Thursday 27 August 2009

Vivian Volta

What’s your favourite colour?
Black.

What’s your favourite food?
Tofu! No chips with loads of mayo, loads of ketchup.

What’s brought you to London?
Well my father’s English but I’ve just come back to London seven months ago from Russia before that I was in New York making music. Unfortunately it was really shit, pop-y, Disney channel stuff! They wouldn’t let me do what I wanna do so I took all my money and went to Russia. Now I’ve come to London to form a band.

What was Russia like?
I didn’t want to socialise.

How much influence has New York and Russia had on what you’re doing now?
Zero to none. They crossed me in New York; they put up a crucifix in Time square and put me up there!

Were you signed to a label in New York?
It’s kinda complicated

I like complicated...
Yeah basically it was attached to a label so there was the option if i was to do what they wanted.




So why after NY & Russia did you come to London?
Dunno because i lived here as a kid.

Whereabouts?
Greenwich from the age one to four.

You have an attachment to London?
Yeah it was a feeling, I can’t describe it i just want to get to know it because i lived here and hardly remember anything.
Did you want to get to know it as an adult rather than a child?
Yeah and it’s a great live scene here because people actually want to go to gigs here as opposed to New York. It’s more corporate in New York. People only go to Trannie clubs. I mean why would you go to a gig in New York if you can have booze for free in every nightclub as long as you’re good-looking and young. Why would any young good-looking person go anywhere else?

Are you saying being good looking in London doesn’t give you the same advantages as it does in NY?
I never said that i was good looking!

I’ve just seen you perform which was impressive as you overcame obstacles (Technical problems stopping Vivian from playing guitar) took on the stage and won. Innao your computer band doing marvellously to keep everything musically together.Is performance more important than the music for you?
No what a naughty question performance comes naturally.

Did the glitter in your hand come naturally?
I found the glitter in a tree on the way here.

Oh so it did come naturally. (laughing)
I’m really good at the guitar!

(Now due to technical problems at Vivian’s set that evening I had not heard him play. He rectified that problem and played with talent and fluency outside the venue for
me. He was good at the guitar.) Where did you learn how to play the guitar?
On YouTube over the last three years starting in Germany, then continued in the South of France, New York, Russia and now here!

Do you have an attachment to a guitar as an instrument?
I don’t really believe in instruments i believe in sounds and the way you play an instrument. Although i find the guitar very expressive because you touch the strings you create vibrations and you can do all these little finger tricks.

So where is Vivian Volta going?
Well I’m gonna go in do some shots and get wasted!

Not tonight Vivian (laughing) as a band where are you aiming to go?
We’re going to do Vibe bar next Thursday and then a few other gigs like the Off-set festival in September.

Would you like to do the X-Factor?
Yeah sure, I think they’re easy to shock, so why not.


Thanks to Vivian Volta.
Interview - Darragh O'Meachair
Photography Courtesy of - Guro & Enko

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