Showcase Spotlight: VISTAS
Having only been playing together since January 2016, its been an exciting start for Edinburgh based four piece, Vistas. Ahead of their Wide Days showcase at The Liquid Room, we get to know them a bit better...
Who are Vistas and how did you start playing in a band together?
Vistas are a four piece high energy indie-rock band from Edinburgh. It's that age old story that we all met in high school. Me, Jamie and Prentice where in a band before hand which was just for fun but we became Vistas as we saw the songs developing and growing into much stronger material. We started to place huge importance on how we marketed, promoted and branded our band and thought, we’ve got to make a proper go with this. Then we took on Dylan as a second guitarist, and since January 2016 we’ve been Vistas.
You only formed as a band at the start of 2016, last year was an extremely exciting year for you guys – what have been your highlights so far?
It's been quite a crazy year for it only being our first year as a band. I think the main thing has been the Spotify explosion that came with the release of our Medicine EP then the same happened again with our single Feel Alive. We've played some really great shows including our latest sold out launch for Feel Alive at The Mash House. We also played a crazy sold out show in Sheffield and we played our first Glasgow show at a sold out king tuts bar as part of the F*ck Yes club nights. I think what’s been most special about this year though is seeing how our fan-base has grown from the very beginning to what it is now, and with every gig and every release more people are getting behind our band, which we are so grateful for.
You released your debut EP ‘Medicine’ at the end of last year, what was the inspiration behind it?
I think before the title track “Medicine" had been written, Prentice and the rest of us knew we had this great batch of song sitting just waiting to be recorded and then when Medicine came along that was just that push we needed to go in and get them down. I feel like it really has shaped our sound and set us apart from other local bands. All three tracks on the EP have a different inspiration behind them and we’re really proud of them all.
Who would you like to speak at an event like Wide Days and why?
I think at an event such as Wide Days, we are looking to talk to anyone and everyone who is able to share their advice and expertise with us and help us develop as a band, it’s invaluable really. I think it's really important that local bands are given the guidance and information they need to properly develop because there are so many areas that just wouldn't occur to you unless someone with that knowledge had shared it with you.
What have you got planned for 2017?
More gigs and more music really! 2017 is going to be a big year for us, we have some really big plans, so keep your eye out for them. The main aim is just to build and buildour fan base inScotland and the around the UK and hopefully take our band to the next stage! We just hope people will join us for the ride.