Van Susans - Seagulls

  by Fiona Hutchings

published: 16 / 6 / 2016

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Review

Van Susans describe themselves as a London based "alternative folk-rock outfit," and they are back with their new single 'Seagulls'. The track is a beautiful mix of guitar riffs and gorgeous strings, and focuses on the pain of losing someone you love for good and how time passes. The CD itself is designed to look like a clock and it's little touches like that which give you a sense the band has a firm grasp on the message it is trying to send. I appreciate the effort. Chris Hawkins on 6 Music has previously described them as "a Levellers for a new generation" and that feels like a reasonable comparison, not least because singer Olly Van Andrews makes no attempt to try and disguise his accent.In an age of so much identikit music it's refreshing. Other members of the band include Ed Dullaway who plays guitar and piano. They say that he often plays both at the same time. I can't figure that out either so it's worth checking them out live to verify such a claim. Responsible for those heavenly strings is classically-trained Holly McLatchie, and Innes Christie and Harvey Simpson complete the quintet. Check out the video. It mixes the present day with old family movies giving a sense of the past being both far away and current. Van Susans will be playing the following festivals over the next few months: Cornbury, Beacon, Towersey and P4P.

Track Listing:-

1 Seagulls

Band Links:-

http://vansusans.com/
https://www.facebook.com/VanSusans/
https://twitter.com/vansusans
https://www.youtube.com/user/VanSusans
http://www.songkick.com/artists/349501

Label Links:-

http://www.beatnikgeekrecords.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/BeatnikGe
https://twitter.com/BGRecords
https://www.facebook.com/Beatnik-Geek-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/98235858