Whilst at Boardmasters Festival recently, we caught up with Toby (Guitar/vocals) and Louis (drums/vocals) from The Velvet Hands, we chatted to them in a teepee just after their set, this is how it went down!
Hi guys, we saw you in Bristol last year when you supported The Bluetones, we really enjoyed your set and when we found out that you're from Cornwall, our eyes lit up! How did the gig come about?
Our manager used to manage The Bluetones 'back in the day', he did the first two albums and he stayed in touch with them and it just came from that.
Was it something you had to think about or was it an immediate 'yes' to being able to play the gig?
Absolutely, we had talked about getting on to the entire tour but we had other pressing engagements like university to attend so we just played the one date with them in Bristol.
Did you get any feedback from them?
They invited us along to do the tour and they did have some kind words for us after the show so that was good, always nice to get some praise from a massive band!
The band is split across Cornwall, London and Reading, does this make for a tough time when you're trying to get together to rehearse?
We're usually all in Cornwall at the same time, we're based in London and Reading but we actually see more of each other down here than in London!
We're loving your sound, to us, you're the love children of The Strokes & The Libertines, both influences on your style?
More The Strokes I would say, I really got into them when I started to play guitar and they are just one of those bands that everyone needs to hear and they just stuck with me, you can't get sick of their music!
Any other bands or acts that have made a real impression on you and made you want to pick up instruments in the first place?
The Stones, my folks took me to see them on their 'Bigger Bang' tour (when I was 8 years old) that was a real game changer for me and made me want to become a guitarist! We were holidaying in Wales when I was a kid and my older brother had just bought Led Zeppelin's discography and after hearing John Bonham play, that was it for me, I was hooked and wanted to be a drummer from that moment on!
You rock some pretty impressive footwear on stage, where do you get the boots from?
These ones are from a boutique just off Carnaby Street, they're handmade by a guy who's been making them since the early 70's, I used to work there for a while and just fell in love with them!
I see that you're planning some London dates in October, any venues that you can confirm at the moment?
I don't even know what day it is, let alone when and where we play in London, I think it's a bit up in the air at the moment but keep an eye on our social media sites as all the info will be there soon!
Being from Cornwall, I assume that you're either keen surfers or have at least tried it before?
I went once on a school activity week and fell off a lot and haven't tried it since! I did try bodyboarding a while back and I like that as you can be shit but nobody really notices!
What are your top three tips to surviving a music festival?
Lots of water when you can get it, wet wipes and malt loaf, it's high in energy and you can easily live off that for a good few days! Maybe a deck of cards, so you can play poker and win some money to buy more malt loaf when it runs out!
Who else on the lineup are you particularly excited about seeing?
White Denim on Sunday, Not The Beatles, The Black Tambourines and Lost Dawn are great so we'll be there to see them.
Lastly, please describe Boardmasters 2016 in just 3 words....
Er.......Sticky, Hot, Mess!
We thought it only fair that we go through the quickfire questions but rather than asking just one of them to take part, we alternated the questions to make things a little more interesting!
Camping or Campervan?
Camping
Burger or Burrito?
Burrito
Cider or Lager?
Lager
Wet Wipes or Dry Shampoo?
Wet Wipes!
Inflatable Mattress or Roll Mat?
Neither, the floor (I don't even have a tent!)
Posh Wellies or plastic bags over your trainers?
Posh Wellies
Poncho or Kagoule?
Poncho
God or Google?
Google has answered more of my questions
We'd like to thank the guys for taking the time to chat to us and we wish them every success in the future. If you're in London, check their social media pages for news on venues that they'll be playing in the capital later this year.