than yourselves. It's kind of cliché but it's the bottom line. Don't listen to what other people say and just do what you wanna do. If you do it well, then some people will inevitably relate to it and support you. Even if it's just a few. We think it's important to remain true, basically. And have fun.

Keep your eyes peeled for this bunch in the future. They have dates confirmed with Brighton’s favourites, Gang, and if their quick rise to success is anything to go by, Vulgarians are sure to follow suit. Their music is intense and scary, kind of like the way you always wanted to believe music should be.
Tom Churchill

Facebook: facebook.com/vulgaarians
Twitter: twitter.com/VulgariansUK