FOR many bands, headlining King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut – a venue that has helped establish many famous artists over the years – is a dream in itself. For Greenock/Glasgow quartet Avanté, it may well just prove to be another stepping stone.
On Tuesday, the band were invited to headline a night as part of King Tut’s Summer Nights, an annual initiative designed to promote local Scottish talent. A barnstorming performance signalled the band’s arrival on Scotland’s alternative rock scene as genuine contenders, having released their eponymous debut EP only last week.
Their quick ascension to the top of a King Tut’s bill was not only impressive, it also came as a bit of a surprise.
“We were asked by the venue to play and immediately said yes, but we had no idea that we were top of the bill until we picked up our tickets,” admitted bassist Alex Shearer. “We were just happy to be playing. King Tut’s is obviously a favourite venue of ours, so to pack it out on a headline bill was amazing.”
The narrative of a young Scottish band launching a career off the back of King Tut’s may seem a bit of a cliché at first.
Indeed, it’s hard not to draw parallels between Avanté and several Scottish acts that have come before them: the band are led by two brothers, Ryan and Jordan Osborne; their sound is centred around driving guitar lines and anthemic vocals; and they have a penchant for stirring back-and-forth vocal harmonies.
Whilst the likes of Biffy Clyro and Twin Atlantic are clear points of reference, frontman Ryan Osborne is quick to point out distinctions.
“The trouble with ‘alternative rock’ is that because it encompasses such a wide spectrum it’s incredibly easy to just reel off band names,” he says. “As much as we love those bands, we definitely have our own approach – my accent isn’t as overly pronounced, for example.”
However, what is more noticeable than Osborne’s lack of a clear brogue is the band’s commitment to dynamic play, even to a point where it’s almost mathematical. Much of this is thanks to drummer and former Bear Arms collaborator Craig Mullen.
“There are songs where I’ve literally drawn a graph marking out every dip and climb in our structure,” says Mullen. “We spend a long, long time with our songs and tend to break them apart bit by bit. We’re quite an energetic band, so it’s good to actually slow down and look at exactly what goes where.”
Osborne echoes this, saying: “Craig is incredibly hands on, which is unusual for a drummer. Quite often, he’ll take songs in a different direction. He’s not just a drum machine, which is why we don’t step on his toes. The songs are better for it.”
As obvious as it sounds, much of the band’s recent accomplishments can be attributed to a fearlessly committed DIY approach and sheer hard work.
“I know a lot of bands that are quite disenfranchised with the way the Scottish music scene is handled,” says Osborne. “We’re very selective with our promoters and are trying to adopt a more DIY attitude towards our shows, which is something Glasgow has in abundance.
“We mainly make music because it’s fun – plain and simple – so we want every step we take as a band to be natural. I suppose our name, Avanté, which means ‘forward’ in Italian and Portuguese, sums up our ethos as a band. We’re just going to keep doing what we’re doing and keep moving forward.”
Avanté’s debut EP is available now at avanteglasgow.bandcamp.com. The band play Record Factory, Byres Road, Glasgow on August 29.
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