What do you get when you cross a 2001 Blue Ford Transit, four lads from Leeds at the wheel, Mark E Smith in the boot and Samuel Beckett Wetherspoons as the destination? Only the sweet, melodic snarls of Leeds’ most exciting contemporary guitar rock outfit Vehicle rolling in with their new 7” ‘You Are Not A Cowboy/ My Future Wife (I Love You)’, scratched up on a jukebox in the back of an old social club, ready to be discovered and played again. 

An unnamed protagonist steers the bitter quarrel of the A-Side, as the title echoes like a soft whimper, devastated by the first coming of the anti-christ of true rock n’roll, soundtracked by bluesy 60s-leaning jangle. The idea, frontman Michael Cable tells me, came to him in a very Paul McCartney-esque dream: “I had a nightmare where I was locked in a room full of people playing police sirens on pedal steels wearing pavement t-shirts.” Of course, that’s not really Vehicle’s views, and satire can be easily missed when written so convincingly. He clarifies, “He is a fictional character. No one in the band actually cares about the state of contemporary guitar music, we’re into what we’re into and that’s all there is. I do like playing with narratives though and this, like a lot of songs, this started off as a joke.” 

Still, the current cultural backdrop is hard to ignore. As americana mutates into something more distinctly British, bands like Westside Cowboy, English Teacher and Wunderhorse approach their sound with a blend of kitchen-sink lyricism, rockabilly twang and post-folk textures. Vehicle slip comfortably into that niche without sounding beholden to it.

The B-Side proves they’re simply not nostalgists. Marrying Beach House with Mac De Marco, it’s a wedding we’re all invited to, leaving boomer dad rockers mopping in the corner as the band embrace heartfelt sincerity.

Sons of Escoromansco Records, they’re not afraid to look upon their musical neighbours for inspiration either, having branded Mabgate Bleach as their home for studio recording, rehearsals and gigs, as have many other Leeds bands who they’ve befriended along the way. All eyes are on the city right now, and Cable doesn’t think it’s lacking much: ‘I think it’s pretty good at the moment. More of the same really, it’d be great to see the rest of the country noticing what’s going on here.’

Both history and the future of post-punk bands was altered by one man – the ghost of Mark E Smith inevitably lingers: ‘He is a hero, undoubtedly but he’s also someone that I try to avoid impersonating and try to use him as a voice in my head. Like an angelic presence to guide me through difficult creative decisions.’ Whenever he’s in need of writing such a stellar 7’inch single, he calls on his Greek chorus of heroes: ‘Early The Beatles (like everyone, ever), Scott Walker, Brill Building Pop, Burt Bachrach, People who have written the best songs of all time, etc.’

Selling out a 7”inch single, it’s another win for grassroots. And this ain’t no Western. It’s the very best of the North.

Review from Eszter Vida – @esztervidamusic