Pushing Leeds’ GIMFEST 2 Into The Stratosphere // An Interview with LAST VICTORIAN DEATH SQUAD [L.V.D.S.]

• Thanks so much for the interview. When and how did the band start, tell us about your roots, your name, your story and the Riga / Leeds intersection…
  

S – It was quite a long and drawn-out process. Some very early demos appeared as far back as 2014, but the band in its current form, only really came together in 2017 for the recording sessions for our first EP. The first time we were all in the same room together was during those first studio sessions. 3 out of 5 of us are expats living in Latvia (one Brit, one Swede, one Greek) but our lead singer and lead guitarist are back in the UK (it’s a complex web of personal connections). The origins of the name are shrouded in secrecy. You will have to wait for the book…

• What were the influences and inspirations that led to the formation of the band?
  

S – A lot of the early reference points were bands like Jesus And Mary Chain, Sonic Youth, Ride, Teenage Fanclub (particularly “A Catholic Education”); and anyone who managed to make melodic pop music with tons of noise on top of it. The early MBV EPs also (“You Made Me Realise” was a massive song for us). We can’t really identify our sound as Shoegaze, but it was definitely a huge influence. Later on, more metal influences started to creep in. The Australian extreme metal band Portal are always sighted as a band we look to for ideas of how to get more noise into our sound.

• Your guitar-laden sound is defined by ‘violent noise and blissful melodies’, tell us how it has developed over the years.
  

S – We all love pop music and extreme, alternative music in equal measure. It would be really easy to make our songs in a much more generic, indie style… but what’s the point of that? It would probably be more popular with the masses 😆 but that wouldn’t be inspiring for us. We typically start with a perfect pop tune, but then twist it and distort it almost to the point of it being unlistenable. Then we dial it back, just a touch.

• Are there the records and concerts that have radically marked your perception of rock music?
  

S – Too many records to mention but all of the previous artists we have namechecked are in there. But there is one gig that is often considered to be the birthplace of LVDS. That was a Japanese chaos-rock band, King Brother at Brudenell Social Club in Leeds, 2015. A truly life-changing experience that lit a fire under the 3 founding members of LVDS. There is footage of that gig on YouTube. Check it out!

X – My first ever show was Motorhead in 2010 the sheer volume and noise levels are etched in my brain forever, I was also at Ride’s first ever show back in Leeds in 2015 which remains unbeatable.

• Let’s talk about your Podcast, already 16 episodes if I’m not mistaken…

S – We might already be up to 19 now. There is just an editing backlog 😆 We started doing the Podcast during Covid (like everyone else did). We have always loved sharing new musical finds with each other, so we basically just started to record these conversations we were having about the obscure bands that we had found. I don’t think we ever thought it would last this long but it’s something we love doing. We generally only play unknown / forgotten bands or up-and-coming independent artists. And of course, all tracks have to fit the noisy/melodic description, or as we would say, ‘GIM’. But more on that later…

• Tell us a little about your recording process and how you create your songs.
  

S – There are 3 primary songwriters in the band, so ideas for songs just start as individual demos, usually instrumental, home recordings. Then they get passed around, chopped up and fleshed out before we get together and do them live. But they are always developing; especially in the studio when we come to record them properly. So it’s ultimately a collaborative effort from the whole band.

X – Yeah we usually have an idea of the song for a long while before we are actually all in the same room, but as soon as we are together it’s clear where the song should go. The studio also presents a lot of different circumstances for each song, especially when considering the sheer quantity of distortion and FX layers that we slather atop these nice pop songs!

• What do you enjoy most about performing live? Your highs and lows so far?
  

S – Only highs so far. Due to our geographic diversity, our live events take a lot of organising and preparation, but the payoff is always there at the end of it. Our first gig in Riga Latvia stands out. Quite chaotic (in a good way) with a great crowd and lots of energy. Just that buzz of doing something new, live for the first time is always awesome. And of course, the first GIMFEST back in 2022. The lineup was killer, and it packed out the tiny room that it took place in. We were always going to try and do it again, and here we are with GIMFEST 2.

