This week’s session was an extra special one for us here at Amazing – Vets In Hong Kong travelled all the way up from the depths of the country to provide a full 24 hours worth of ‘first times’ for everybody involved. For us it was the very first time we’d pre-empted a session with a live gig the night before and it was the band’s first ever gig outside of the capital.

Taking full advantage of the fact that the guys would be making use of Blank Studios’ own accommodation for the night, we organised an intimate gig within the studio itself. With local songsmith Ajimal as support and a maximum room capacity of around 30 people it was by far the best place to be last Thursday night. You can hear a full review of the gig itself on our Amazing Live show at 1pm on Friday this week.

As for the guys; Matthew Reay on drums, Nick Butler on bass and Matt Grindon on vocals, synth and guitar, it was their first trip to Newcastle and for two thirds of the band the furthest North they’d EVER been. The travel was all worth it though, as demonstrated not only by the session tracks themselves but by the fact that half the staff of Amazing – mainly those who attended the mini gig – are now completely besotted with the band and all of their output.

After being together for a few years and living together the past two, they’ve been able to take the time to really perfect their choice of songs, the results of which you can hear come the 7th of February when they self-release their debut E.P.

On the day of the session itself they recorded four tracks in total, the first of which entitled ‘Nobody‘ is an excellent introduction to their particular brand of brooding tension. I’m not exactly sure how they manage it, whether its Matthew’s deliberately off kilter drum rhythms and creative fills, or the frantic strumming of Matt’s acoustic guitar combined with the ability to fit what seems like a hundred words into one sentence – whatever it is there’s an urgency to it that demands your attention and creates a discernible sense of claustrophobia – almost verging on menace – that keeps you involved until the very last note.

The same can be said for Amazing Radio favourite ‘Flags‘, ‘Giant Wooden Horse‘ and the exclusive first recording of their latest song ‘We’re Here To Help You Win.’ They set themselves apart from your generic guitar based indie bands and in doing so have created pieces of music that we’re proud to have on Amazing Radio.

You can catch the live tracks on Amazing Afternoons with Kyle Wilkinson from 3pm and click on The Amazing Sessions page to listen again in case you missed it. The lads themselves have a few gigs lined up in London, the next of which is on the 20th of this month at The World’s End in Finsbury Park. Check their amazingtunes.com profile for further updates and be sure to make an effort to get along. It’s worth noting that they’re also involved in the RoTa nights at The Notting Hill Arts club in association with Rough Trade where you can catch not only Vets In Hong Kong themselves but a few other choice acts between 4-8pm that are no doubt worth a listen. The band are currently writing more material and sorting out dates for the Summer so be sure to keep your ears open and don’t miss out!

The Vets in Hong Kong tracks are available to listen to at The Amazing Sessions page, alongside all of our other live session recordings. Help yourself!