New Scottish music: The Van T’s

The Van T’s are a Scottish surf-rock-grunge quartet making waves at festivals and among key taste-makers, write Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon

The Van T's

TWIN sisters Hannah and Chloe Van Thompson formed The Van T’s in 2013 and recently expanded the line-up to include Joanne Forbes on bass and Shaun Hood on drums. The surf-rock-grunge quartet have enjoyed a landmark year, playing the T in the Park, Electric Fields and Wickerman festivals, gaining representation via former We Were Promised Jetpacks manager Sharon Stephens, being championed by taste-makers such as BBC Radio Scotland’s Vic Galloway and supporting acts not too dissimilar in style, such as Honeyblood.

Their debut EP Laguna Babe is released via Bloc+ Music, the record label arm of Bloc+ bar in Glasgow, on 13 November, with the launch on 14 November at the Hug and Pint in Glasgow. They perform at Edinburgh’s Opium on Friday, at Bloc+ on Halloween and at the Strange Behaviours festival in Stirling on 20 November. Free downloads available at http://blocmusic.org/news/the-van-ts-release-free-download/

• Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run the Born To Be Wide seminar and social events www.borntobewide.co.uk