X – The LVDS live show is a total blast because the GIM levels are pushed into the stratosphere, I also love the complexity of changing sounds with the pedalboard on the fly, translating out the sequence of pedals from studio recordings to the live setting is really fun.

• How about your long-running affiliation with Nico’s Shore Dive Records…

S – Nico is a true legend. It’s always reassuring to find people whose love of music matches your own, especially people like Nico who put so much effort into supporting independent artists. We reached out to him back in 2020 for help promoting our second E.P. Since then, he has been kind enough to put out all our releases under the Shoredive banner (even a reissue of our first EP that was originally vinyl only). We are eternally grateful to Mr Beatastic.

• Let’s get to the heart of the matter by talking about The GIMFEST, which reached its second edition. How the idea for the festival was born? Why ‘GIM’? Any highlights from last year?
  

S – Well let’s start with the name. GIM has a hard G sound (as in ‘go’). It’s a word whose origin is a long-lost mystery but it was definitely first coined by someone in the band. It can have many different meanings, heavily reliant on context but in the world of music, it is noise, distortion, feedback and dense walls of… well, GIM 😆

B – Hahaha it sounds like we have lost our minds here which we have! However, at the core of our music remains a love of GIM. GIM FEST was something we had been planning in our heads since we kicked off the LVDS podcast in 2020. We loved so many bands and felt that once we escaped covid we should start making things happen. The highlights of the first GIMFEST was Hinatas mesmerising headline set and Abandoned Buildings noise scales. GIM FEST 2 will I’m sure bring some equally amazing performances.

X – GIMLORDS!

• Please, introduce us to the line-up of the next edition, we are honoured to support.
  

FORMING is an amazing dreamy rock/shoegaze band from Leeds. They played at the first GIMFest in 2022 but unfortunately, the full band couldn’t make it due to ill health. They still managed to kill it though so they are back again for GIMFest 2.

TEIGER  from London has a very eclectic sound that incorporates influences from Metal, Psych, Prog, and even some Folky elements as well. Very atmospheric and intense. Can’t wait to see them live.

BEAN KING is another band from Leeds that we love and are very happy to have on the line-up. Fuzzy, alternative rock with lots of shoegaze influence but with solid pop sensibilities. One of LVDS’ favourites.

LOST TRENDS will get everyone jumping around at the midway point. Energetic, angular disco infused, rock from York. Their set is going to be a lot of fun.

DEATHTRIPPERS are another well-established Leeds band. If Lost Trends lighten the mood, Deathrippers will take us back to the dark places!! Brooding, psychedelic, gothy post-punk. Absolutely killer.

NEW GHOST from Sheffield is a band that we have a connection to via Shoredive Records but we didn’t even realise that when we asked them to play; we just loved their sound. Loads of really heavy elements to their music but they somehow simultaneously have a sense of calm and a serene edge to their songs. Dense, dreamy, heavy and lush. What more could you want??

• What are you listening to at the moment?

– Earth The Californian Love Dream – “Black Stuff”
– Stuffed Foxes – “San Diego”
– Porcelain Raft – “Drifting in and out”
– Guitar Wolf – “UFO Romantics”
– Topographies – “Rose of Sharon”
– Taylor Knox – “One in a million”
– Slimelord – “Heroic demise”
– Ghostboobs – “The Clearing”
– Slate – “St Agatha”
– Tribes of The City – “Take Me to That Beach”
– Gigan – “Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus”
– Theatre Of Tragedy – “Aégis”

• Let’s end with the band’s plans for the future and what the old and new audiences will have to expect from GIMFEST 2.
  

B – Our plan for next year is to start work on our debut full-length album. Recording will start in March ’25 with an August release scheduled, time permitting. We have some amazing new tracks that we can’t wait to play for the first time at GIMFEST 2. If all goes to plan, we will be putting on a UK and European tour to launch the album. So exciting times ahead for the noise and melody lovers out there. Oh yeah, and GIM FEST 3 will be upon us in no time with some amazing acts already booked in. Long live LVDS. Long live GIM.

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