The Van T's

Singer/Guitarist — Glasgow

01Profile

A The Van T's Photo

03Interview

Photo by Beth Chalmers

Name?
Hannah Thompson

Where are you from?
Glasgow

What do you do?
I sing and play guitar in The Van T's.

Describe your style in three words?
Simple yet effective.

If you could make a record with anyone from history?
Oh, that's tricky! There's so many I would choose, however currently my favourite musician/songwriter is Ty Segall. I love his work, he is a very talented man being a multi-instrumentalist. He's been involved in so many side projects as well, continuously releasing music. I appreciate a good lo-fi/psychedelic/garage rock act and would love to make some noise with him. His stage presence is also something to be admired, I was lucky enough to see him at the Art School in Glasgow, very electrifying. 

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
There are so many I could choose. However, I'm going to go with a fairly recent one. Last year at T in The Park festival, I managed to finally catch LCD Soundsystem play one of the smaller stages. The sun was setting, we'd just played the day before and most of our pals had just played that day. I was with all the people I loved. Watching "All My Friends", with all of my friends was something I'll never forget. 

What British music icons inspire your sound today?
The Jesus & Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Vaselines, The Smiths, Bauhaus, Garbage. 

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
I reckon I would have loved to bump into David Bowie in the 60's/70's, grab a coffee, pick his brain or do other things...

Which British subculture means the most to you?
The beauty of British subculture itself is amazing, a time where people, especially younger people, no longer conformed with what was socially and culturally accepted. I would have to say, in my opinion, nothing beats punk subculture during the '70s. There's more meaning behind the mohawks and outrageous clothing, there was also political meaning, anti-capitalism, individualism, anti-racism/anti-sexism/anti-homophobia.   

If you could share the bill with any British band in history?
I would have said The Jesus & Mary Chain because they are idols to us, but we were lucky enough to support them last month in Amsterdam. So, I reckon early Pink Floyd. I remember watching a youtube video of a Pink Floyd performance on BBC 1 in the 60's while Syd Barrett was still in the band. It's a surreal performance of  ‘Astronomy Domine'. I reckon they would have been amazing to see live at that point in their career and cool to share a stage with. 

What music did you listen to growing up?
My Dad is a massive music fan, so naturally, me and my sisters were exposed a lot of rock and folk. My dad loves The Doors, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Frank Zappa. My mum has a more '80s orientated taste.

04Playlist Notes

What was the first song you played on repeat?
‘All Apologies’ by Nirvana.

One record you would keep forever?
‘Transformer’ by Lou Reed.

A song from your favourite album?
‘PDA' by Interpol, from 'Turn on the Bright Lights’.

Song you wish you had written?
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen.

Song that defines the teenage you?
‘Time to Pretend’ by MGMT.

What was the last piece of music you bought?
‘Teens of Denial’ by Car Seat Headrest.

A song lyric that inspires you?
"Like a shot in the Dark,
I'm here to stay."
 

'Belt and Braces' by The Lapelles.

Is there a song you like that people wouldn’t expect?
‘If it Makes You Happy’ by Sheryl Crow.

Best love song of all time?
‘Babies’ by Pulp.

Best song to turn up loud?
‘Tick Tick Boom’ by The Hives.

Best song to bring people together?
‘Believe’ by Cher.

4 songs by new artists you can’t stop listening to right now?

‘Destroyed by Hippie Powers’ by Car Seat Headrest
It's been a while since I've listened to really meaningful songwriting. With the latest LP, teens of denial especially. Will Toledo is a cool guy.

‘Man You're Wrong’ by Demob Happy
Really love their album Dream Soda. It's gritty, heavy and dreamy. Would highly recommend.

‘Heavy Heartless’ by Neon Waltz
So happy they finally decided to release this song. After seeing them a few times, this was my favourite in the set. It's a powerful song, a really catchy song.

‘Losing My Touch’ by October Drift
We played with this band a couple of times and this is my personal favourite. The lyrics are clever and the singer's voice is extremely encapsulating.

