Festa: Vant + Get Inuit // Plug Sheffield // 23.04.16

Festa: Vant + Get Inuit // Plug Sheffield // 23.04.16

VANT is the brainchild of frontman Mattie Vant. Born out of discontent and frustration at the fucked up world wecurrently inhabit, he built an arsenal of songs that are short, poignant and socially aware remedies to the ignorance of most modern consumerist pop music.

Mattie, who hails from the small, ex-coal mining town of Seaham in the North East of England, has secretly been working on VANT for four-and-a-half years since he left home for Brighton. Although Brighton was productive it was only when Mattie made the move to London in 2012 that he found the direction he was looking for.

Anyone who has ever lived in London knows finding your feet can be incredibly difficult. Luckily for Mattie after a couple of jobs working in a bar and in a charity call centre he landed a job in the Dalston music venue Birthdays, which has now become VANT’s HQ. VANT are completed by Henry Eastham (guitar), Billy Morris (bass) and Greenie (drums).

Some have described VANT as a cross between The Kinks and the Pixies, but Mattie takes influence from a vast spectrum of musical genres which are then all condensed into two and a half minute onslaughts. Lyricism is incredibly important to him; he wants to leave his mark on this planet and writes music to stir the mind as well as the heart.

When VANT trickled a few musical outputs to some key figures in the music industry at the start of 2015 it caused a chaotic, feeding frenzy. This furore eventually resulted in VANT penning a deal with Parlophone. However, as he embarked on his first UK tour in support of double AA side ‘Parasite’ / ‘Do You Know Me?’, he opted to keep things simple by releasing it on limited edition baby pink vinyl through his own label Dumb Blood Records.

‘Parasite’ provided Mattie with an incredible kick-start when Zane Lowe made VANT his Next Hype and played ‘Parasite’ three times in a single show. Subsequent radio support for the track included further airplay from Radio 1, Radio X and Amazing Radio. The follow-up, ‘The Answer’, was named as Annie Mac’s Hottest Record in the World and was then added to Radio 1’s In New Music We Trust playlist.

VANT’s third single ‘Parking Lot’ built upon their growing acclaim, Annie Mac again offering her support to the band with her second Hottest Record in the World accolade. Further Radio 1 support following with plays courtesy of Clara Amfo, Greg James and Gemma Cairney plus a blistering session for Huw Stephens.

Throughout 2015, VANT’s live shows provoked chaos across the land with mosh pits and stage invasions exploding wherever they play. Prior to completing the year with an extensive UK tour, VANT had played shows with the likes of Royal Blood, Fidlar, Hinds and The Bohicas, and also co-headlined the DIY Presents Tour alongside

Inheaven and The Big Moon. Their storming summer festival schedule featured dates at Reading, Leeds, The Great Escape, Dot To Dot, Calling Festival, Secret Garden Party, Y Not and Bingley Live.

Throughout, reviewers drew glowing comparisons between VANT and an eclectic array of classic bands – Manic Street Preachers, The Strokes, MC5, Pixies, Queens of the Stone Age and DFA 1979, to name but a few.

After such a powerful breakthrough in 2015, VANT commence 2016 in style with by playing the Radio One Future Festival in January before headlining a sold out NME Awards show at The Lexington.