Vickers Vimy flying high with their Atlas of Hearts

Groove Tube with Cian O’Connell

It’s difficult to pinpoint the roots of Vickers Vimy’s music. The eclectic four-piece draw on Irish and Americana folk influences in their work and perhaps the band’s broad range of influences is no surprise given they hail from Galway, Carlow and Mayo respectively.

On May 4, roughly one year on from the release of the band’s latest album Atlas of Hearts, the intimate setting of Galway’s Black Gate Theatre is set to house a stripped back performance of a record that is full of life and personality. In an age of short, catchy singles, the album is turning something of an anomaly among developing bands. Frontman Ed Drea is quick to point out that Atlas of Hearts is more than a collection of songs – it’s a well-crafted body of music that works best as a full piece.

“That’s something we talked about a lot – should we have broken the album up into maybe four or five singles,” Ed recalls.

“Maybe we’re of a certain generation that we like having the album. The songs fit together as one thing and it’s a statement piece in itself. But 100% it’s a dilemma for a lot of people.

“I’ve friends in bands that are definitely leaning towards releasing singles – you can get the money together for it, get the gigs done and fund it again. We decided we’d go with the album but I’d say maybe with the next thing we do, we will release a single or an EP.”

For Ed and many others, the album has long been a means of getting to know a band. The scrambling nature of appealing to listeners in a saturated market now seems to dictate the approach of most artists.

“It’s kind of crazy really,” Ed says of the disappearance of the album. “There’s something nice about having a full album in your hand too. With Atlas of Hearts, I couldn’t imagine just getting one part of it.

“It works as a piece really well. I suppose historically, I couldn’t imagine taking albums I love as individual songs . . . I still think it’s nice to have a full album but it’s a challenge.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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