Vigo Thieves

Gordon Strachan and the Scotland National Team have given their backing to a new European Qualifier campaign song recorded specially by festival favourites Vigo Thieves.

The Wishaw-based rock quintet – who became the first unsigned band to sell-out the legendary King Tut’s and have since sold out the Arches and 02 ABC – are also avid Scotland supporters and were inspired to write their concert anthem, Believe, by their travels following the national team.

The band played a secret gig at the team’s headquarters, Mar Hall, on Monday and performed the track live before fellow SSC members and the entire Scotland squad and backroom team.

Believe will be played before all home matches in Group D, starting with Saturday’s match against Georgia at Ibrox Stadium.

Gordon Strachan, the Scotland National Coach, is a music aficionado and long-time friend to Scottish legend Rod Stewart and Tim Booth, lead singer of James.

He said: “I am a lover of football and music and think the two are intertwined, especially in the build-up to big matches like the ones we are about to embark on.

“I heard the song for the first time last week and was impressed: it captures the mood of the Scotland supporters and the optimism to believe that we can sustain a challenge and qualify for Euro 2016.

“I’m sure it will prove a popular part of the pre-match build-up and we were delighted to show our support when they came to the team hotel to play.”

Stevie Jukes, lead singer of Vigo Thieves said: "We're honoured to have Believe feature as the official song for the We Are Scotland campaign as we are all passionate Scotland fans.

“'Rush of blood, through my veins, as the fear starts to fade, I believe' is one of the lyrics to the verse which can be compared to how the players, management and fans feel when the nerves start to settle and we go on to win a match.

I think the song will echo the swell of optimism that’s present in the Scotland team and hopefully the fans embrace it."

You can download "Believe" on iTunes here. - Scottish Football Association

There’s been a lot of great bands play at 7Nights Sessions, but this was something special.

In what turned out to be an incredible double-header, two of the best bands in the country took to the King tut’s Stage in aid of the Sunday Mail Centenary Fund.

First up were the band of the moment, the mighty Vigo Thieves.

The Wishaw boys were the first unsigned band to sell out two nights at Tut’s, so they were right at home coming back to where it all started for them

There’s a real buzz about the Vigo’s at the moment, so it was rammed well in advance of their support slot.

Tracks such as Blood Red and Believe were irresistible blasts of euphoric, synth driven rock and sounded massive, enhanced but frontman Stevie Jukes’ powerful vocals.

She’s On Fire was a real highlight, coming over like a modern take on mid 80’s stadium pop sound of simple minds.

Built around a loping, euphoric groove and a spiralling sax melody, the track summed up everything that is great about this lot.

Despite only filling the support slot, you could have been forgiven thinking they were headliners at several points.

Anthems Forever and This Love were incredible and went down a storm with the crowd who sang along with every word.

They’re already one of the best bands in the country, but you can tell Vigo Thieves are well on their way to being one of the biggest. - The Sunday Mail

T in the Park have always been loyal supporters of local talent and this year is looking set to be no exception. Alastair Carroll told us that Glaswegians Vigo Thieves were his pick of the festival because “they always have the best atmosphere at gigs”. Maybe they could just steal the show in Scotland? - NME

Vigo Thieves - 'Heartbeats' video

Taken from the first part of their two part EP 'Heart & Soul (Part 1)' which is released on March 5th, this clip is a stop-start motion heart pounder. Running time: 03:37

Read more at http://www.nme.com/nme-video/vigo-thieves---heartbeats/1481038528001#GGurCAH8AtEO6K4T.99 - NME

If you missed them last night, here's a chance to catch up with the Vigo Thieves on The Riverside Show. Hear the band play some songs and chat to Jennifer and David about their career highlights so far.

+ VIDEO - STV

Newcomers Vigo Thieves have been making a big impression in home town Glasgow selling out gigs far beyond expectations.

Paying tribute to the scene that’s nurtured them singer/guitarist Stevie Jukes has put together a Playlist of his fvaourite Glasgow tunes.

“Music is everywhere in Glasgow, we’re not a UNESCO City of Music for nothing,” he declares. “We couldn’t survive without it. Venues like the Barrowlands and King Tuts are known and regarded throughout the world, bands like Simple Minds, Franz Ferdinand and Belle & Sebastian wouldn’t exit without the city. There is a real DIY scene in Glasgow now, Social Media and modern technology mean that bands and artists can get their work out into the world. Our last three videos have featured a heap of friends, Jody Latham from Shameless and John Leslie, earning us loads of views on YouTube and new fans. Our live shows, music, film and social media have led us to a good place, we keep busy and keep our fans informed. We couldn’t do it without them.” - Q Magazine

Another great song from the Wishaw band who are just getting better and better. Hook heavy, with crashing synths and soaring vocals, This Love is a popper version of a Killers track. - Daily Record

The last time I was at the Notting Hill Arts Club was to see trip hop Hounslow trio, Ex Libras. Now, it’s almost four years later, and I’m back to see another band from A Badge Of Friendship’s impressive stable of artists, Vigo Thieves. They’re from out of town (Wishaw, just outside of Glasgow), so I’m fairly cynical about how well they’re going to be received in London. Christ, I’ve seen local bands who’ve spent the best part of 5 years trawling the circuit watch a crowd hit the bar as soon as they come on stage.

