Vigo Thieves - reasons to believe

Believe by Vigo Thieves was re-released recently to coincide with the song being chosen by the Scottish FA as then anthem for the nations Euro 16 campaign. It is the perfect choice - Strachan has restored the fire in the soul of the players and the supporters, people believe again.

I was delighted when I found out as the band are huge supporters of the national team. Barry follows the team home and away as a committed member of the Tartan Army and it was only last year that Gordon was creating a bubble bath in Trafalgar Square in London when down watching Scotland against the Auld Enemy!

Gordon Phipps - it's always the bass players that are the party animals!

The band are growing from strength to strength, a summer of festivals followed by an Autumn tour led to the offer of 4-dates with The Courteeners (including 2 at the Barrowlands) and Vigo Thieves will be rounding off 2014 in style with their second headline show at the ABC in December. It promises to be quite a party.

Vigo Thieves have worked hard to build a word of mouth following that will only grow - especially when they release their album. 2015 promises to be a big year for the band so I decided to look at a few of the many reasons why more and more people are believing in the Vigo Thieves.

Vigo Thieves at the SFA launch of Believe

REASONS TO BELIEVE

The songs
Vigo Thieves wouldn't have generated this much noise if they didn't have something about them but at the end of the day it all comes down to the songs. People are looking for songs to sing-a-long with, to dance to, to jump around to, to fall in love with, to look for hope in, or to soundtrack their nights and their life. This band have the songs to do that - attend any of their live shows and you'll see just what they mean to people.

Vigo Thieves have been building a top rate collection of songs over the last few years. More and more people are waking up to it - songs like Heartbeats, Forever, This Love, Believe and Steal Your Heart are festival and stadium anthems in the making - the hooks, riffs, refrains, beats, choruses are all there. People are already singing a-long to the hooks and riffs at the shows.

The enthusiastic responses at live shows and the growing scale of them has only encouraged Stevie Jukes to write bigger and better songs - anthems to be sung loud and heartily.

I'm fortunate to have heard some demos of songs that Vigo Thieves are working on in the studio and they sound incredible.

It isn't just the live environment that these songs work in, they sound incredible on the radio and their anthemic and cinematic nature has been picked up by the Scottish FA, it is surely only a matter of time before they are soundtracking games, adverts, films and shows.

The video of This Love displays the cinematic widescreen feeling of Vigo Thieves

2. Positivity
Vigo Thieves are all about heart and soul. They give it everything and the lyrics of Stevie Jukes highlight that. Examples?

Got to wake up, live for today
Stay young in your heart and young in your mind - Steal Your Heart

Love is the fire that's burning, when your heartbeats - Heartbeats

You're looking for the love to heal the pain from all the scars
So live for the moment and you'll shine like the stars - Steal Your Heart Pt II

Lets live forever, together we can stay young - Forever

It's not just the lyrics, Vigo Thieves are positive in everything they do - their live shows are a celebration, they are always looking to improve, develop and grow, their attitude and commitment is like no other I have experienced. Which leads on to...

Drummer Alan Jukes has the best seat in the house

3. Vision and leadership
Stevie Jukes had a clear vision for Vigo Thieves when he started out. 'Start with the end in mind' is one of his key philosophies and one that has served him and the band very well. Stevie has combined his talent for singing and songwriting with sheer hard work and resilience to get Vigo Thieves to where they are. He won't rest until he has taken them as far as he can possibly go - and that is all the way.

These qualities and more have helped drive the band forward more than anything else. I've never been anything less than impressed with Stevie, his natural charisma on stage and off has helped create opportunities and develop lasting relationships.

Stevie Jukes knows how to get a crowd on his side

4. A real band
Vigo Thieves didn't stick an advert in a magazine or online, they didn't come together through management or a record company, they are a true band. Stevie and drummer Alan are brothers, Gordon on bass and Barry on lead guitar are long term friends with the Jukes brothers. Chris Gorman on keys, synths and backing vocals joined after producing early demos and being the unofficial 5th member. Recognising his importance to the developing sound, Stevie likened him to 'playing piano like Elton John and having a voice like Jesus'.

The band gel superbly on and off stage, there is a real chemistry between them. Stevie singing his heart out, Alan a power house on drums, Gordon keeping the songs flowing on bass, Barry adding flourishes and riffs on guitar, Gorman helping to take them to the next level. Chris Cruickshanks joins the 5-piece on saxophone, creating a Springsteen feel to songs like This Love.

Vigo Thieves stripped back in session

5. The shows
I've mentioned the live shows turning into celebrations. I've witnessed incredible scenes at King Tut's, T in the Park, Wickerman, the Arches, the ABC, Barrowlands.... The momentum is with this band and the bigger the shows, the more they respond and the more they give.

For an unsigned band to have sold out the Arches and got over 1,000 people into the ABC is an incredible achievement - they still haven't released an album! The songs, the shows, airplay and word of mouth is generating something special and they won't be unsigned for much longer.

Vigo Thieves at the ABC in Glasgow earlier this year - a celebration

Get a ticket for Vigo Thieves at the ABC on 20th December. You won't regret it.

Vigo Thieves at the ABC Glasgow

Last night Vigo Thieves, an unsigned band, played the O2ABC in Glasgow. They packed it out, they smashed it, they didn't just tear up the rule book; they didn't even pick it up, they just wrote their own.

