Unlike football, music is generally quite a genial hobby. Favourite bands might split up, but they could always get back together, and if not there’s always new ones to take their place, whilst decent songs might eventually be used as the soundtrack to an annoying bus journey, but you can take solace in the fact that it might at least earn a band you like some money. However, there are times when it can seem as cruel as a last-minute winner against your alloted team or a loss by a penalty shoot out.
If their was one artist I could be said to support, Tom Vernon-Kell, or Tom Vek as he prefers to call himself, would probably be the most likely. Whilst other bands have been and gone, there are few other acts that have managed to stay so fundamentally frustrating and, therefore, engaging. The subject has been posted about before on these pages, with a message to Vek’s PR ending in a hopeful mention that 2010 may see the return of a man who’s been silent since an appearance on ‘The OC’ about 4 years ago. ‘We Have Sound’ was and is glorious, and the search for missing b-sides isn’t nearly half as depressing as the thought of living without them. However, as the fanbase he cultivated dwindles and memories of his (often underwhelming, reportedly) live shows fade, those still interested are reduced to scouring google for unreliable word of mouth news from forums. Some claim he’s alright, playing with The Late Greats at Latitude last year, others say he’s reclusive, reqiring his studio alone in search for the perfect sound.
Slowly, Vek’s Wikipedia entry has become something akin to my homepage as desperation for any kind of update increases. But around a week ago, things seemed to change for the worse, causing something close to a panic attack. A nameless editor had updated the page, by entering “Vek has recently stated that he is ‘unable’ to write a follow up to 2005’s We Have Sound due to having contracted writers block and it is expected his will soon announce his musical retirement.” No sources, no mention of where he might’ve stated this. Google searching threw up no further links, but it seemed to fit with the facts – 5 years, no new material and little indication of a willingness to enter the industry again. An unanswered e-mail to his manager looked like apt confirmation. Until today, at least.
At 9.50 this morning (April 13), the entry was deleted and replaced with “Island Records and Vek’s PR company (Darling) recently announced that Tom Vek would be releasing his new album in June 2010.” The unsurprising thing is that Island have done little of the sort, with no press release or news to confirm the claim, whilst Darling PR seemed unaware that they’d even added Vek to the roster, nevermind announced plans for a new album.
So, then, what now? Rumour has it that he is in fact still working on his second album, which we can all hope he is. If you’ve got any rumours, true or false, it’d be lovely to hear them. At this point it doesn’t really matter – any news is good news.
If you’ve forgotten what he sounds like, here’s 2 b-sides. They’re probably the best thing you’re going to hear today:
Tom Vek – Music Television
Tom Vek – Roots/Branches
I agree with you on this 100%. Tom Vek is so fucking amazing and I also have looked for years for an update anything, anything at all! I hope to hear new music from him!!
G
you are obsessed and check on that wikipedia more than my facebook. what does this say about you?
this makes me a little hopeful… i’m desperate for some more tom vek.
where can i download his b-sides???
I really love that someone seems genuinely invested in this, rather than saying over and over and over and over that they would like a new album. Every time I click on his last.fm page i hope to see dozens of music pirates all saying “The new song suxxx!”, but all i ever see is idiots all copying and pasting the same thing, and then a link from you, which tells me in a round about way that you still have nothing new to say, it’s heartbreaking, but appreciated.
Tom Vek is well on his way to solidifying his status as a cult legend. In today’s information saturated world, where you can’t so much as sneeze without someone tweeting about it, it’s incredibly impressive that he managed to completely disappear off the face of the planet.
Maybe it’s for the best that he doesn’t re-appear, then we can kid ourselves and say that his next piece of work would be the greatest thing we never heard.
We have sound was the first album I bought and I still adore it, I hope that he releases a new album but I have my doubts as most fans do having looked for any sign of life for years. The expectation having waited 5 years for a seconds album would be hugely intimidating to anyone.
The world misses you Mr Vek, please release some music in the near future.
I think information saturation is the problem here; I’ve seen it happen with a lot of musicians, and I guess that it might be the same here, where the internet’s response solidifies the already huge wave of hyperbolae around any artist making it incredibly difficult for them to approach creating music subjectively as they try to live up to the expectation of their fans. They are scared to let them down, they are scared of criticism, and they are scared of the sense of responsibility they feel to the fans.
