The Riot Vans look to the future with a trip down Memory Lane

Memory Lane – a bit of a cautionary tale of late-night debauchery – has proven to be a bit of a lockdown antidote since it was unveiled on Friday, March 20.

The band have certainly been impressed by the reaction, with the tune also attracting interest from some of the biggest names in the industry.

Perth man Charlie Stewart, one of the band's singers, says he has been blown away by the response to the song.

He tells The Weekender: "The reception has been unreal, to say the least; we've not anything as big as this before. Spotify has been doing great and we scored 'Track of the Day' with This Feeling – it's been a gradual thing over the first few days.

"It's lovely to see how many people are loving the song. We could not be prouder of it.

"We were messing about with different rhythms. We want to make, sort of, angry punk music that you can dance to – it's finding that happy medium. "

The song is not just a straightforward ode to a night of crazy drinking – there is a little more to it.

Charlie continues: "I heard a story from the brother of a former bandmate, and as the story goes: he was on a night out and woke up in someone else's flat – someone he had never met before, and he had no recollection of what had happened.

I thought I'd jump on that story – about a big, debaucherous night out. It all seems fine until the last verse when you realise it's not actually someone else's flat – you're in a prison cell."

The Riot Vans have started to pick up a bit of momentum off the back of Memory Lane, but they are not content to sit back and wait. They are already planning their next single – possibly in May – with the aim of release a couple more before the end of 2020.

However, the ongoing pandemic means that all scheduling remains subject to change. But Charlie and co are keen to make sure they are ready to pick things up where they left them before the virus struck.

The singer notes: "We've experienced some real movement: We're going fast at the moment, it seems, and we don't want to slow it down at all. So, while folk are still interested in our newest release, we'll hit them with another new one.

"After that, we'll be focusing on the more groovy-dancey stuff. But I feel that whatever we do, it'll still sound like The Riot Vans – we sing in a certain way and our guitars and drums sound a certain way.

"And we are lucky enough to be a position where we are not struggling for songs – we have a big catalogue of tunes that we can release at any time. It'll just be finding the right dates and funding it."

Recently, The Riot Vans have gone through some changes. They have brought two new members in drummer Adam Neville and bass player Jack Rennie, who have linked up well with Charlie and fellow guitarist and singer Aidan Armory.

Indeed, it's call change for the time being as the band also took the decision to remove some of their earlier releases from Spotify. It was a bold move, but they wanted their focus to be on where they are now and not what came before.

Charlie adds: "We started out with our first release – an EP called Roll On The Riot Vans. It was recorded in Perth and we thought the songs sounded really good at the time.

"But, a few months ago, we listened to them back and felt they hadn't aged very well. It's not that they are bad songs, but they didn't represent us a band anymore.

"We then had this indie-driven [release] Don't Make Me Say It – that was much stronger and we're all still fans of it. But that came down [from Spotify] as well because it just sounded like it was from a different band when compared to BLAZIN' – which we put out before Memory Lane.

"So, we took down the old releases and we'll be sticking to the newer stuff. We think our fanbase feel the same way, so it won't be a big loss in that sense. But it's cool to move and to always look to the next thing."

Songs from their previous two EPs may well feature in some guise further down the line. The band have not ruled out re-recording those tracks as a B-side in the future.

Forward-thinking has always been a driver for the band as they moved from their roots in Perth to being immersed in the Glasgow music scene. It is a setting they are exploring piece by piece, but they are delighted to be honing their craft along some of the best up and coming bands in the country.

Charlie says: "We've got an unreal music scene in Glasgow at the minute – everyone is coming out with the goods. The tunes that these bands are putting out are absolutely stompers and we're just trying to catch up with them.

"We all started out in Perth, but a few band members moved on, so it's just me and Aidan are from this neck of the woods now. Our new bassist Jack and new drummer Adam are from Dunfermline.

"But we are all 'from' Glasgow – that's where we live and where we gig. We feel we are part of that music scene. We come from Perth, but we're made in Glasgow."

LISTEN: The Riot Vans on Spotify