VASQUEZ

'Ridiculously brilliant...' - 09/05/11 - BBC 6music

I used to have quite a deeply ingrained opinion that a band needed a vocalist, then a friend introduced me to bands like 65 Days of Static and ASIWYFA. I had to admit that there was maybe something to this all about the music lark. I was therefore intrigued to find out what Edinburgh’s answer to them was and Vasquez do not disappoint. They easily compare to their more well known contemporaries. Jon Adam is superb on drums making a convincing attempting to destroy the kit as his floppy hair struggles to catch up with his wildly arching arms. A drummer of such quality is hard to find, but one who can put on such an effortless performance and look like he’s enjoying it so much is truly rare. Sean impresses on bass too with appropriate amounts of gnarl complimenting Ciaran’s guitar when necessary yet effortlessly switching to take his own share of the limelight. Ciaran’s guitar weaves in and out of bass and drum rhythms, changing tempo and melody with ease, incorporating punchy syncopation and tapped sections, his guitar an extension of self. This is an extremely technical, well rehearsed, yet effortless band. Awesome. - Glasgow Podcart

Following the softly, softly sound of Esperi is the full-frontal aural assault of Vasquez. There's certainly nothing dream-like about these guys, unless your dreams consist of being repeatedly smacked in the face by a schizophrenic wielding a guitar. In stark contrast to the other acts on tonight's bill their sound is driven by a core of loud, distorted, dirty, punk-math-rock. They introduce themselves as 'Hi, we're Vasquez and we don't have a singer' and they certainly don't need one as they rip through song after song with melodic hooks that suck you in and spit you out, sending you packing down a path that you didn't even see coming. Bassist Sean provides a solid, gritty low-end that allows guitarist Ciaran to bring a wall of noise and energy to the performance while drummer Jon (who, sorry everyone else, might be one of the most exciting drummers in Edinburgh) goes completely mental behind the drum kit, unleashing off-beat rhythms like a man-possessed, having the time of his life. Vasquez definitely have the crowd on their side tonight and their music is greeted by much deserved foot-tapping, body-rocking and applause. You would be hard-pressed not to be impressed by Vasquez's live show, they might just be a band whose hype is actually justified, and we all know how rare those are. - edinburghunderground

Following the softly, softly sound of Esperi is the full-frontal aural assault of Vasquez. There's certainly nothing dream-like about these guys, unless your dreams consist of being repeatedly smacked in the face by a schizophrenic wielding a guitar. In stark contrast to the other acts on tonight's bill their sound is driven by a core of loud, distorted, dirty, punk-math-rock. They introduce themselves as 'Hi, we're Vasquez and we don't have a singer' and they certainly don't need one as they rip through song after song with melodic hooks that suck you in and spit you out, sending you packing down a path that you didn't even see coming. Bassist Sean provides a solid, gritty low-end that allows guitarist Ciaran to bring a wall of noise and energy to the performance while drummer Jon (who, sorry everyone else, might be one of the most exciting drummers in Edinburgh) goes completely mental behind the drum kit, unleashing off-beat rhythms like a man-possessed, having the time of his life. Vasquez definitely have the crowd on their side tonight and their music is greeted by much deserved foot-tapping, body-rocking and applause. You would be hard-pressed not to be impressed by Vasquez's live show, they might just be a band whose hype is actually justified, and we all know how rare those are. - edinburghunderground