SINGLE REVIEW | THE VANITIES | NO ELVIS

An adrenaline shot homage to the king from Glasgow’s garage punks.

Paisley based fourpiece The Vanities made a strong return this month with their brand-new single ‘No Elvis’, a pop tribute to the king. The Vanities are Alan Hannah (vocals / guitar), Robin Brown (guitar), Lewis Blakeman (bass) and Andrew Newton (drums). The quartet are well established names in the Glasgow live scene having gained a reputation for their charismatic stage presence and ferocious punk attitude. They are currently embarking on a UK tour including Edinburgh and Glasgow dates this weekend.

If you’re anything like me you’ve probably been listening to a lot of Elvis as a result of the new Baz Luhrmann movie. The new single comes at a perfect time as we’re experiencing an Elvis resurgence in pop culture, fear not because The Vanities are here to soundtrack your week. The track is maybe more poppy than previous releases but still showcases the bands scuzzy and distorted yet infectiously catchy sound which will attract listeners both old and new. It features Vanities’ signature racing guitar riffs, thrashing drums and Hannah’s magnetic vocal delivery. As ever the lyrics are a highlight as they nod to pop culture, specifically Tarantino written cinematic masterpiece True Romance as Hannah sings “you’re so cool”.

Accompanying the single the band have released a music video today shot by Daniel Blake which features Connor “The” Cannon starring as Elvis playing alongside The Vanities. The video sees Elvis appear from behind a curtain, guitar in hand as he slaps Alan on the back of the head and steals his tonic. Iconic as ever. The retro style video is sure to put a smile on your face as Elvis lifts weights, busts some moves and flips off the band. There’s even a wee romantic moment as Alan and Elvis interlock arms eating burgers. Hannah commented: “The idea was just to have an old school VHS style type thing. Bright backgrounds and bright characters. The idea for Danny was make it kinda like The Cribs, sorta steez or anything from 03-04 and daft as fuck”.

Don’t forget to watch the video and follow The Vanities on all the socials below!

About Emma Edwards 94 Articles
24-year-old Glasgow based music journalist. MA Multimedia Journalism and BA Film & Media graduate.