Vona Vella: “Some of our current fans might think we sound like a different band but we kind of wanted that”
The band talks about performing, how the band has evolved, and new music.
Photo: Roger Sargent
Earlier this year, Vona Vella made their return with Over and Over, the lead single off their upcoming album and their first release since 2023. A lot has changed since releasing their self-titled debut two years ago, with the band not only expanding their line-up from a two-piece to a five-piece, but also drastically overhauling their creative process.
The group — made up of founding members Izzy (vocals and guitar) and Dan (vocals and guitar), as well as newcomers Jake (drums), Claud (bass), and Dexter (guitar) — has written their new music with performing front of mind, as is evident from their impressive run of live performances.
Ahead of the release of their latest single, Bear Trap, we caught up with the band before their show at The Old Blue Last in Shoreditch for a chat about performing, running a venue, and their musical evolution.
What quickly became clear through our conversation was the band’s love of performing. After a run of shows opening for Pete Doherty, the band played festivals such as Brighton’s The Great Escape and Newcastle’s Come Together Festival. When asked which song has been their favourite to perform, the band unanimously agreed it was their new unreleased track Tap Into Your Heaven, which opens the majority of their shows. “‘Cause that’s the opener, we start with a big intro before the actual song kicks in. I think it just gets us into the mood for the gig. It’s good fun. You let loose a bit,” Jake explained.
On August 13th, they also launched their first “Vona Vella Presents” night at The Grove, a Nottingham venue co-owned by Dan. This launch unfortunately coincided with the second hottest day of the year. “It was so sweaty,” Izzy remarked. “There was a moment where we thought ‘it’s too hot, we’re gonna have to give out health and safety warnings here’. But everyone packed in”. However, despite the heat, the band assured that they had a great time and intend to host another event in November.
This thirst for performing and the experience of running the venue seems to have informed much of their new material. When speaking about what inspired their latest single Bear Trap, Dan said, “I think ‘cause I work at the venue a lot, there were a lot of local bands that were coming through that I like… I love the sort of fast riffs and quick drums and everything tightly put together, but a lot’s going off at the same time. So, I kind of wanted that in Bear Trap”.
As with all their past projects, Vona Vella had returned to the Albion Rooms in Margate to record their new album, which was produced by Jason Stafford, who has worked with groups such as The Libertines and Sports Team. When speaking on their creative relationship, Dan noted, “[He is] just like a dream to work with. He just knows everything about every instrument and us. We’ve done all of our projects with him, so it feels very comfortable. There’s no like ‘nice to meet you’, it’s just like straight into it”.
Despite working in a familiar environment, the band noted that their process had changed since adding new members, as they shifted away from their structured pop roots towards something more free-flowing. “The new stuff, ‘cause it’s more live in the album, when you’re playing a gig you can improvise a bit more and have a bit of fun and be more creative with it,” Jake remarked. Jake and Dexter also mentioned that the transition into the group was rather seamless as Izzy and Dan were very open to new ideas. “When you’ve got five opinions rolling around, you’re just gonna make something better,” says Izzy.
When speaking about the writing process for the new album, Dan explained that, “We spent like three months rehearsing in London whilst the songs were kind of being written and formed together from the band. So when we went to record it, everything was set in stone, everyone had their parts, and it felt very collaborative. It was great”. Some hallmarks remain, like the band’s signature harmonies, but Izzy remarked that, “some of our current listeners and fans might think we sound like a different band, but we kind of wanted that”.
The new material is purpose-built for live performances, “I think it sounds like the best rehearsal. We wanted it to come across like we just walked in, everyone plugged in, played, and then that was it. Other than one song, there’s no click track, everything’s really loose. When you listen to it, ideally you then go see us at a gig and it’s the same”.