For a band with 2 self-released EP's and a single to their name to sell almost 1,000 tickets for a 1,200 capacity venue is incredible. The reaction they received was even better.

Belief, drive, anthems and interaction with fans have generated a word of mouth buzz that led to last nights show. Two years ago they released the 'Heart & Soul Pt I' EP with lead single 'Heartbeats' and they sold out Nice'n'Sleazys down the road from the ABC. One year ago they became the first unsigned band to sell out 2-nights at the legendary King Tut's Wah Wah Hut and they followed that up by selling out the Arches.

Vigo Thieves are building an increasingly passionate following; the terrace style chants of 'Viiiigggooooo' that greeted their arrival on stage last night was proof.

The band came on stage to 'Wide Awake' from their debut EP, bursting into action with 'Steal Your Heart', the stirring circular guitar riff flowed superbly and singer Stevie Jukes was backed by the crowd as he sang the hooks and the chorus.

Stay young in your heart

And young in your mind

'Blood Red' followed at a furious pace with Stevie striding to the front of the stage at the end to urge the crowd on.

'Believe' sounded huge. Vigo Thieves write songs for occasions like last night - great venue, good sound system and a crowd demanding to be entertained. Arms were aloft, some went on their mates shoulders and the band turned in a performance that left no-one in any doubt that they believed.

The band - Gordon Phipps on bass with a smile as wide as the Clyde, his hair bouncing around as he jumped along with the fans, Barry Cowan generating beautiful guitar riffs that sounded epic, Chris Gorman on keys, synths and stunning back vocals that add so much to their cannon of epic anthems, Alan Jukes on drums - pounding his drums like he wanted to destroy them, Stevie Jukes on rhythm guitar and vocals - leading and conducting the songs and crowd.

Stevie and Chris did a short piano version of 'Heartbeats' that got the crowd singing - band and fans as one. A special moment.

'Won't You Be Mine' one of the bands very first songs received a rare outing to the delight of some of the fans who have been there from the beginning, before 'Steal Your Heart Pt II' brought a tear to my eye - sounding bigger, better and bolder than ever before.

You're looking for the love to heal the pain from all the scars

So live for the moment and you'll shine like the stars

'She's On Fire' was a cross between Simple Minds and U2 before the band embarked on a closing segment that just blew people away.

'Forever' is probably my favourite Vigo Thieves song when they play live. It tugs on my heart-strings and it is so cleverly constructed that when the second chorus kicks in the song just soars.

Let's live forever, together we can stay young

'This Love' was utterly amazing. Chiming piano, pounding drums and a flowing melody before the chorus is literally rammed down your throat - backed up by pyrotechnics that just added to the ever increasing evidence that Vigo Thieves are an arena band.

How many bands do you go and see and you can't remember a chorus the next day? No chance of that with Vigo Thieves! The sing-a-long hooks, choruses and chants will be in your head after one trip to see them.

The band departed only for Chris Gorman on keys and the guest sax player to come on to start a slowed down version of 'Ghosts' before the rest of the Vigo's returned to blast into the full version. Beach balls dropped from the roof and everyone quite literally had a ball.

'Heartbeats' was always going to end the set and it did so in a glorious euphoric manner. Stevie Jukes sang like his life depended on it, arms were raised, confetti rained down on everyone and everyone was smiling, dancing and singing a-long.

Stevie jumped in the crowd and was carried almost to the back of the venue and then returned to the stage just in time to thank everyone.

Thanks to Vigo Thieves - writing songs with heart and soul to be sung by the masses. Quite why a record company haven't snapped this band up is beyond me.

Love is the fire that's burning

This Love by Vigo Thieves

Epic, emotional, soaring and of course; full of heart and soul. Ladies and Gents….'This Love' by Vigo Thieves is available to download from i-tunes tomorrow - Monday 3rd March.

Piano chords chime before a synth riff kicks in, so simple and addictive that you'll be singing along to it before you know it.

Can you feel it? This love? I got nothing else

Like a fever, this drug, in my veins until the death

Stevie Juke vocals have never sounded so good, straining and gasping with the emotion, packed with soul and love. Jukes has an uncanny knack for writing an epic pop/rock song. There have been references to U2 and Simple Minds in the past, the piano chords and overall feel and production make 'This Love' even more cinematic and theatrical; Jim Steinman would be proud of this beauty.

The breakdown for the final verse is brilliant, building up to a suitably huge chorus which is just hammered home for a full minute and 20 seconds.

When all is said and done

And we're fading like the sun

How you gonna feel it if you ain't got this love? (REPEAT loads)

Can you feel it?

There is an urgency, a feeling. 'This Love' is going to open even more doors for Vigo Thieves and they've kicked quite a few down over the last 2-years.

This is an unsigned band that are growing in the best way possible; by word of mouth. Anthems like 'Heartbeats', 'Forever' and 'Believe' are being backed up by incredible live shows that are making them a must see band.

Set to play a huge show at the ABC in Glasgow on Saturday 28th March, it is surely only a matter of time before someone makes a move to sign Vigo Thieves to give them the platform they deserve.

If they don't, then Vigo Thieves are on track to do it themselves anyway.

Tickets for the ABC show are available HERE

Watch the epic video for 'This Love', a homage to the film 'Drive', below;