When you buy that album to some artists it feels like you have become a shareholder, and that they have a responsibility. They loose the sense of why they were creating music, the love goes from it and instead of coming naturally it becomes pressured. A first album may take years to perfect, then boom, suddenly you are ‘professional’ who has to produce an album in two years and make more people love it that the last one or be deemed a failure.
The expectation of an audience that an artists will develop in the way the expect, each individually, rolled into a collective force to be thrown back at you, is very intimidating and a hard thing to live up to. Trying to refine something to the point of perfection takes the joy out of it, and makes it hard to find what it is you want to do.
This is just what I’ve taken from personal conversations I’ve had with artists at various points on the scale from starting, to first hit, to multiple no.1 international pin-up pop-stars.
Just be thankful you have this one album to love as much as you do. To have this archetype of Tom Vek to expect something of, to hold a candle to. If you get another, it will be a different thing, it will be a different Tom Vek, and it will never stand truly in comparison to this album you adore.
whoever said that he was poor live?
I saw him at the now demolished mean fiddler with a young noisettes in support when they played raw punk.
what a gig!..
A friend talked to him in New York a few years ago, and he indicated at that time that he had no interest or inclination in writing a follow-up. Apparently, he’s a fairly private guy, and showbiz just wasn’t for him. I wish it wasn’t so, as I think he was one of a slim few original artists to emerge in the last decade.
Thank you for writing this article. I remember being strangely drawn to Tom Vek’s music when I first saw his video for “C-C (You Set the Fire in Me)” premiere on 120 Minutes. 5 years later, I still consider him one of my top 3 musical favorites in spite of the fact that “We Have Sound” and a handful of B-sides are all we have ever heard from him. I too have wished to hear the joyous news of confirmation regarding a follow-up album. But being a visual artist myself, I can appreciate the idea of wanting to provide fans with quality material no matter how long it took me to complete, over trying to rush out something I don’t fully believe in. I at least can only hope this is what Tom maybe thinking, rather than the rumors that he may have no wish to return to music again, which would truly be a sad thought.
I forgot about Tom Vek, almost. I’m glad he’s still alive and making music. Go Tom Go!
I played a gig with TV back in about 2003 – they were great. Sweet, sweaty and tight. That band Everything Everything sound like they owe him a few favours.
Maybe, if he’s got terrible writers’ block, he could spend a bit of spare time remastering We Have Sound instead?
But I hope, too, that he pops his head up over the parapet again. As you’ve shown, he still has fans out there…
hey there just a heads up but i am a very close friend to one of tom vek’s brother piers and i can confirm that there will be a release in may from him, ive heard the album numerous times with an un-released copy and it will blow your mind!
hope you like
j x
^ if this actually happens i will be blown away. as much as i would love to experience a new album, the time that has passed between his last release and now is so long that my flickering hopes have been extinguished more than once… everyone wonders about him and in the end it is up to the artist to find the right time, environment, inspiration and feeling to create the art. if vek makes sounds i will listen to them. if i never hear anything from him again at least i have music that fit perfectly into the time and place that bore it. i truly hope that jamie is not just saying these things to be mean… fingers crossed.
What a wonderful article, we have sound has a special place in my heart.. It was at a point in my life I will never forget and I was lucky enough to see him perform live in king tut’s in glasgow. Would love to hear a new album released. Might be another mylo situation I fear. Either way i’m glad that I have experienced what he has produced!
i’ve been working in a studio recently and heard some tom vek demos, recorded by the producer.
no names, just facts. they sounded killer.
just listened on zane. the new song. it’s frickin’ awesome.
i wrote a magazine article a few years ago just like this one, yearning for his return: anything to diversify the british music scene. and now he is back, and he has still got it.
dang, he’s still got it.
I just got an email yesterday sending me to http://www.TomVek.tv to hear/see the new video – It’s great!! I love the way that he tweaks the tradition of lip-syncing in music videos. So excited for the new album!
great news! we’re almost there…6th june! It’s already on my calendar as bank holiday.
Thanks for these b-sides, where did you find them?
Just so happy right now… I had forgotten I even posted here several months ago. I was sitting in the living room listening to the radio this morning and I heard something familiar yet new… At first I even dismissed it as someone who got smart and decided to knock off his style. But after a few more seconds I knew it was what I had been waiting for for years! I literally jumped up on the couch and fist pumped. Happiness.
Saw the first gig of his comeback last night, for a review and video check out rickLOUDER.tumblr.com