I managed to catch a couple of songs from the preceding band’s set – it’s a fairly impressive crowd, not exactly packed to the rafters, no real dancing – your typical Wednesday night gig. Once they’re off stage the lead singer approaches me and asks if I want a single – I make my excuses, and politely decline. Then comes the customary exodus to the bar. It’s just me, the sound-man and a few people waiting for the next band.



Then Vigo Thieves hit the stage and something spectacular happens. About halfway through their first song, “Blood Red,” people have rushed, actually rushed, back from the bar, and there’re arms waving everywhere (encouraged by the rhythm guitarist). People love them.

There’re five of them squeezed on to the stage, so they’re quite the spectacle. The explosive start immediately wins over the crowd, and front man Stevie Jukes has them eating out of his hand. There’s a feeling of the traditional Scots/Irish rebel song to the their first tune, and it’s completely hypnotised the audience with its throbbing beat, and choppy guitar.


The second song, “She’s On Fire,” a previously released single, absolutely screams Simple Minds. It can’t be an accident, there are far too many nods by way of keyboard licks, reverb-soaked guitar, and Stevie’s affected vocal style. Again, the crowd go nuts for it. There are people dancing in a London club, on a Wednesday for a band that’s travelled hundreds of miles to play here. Vigo Thieves are living the dream.



The band then ambitiously decide to play a track they’ve never played live before, “Forever.” It’s pure stadium rock, and despite a couple of hiccups, they pull it off. The song has elements of Kings Of Leon wrapped up inside it, but done better and with more feeling. Plus, the keyboardist provides some amazing harmonies that’d put the once-bearded wonders to shame.

The last three songs of the night “Echoes,” “Steal Your Heart,” and finale, “Heartbeats” are epic in scale. No one should be able to create a sound this huge in a venue this small. The band certainly wear their influences on their sleeves, but it would do them a disservice to describe them as derivative. They’ve taken elements from U2, Simple Minds, and New Order and blended them in a way that you can immediately recognize the influence, but are still swept away, and excited even, by the fresh direction Vigo Thieves have taken the sound.



Whether you like Vigo Thieves on record is irrelevant – this is a band who know how to put on an amazing show and, more importantly, work a crowd. When Stevie mentions there are free EPs and singles available at the front of the stage, the crowd surge forward. I hope the band were on a high after the gig, because they pulled off something that most bands only dream of – they came to London, packed a venue, and got a group of complete strangers to go nuts over their music. - The Vinyle District

With a lot of love being smothered over the band in the Northern region of the UK, with sell out shows and a packed tent at their T-in the Park set, Vigo Thieves release their new video for 'Forever', which features the acting presents of Shameless and Eastenders star Joey Latham. Watch it below: - Art Rocker

For fans of: U2, Simple Minds etc

Remember ‘The Big Music’ of the mid 80s? Simple Minds (pre-Don’t You Forget About Me), U2 (pre-Rattle And Hum), Big Country, The Waterboys, The Alarm – Celtic, epic, grand, inspirational rock music big on keyboards and aspirations? The Vigo Thieves do. Well, actually, from the look of them they don’t ‘remember’ it – but they’ve learned all about it from their dads’ record collections.

Formed in Wishaw in 2008, the Vigo Thieves – Stevie Jukes (vox/guitar), Barry Cowan (guitar/vox), Gordon Phipps (bass) and Al Jukes (drums) – are now on their 2nd EP and preparing to win hearts and minds this summer. - Classic Rock Magazine

They’re one of the hottest young bands in Scotland at the moment but Vigo Thieves are more than ready to take the step into the big leagues.

The Wishaw five-piece have steadily been building a dedicated following over the last few years and it looks like 2014 is going to be the year the boys finally break through.

It’s been slow and steady progress for the band, who formed in 2008 but were only recently described by T in the Park supremo Geoff Ellis as “the hottest new band in Scotland”, a description frontman Stevie Jukes is more than happy with.

He said: “It’s a fair comment, as we are like a new band in a way. For too many years, we were pretty rubbish, to be honest.

“A wee while ago, we didn’t take it seriously enough but we spent a fair bit of time rehearsing and finding our sound.

“We met a guy called Tim Vigon – who managed The Streets, Bloc Party and The Zutons – who told us to get a plan together, put together an EP, make it as good as we can and release it.

“That was a few years ago and since then, we’ve gone from strength to strength, with folk like Geoff Ellis starting to notice us. Basically, by the time we released those EPs, we were like a new band. Our sound had changed, our image had changed, so it was like a fresh start – even though we kept the same name.”