03Interview

Photo by Beth Chalmers

Name?
Hannah Thompson

Where are you from?
Glasgow

What do you do?
I sing and play guitar in The Van T's.

Describe your style in three words?
Simple yet effective.

If you could make a record with anyone from history?
Oh, that's tricky! There's so many I would choose, however currently my favourite musician/songwriter is Ty Segall. I love his work, he is a very talented man being a multi-instrumentalist. He's been involved in so many side projects as well, continuously releasing music. I appreciate a good lo-fi/psychedelic/garage rock act and would love to make some noise with him. His stage presence is also something to be admired, I was lucky enough to see him at the Art School in Glasgow, very electrifying. 

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
There are so many I could choose. However, I'm going to go with a fairly recent one. Last year at T in The Park festival, I managed to finally catch LCD Soundsystem play one of the smaller stages. The sun was setting, we'd just played the day before and most of our pals had just played that day. I was with all the people I loved. Watching "All My Friends", with all of my friends was something I'll never forget. 

What British music icons inspire your sound today?
The Jesus & Mary Chain, Echo & The Bunnymen, The Vaselines, The Smiths, Bauhaus, Garbage. 

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
I reckon I would have loved to bump into David Bowie in the 60's/70's, grab a coffee, pick his brain or do other things...

Which British subculture means the most to you?
The beauty of British subculture itself is amazing, a time where people, especially younger people, no longer conformed with what was socially and culturally accepted. I would have to say, in my opinion, nothing beats punk subculture during the '70s. There's more meaning behind the mohawks and outrageous clothing, there was also political meaning, anti-capitalism, individualism, anti-racism/anti-sexism/anti-homophobia.   

If you could share the bill with any British band in history?
I would have said The Jesus & Mary Chain because they are idols to us, but we were lucky enough to support them last month in Amsterdam. So, I reckon early Pink Floyd. I remember watching a youtube video of a Pink Floyd performance on BBC 1 in the 60's while Syd Barrett was still in the band. It's a surreal performance of  ‘Astronomy Domine'. I reckon they would have been amazing to see live at that point in their career and cool to share a stage with. 

What music did you listen to growing up?
My Dad is a massive music fan, so naturally, me and my sisters were exposed a lot of rock and folk. My dad loves The Doors, Nick Drake, Leonard Cohen and Frank Zappa. My mum has a more '80s orientated taste.

04Playlist Notes

What was the first song you played on repeat?
‘All Apologies’ by Nirvana.

One record you would keep forever?
‘Transformer’ by Lou Reed.

A song from your favourite album?
‘PDA' by Interpol, from 'Turn on the Bright Lights’.

Song you wish you had written?
‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen.

Song that defines the teenage you?
‘Time to Pretend’ by MGMT.

What was the last piece of music you bought?
‘Teens of Denial’ by Car Seat Headrest.

A song lyric that inspires you?
"Like a shot in the Dark,
I'm here to stay."
 

'Belt and Braces' by The Lapelles.

Is there a song you like that people wouldn’t expect?
‘If it Makes You Happy’ by Sheryl Crow.

Best love song of all time?
‘Babies’ by Pulp.

Best song to turn up loud?
‘Tick Tick Boom’ by The Hives.

Best song to bring people together?
‘Believe’ by Cher.

4 songs by new artists you can’t stop listening to right now?

‘Destroyed by Hippie Powers’ by Car Seat Headrest
It's been a while since I've listened to really meaningful songwriting. With the latest LP, teens of denial especially. Will Toledo is a cool guy.

‘Man You're Wrong’ by Demob Happy
Really love their album Dream Soda. It's gritty, heavy and dreamy. Would highly recommend.

‘Heavy Heartless’ by Neon Waltz
So happy they finally decided to release this song. After seeing them a few times, this was my favourite in the set. It's a powerful song, a really catchy song.

‘Losing My Touch’ by October Drift
We played with this band a couple of times and this is my personal favourite. The lyrics are clever and the singer's voice is extremely encapsulating.

 

05Videos

The Van T's | Fresh Meat (2017)

The Van T's | Fun Garcon (2016)

The Van T's | Blood Orange (2016)