Introduce yourself…
Viki Vortex - voice and bass, Steve Manuell - guitar and backing vocals and Theo Theodotou - drums, counting and sarcastic comments
How did the band start?
Well, WAY back in 1977, Steve started a band called The Spurts down in Rayleigh, Essex. Much fame and world tours ensued.... wait, no. That’s not it. However, The Spurts were asked to reform for a silver jubilee celebration of Southend Punk. Which started ‘em all off again. After a few gigs in Spain and the UK, Viki Vortex and the Cumshots was formed to allow an excuse for Viki to sing/yell and to do something -other- than pure ‘77 punk. Although we still cite that as a big influence.
How did you come up with the name?
It’s clearly an offshoot (!) of The Spurts. But the name is pretty much credited to Viki and a mate drinking outside some pub in Soho, London one evening.
Who would you say are your influences are?
77 punk, Ramones, Estrella beer, The Queers, any loud, raw, rock ‘n’ roll!
What is the punk scene like in Spain?
Varied! We are bemused that a lot of heavy rock is classed as ‘punk’. But they love their Ramones here (the town of Girona put on Marky Ramone for a town festival a few years back). There’s a big love, as far as we can make out, for hardcore and oi punk. Quite different to the UK scenes.
Describe the song writing process…
Steve does more or less all the writing. We’ll mess around til it sounds right. Sometimes we’ll only just learn it quick and do it live. We don’t spend too much time on them.
You guys first appeared on Brown Bag Propaganda’s Radio Riot II, tell us about the comp…
It’s mainly US bands, a good diverse selection. Punk to us should cover more then just h/core or 77 and these guys at Brown Bag Propaganda mixed it up well.
Basically everything was done over the internet. A great CD all round we think. We have since come out on several more comps: Punk4Japan, Bubblegum Slut ‘zine (Issue 38) and Blue Fred’s John Peel Germany cassette comp.
You guys have also released a self-titled EP, tell us about the EP...
Yeah, we thought no one would put us out, so we did it all ourselves. Recorded in Brighton, UK. Viki did all the artwork. Costs were minimal and we are very happy with the result. It’s been played on punk radio shows in the US, Australia, Germany, Spain and the UK.
Where have you toured?
We’ve played in London, Brighton, Estartit and Barcelona. In September, we have a few dates supporting the California band BoobieTrap in Spain and Montpellier in France.
Who are some of the bands you have done shows with?
Short Bus Window Lickers, UK Vomit, Under Rabbit, Choking Susan, Pork Dukes
Is there a favorite band you like to do shows with?
We’d love to do a show with The Queers or The Dwarves. But round here, we really enjoy playing with local band, Under Rabbit.
Is there a favorite place you like to do shows at?
Obviously we enjoy playing the local bar, Mariscal, who have just celebrated their 32nd anniversary. The 12 Bar Club in Soho, London was a great venue and we had a blast there.
What do you see is the future of Viki Vortex and the Cumshots?
To carry on enjoying ourselves and hopefully entertaining as many people as will listen. Viki is (very slowly) learning to play double bass, which changes the sound quite a bit and it would be nice to pursue that a bit more. As Theo is committed to playing all ‘round the world with his psychobilly band, The Long Tall Texans, we are quite limited due to his busy touring schedule!
How can people contact the band?
We are at all the usual spots:
Myspace: www.myspace.com/vvcumshots
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VikiVortexAndTheCumshots
Twitter: www.twitter.com/MsVikiVortex
Web: www.21dots.com
Email:
Viki@vikivortex.com
Vikiandthecumshots@gmail.com
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