VUKOVI: Momentum
In its formative phase, VUKOVI – (Serbian for Wolves, should you be wondering) began as a bunch of weirdo misfits finally finding a purpose – Hamish Reilly on guitar, Jason Trotter on bass and Colin Irving on drums. Its adolescence found it uniting with local lostling Janine Shilstone who really did get elbowed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, but that might just be another story.
When three became four, sparks flew. Although the words ‘riff pop from Scotland’ may never once have been uttered; it was now a thing. Rage Against The Aguilera, eat your heart out.
Their debut album, the technicolour self-titled ‘VUKOVI’, written in full by the band in collaboration with longtime friend-in-the-studio Bruce Rintoul, and exploring subjects such as individuality, drugs, depression and reasons-to-stay-alive resonated enough to break the album charts (152 respectively – no mean feat for an unheard of band.) If it’s good enough for BBC Radio 1, Kerrang, Scuzz and MTV… and if it’s good enough for PVRIS, Nothing But Thieves, Don Broco and Lower Than Atlantis… well maybe, just maybe, VUKOVI is good enough for you.
At a time when art for art’s sake is taken for granted, VUKOVI is the band we need. Unique. colourful, exhilarating and brilliant, VUKOVI stands atop the pile when it comes to British bands and 2019 might just be their year