Vigo ThievesVigo Thieves
Their hard work has paid off. The turning point came when the band became the first unsigned group to sell out two nights at the legendary King Tut’s, much to Stevie’s delight.

He said: “It was amazing. There were a lot of unsigned bands selling out gigs but we wanted to make a statement.

“The first night sold out within five days, so Tut’s asked if we wanted to put on another night back-to-back.

“No other unsigned band had done that, so we jumped at the chance and to sell out both of them was incredible.

“There was still a huge demand for tickets leading up to it and on the night, so we could probably even have added another one.

“It was an incredible experience, so that’s when it really felt it was all happening for us.

"Everyone was singing along with all the words, crowd surfing and going mental. It was really special.”

Only a few months later, the Vigos stepped it up again with a sold-out show in Glasgow’s Arches that announced they had most definitely arrived. The next step in their journey will be their biggest show yet, at the city’s O2 ABC on Saturday.

Stevie said: “The Arches was a defining moment but the ABC will be the catalyst for where we go as a band this year. It’s a huge gig where everybody will have to up the ante in terms of what we’re bringing to the show.

“It’s going to be a proper event. We have a brand new set that a lot of people won’t have heard and we’re close to selling out, which is going to be great. It’s definitely going to be something special and we can’t wait to play it. We have Prides supporting us too.”

With the buzz around them approaching fever pitch, the band could be forgiven for feeling the pressure but Stevie insists that nothing could be further from the truth.

He said: “There are bands out there that get things handed to them and get a lot of lift-ups, maybe when they’re not even ready. We’ve not had that or ever wanted it. We’ve had to gain our own fanbase and just build on it.

“When you have that behind you, that substance, there’s no pressure as you know you can back it up.

“Don’t get me wrong, you feel a bit nervous before you play the gig, as you’re playing in front of a lot of people. But as soon as you sing that first line and everyone sings it back at the stage, you just instantly start enjoying it.

“We’re not nervous at all now. There’s no pressure.”

New single This Love has just been released and is supported by another spectacular cinematic video that is as hard-hitting as it is emotional, something that perfectly suits the band’s sound.

Stevie said: “We pushed the boat out yet again with the video and the response has been amazing. We have a good team behind us now as far as videos go as before, I was doing it all myself but it was just too much.

“We trust our director Stuart Breadner implicitly. For this one, I told him I had watched the film Drive and just loved the way it was shot, especially the angles and the tone. He took that on board and the next thing we knew was him phoning us up to say he had the final edit.

“I didn’t really know what was going on but it was exactly what I was after. He really hit the nail on the head as we’re singing about love but the darker side is there too. The video captures that perfectly.

“My brother Al is in the band and we don’t get on too well – but in a good way. In the fight scene at the end, he’s one of the guys getting beaten up, so I was quite happy about that.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with it. When the guy picks up the phone near the end and drives to save his girl, it’s spine-tingling and a real moment. Now we just have to think of an idea to top it. It’s going to be tough.

“There’s a lot of creatives and bands up here, so we really are making an effort to make sure we are the best, whether it’s songs, gigs or videos. It keeps you on your toes as a band to have that around you.”

The Thieves are looking ahead to the release of their debut album but are taking the time to make sure it’s exactly how they want it.

Stevie said: “We’re working on some things just now.

“We definitely have an album’s worth of material there but we’re deciding whether to add to it, as there’s more stuff that’s been written. There’s things happening behind the scenes too, so we’re just waiting to see what’s happening.

“We’ve already released what could have been an album but we decided to do it over a couple of EPs instead.

“We’re glad we did as the response we got was amazing and we sold out of all our copies, which really helped the band to progress and gain momentum.

“We did think about doing another EP but the time is right now for an album.

“We can always self-release it but there are a few labels interested in taking it, so hopefully it’ll pan out that way.

“This is going to be a really exciting year for us and we’re just going to go from strength to strength. The album is definitely going to be released after the summer, no matter what.”

Before that, the Vigos are going back to King Tut’s to support The Fratellis at one of our 7 Nights Sessions on April 30– the series of charity gigs that are raising money for the Sunday Mail Centenary Fund. It’s something Stevie is delighted to be a part of.

He said: “I think it’s important if you are in the entertainment industry, you take the time to do things like this and give something back. It’s something we feel strongly about.”

Looking ahead, Stevie has no doubts that the future is bright for Vigo Thieves and he can’t wait to let fans see what they have in store.

He said: “We’re 100 per cent sure we’ll sell out the ABC, then we go on tour around the country and that’ll build our profile outside of Scotland.

“After that, it’s festival season. And the end of the year is going to have a massive surprise, which we can’t wait to let people know about. This is going to be our biggest year yet.” - Daily Record

These boys offer some great piano-based indie music. With the obligatory Scottish twang in their songs, Vigo Thieves also have tight harmonies which come alive in their big choruses. Generally mid-tempo, their music is very easy to chill out to. New single This Love is a definite one to listen to, with its catchy synth riff. - The 405