Vacant Pavements aren't your bog-standard Glasgow band. They are paving the way for new generations of post-punk bands to come. With their unique sound inspired by the nuclear landscapes of the infamous Chernobyl disaster.

I interviewed Paddy McDermott, frontman of Vacant Pavements, on being in a small band from the heart of Scotland, his influences and what it's like to attend the prestigious Riverside Music College.

Can you tell me about how you got started in Glasgow's music scene?

Paddy: “It was mostly just by joining Riverside (RMC), my college, I didn't really know much about the music scene until I joined there, and then I started gigging. I've met Shannon and Sarah (Forest) as well there. So, we all started gigging together. Neither of us had a gig before, like we'd played shows and stuff in school, but nothing like a proper gig that we'd sorted ourselves.”

RMC has lots of industry professionals. Do you think it's broadened your skills musically?

Paddy: “I knew little to nothing when I first joined. I’ve learned the more kind of business aspect of stuff, so yeah, joining RMC has helped a lot, and there are a lot of people there that can help you, if you've got any questions. They’re set to help.”

How would you prepare for a gig, standing up in front of hundreds of people and performing?

Paddy: “When you first start off, like when you're playing small crowds, you do get nervous. Usually, when you're in the green room at the start, that's when you're like, oh God, I have to go on stage now and perform to people. The more you do it, you just get a bit better at it.”

Do you have a particular creative process when it comes to writing and creating new material?

Paddy: “Usually, whenever I write a song, I start with a melody or chord progression first. A lot of people begin writing lyrics first, but I would rather just sit down with my guitar or a synth or something, and I'll just create a melody, I just start building it from there. Usually, once I've got the sound I'm going for, that's when I start sort of improvising, then I kind of refine it and make it more polished.”

Do you think that Glasgow provides many opportunities for upcoming bands?

Paddy: “I think Glasgow is one of the biggest hubs for musicians, you've got loads of venues like McChuills, King Tuts and places that are putting on gigs for new and upcoming artists. I think there are a lot of smaller venues. Broadcast is good for bands who are just starting out. From my experience, Glasgow has been pretty good for that."

Can you tell me about the story behind your debut EP, Cost of Complacency?

Paddy: “I've always just been really interested in the Chernobyl disaster, ever since I was quite young, I took an interest in it. I was just kind of sitting playing my guitar and I just wrote an EP that was sort of inspired by that, and all the kind of stories you hear from it, and this just started a band. The first one we wrote was Caesium137 and then it just kind of took on from there. Instead of just writing a song, I wrote a mini sort of concept EP that was inspired by that. Every song on that EP is like a different story. It's kind of like a timestamp and the disaster, if that makes sense, yeah, but yeah, that's pretty much the kind of brief story behind it.”

What can we expect from VP in the future?

P: “Well, we recently released two new songs. We've got our new single Open Arms and our cover of Bela Lugosi’s Dead by Bauhaus. We’ve got a wee music video that we're working on just now, so hopefully that should be out soon. But yeah, that's, that's the current ideas for what we've got in mind.”

You can check out Vacant Pavements here.

An Interview with Paddy McDermott - Frontman of Vacant Pavements