We met up with Tim (vocals) and Anton (guitars, keyboards) only a couple of hours before their show on the KVLT Stage. When asking how they were doing, Tim expressed that he was pretty nervous about getting to play at Tuska, a festival that always had a strong presence in their lives as Helsinki natives, despite being there for the very first time in their lives overall. The area still held a lot of history and connections for them, because Anton had apparently met their drummer in the very room we were having the interview.

The Vantages have been making quite a name for themselves in the local underground scene, so it felt like a good timing to get to play at Tuska and show what they’re doing in front of a more diverse and possibly international crowd, with even a person who flew in from Japan mostly to come and see them live. And it’s especially great since they’re about to release their second EP this fall, on which they’re looking to change their course a little bit. They have become known for that kind of gothic-inspired vintage rock (somewhat reminiscent of what HIM and Ville Valo did), but Tim has been very inspired by Arctic Monkeys and things like that and is moving the band somewhat into that direction. Both expressed that they have a bunch of ideas on where to go next, wanting to be more of a David Bowie kind of artist who constantly evolved his sound, so it sounds like exciting times are ahead for both the band and their fans!

Links