My Vitriol’s Som Wardner on nu-gaze, burnout and what success looks like
WORDS BY Neil Parmar
@neilpumpkins86
Artwork by Ami Patel
Neil Parmar interviews guitarist and lead singer of My Vitriol about his career in the music industry and the band’s 14-year hiatus. This interview is part of WEIRDO’s ‘We Are The Weirdos, Aunty-ji’ series.
It was March 2023 at the O2 Institute in Birmingham, a stacked lineup on a Friday night for those who were fans of early 2000s UK post-hardcore. A double headline bill featured Hundred Reasons and Hell Is For Heroes. However, before these bands took the stage, around 7:20pm when most people were still trickling in, My Vitriol took the spotlight. The majority of the crowd was there for the headline acts, but the late addition of My Vitriol to the bill attracted a good-sized group of die-hard fans like myself. Their set was dominated by songs from their seminal album ‘Finelines’, with the people at the front of the crowd reflecting this by singing every word back.
I caught up with Som Wardner, the lead singer and guitarist of the band, in April 2023 about his successes with My Vitriol, his experiences in writing and recording ‘Finelines’ and the early days of the band. "What was interesting is that after every show of this tour, people were telling me that they were moved to tears,” says Som. “Music was such an emotional thing for me as a teenager. Getting so moved by music is what inspired me to want to try and create music, and that my music would hopefully have the same emotional impact on people."
My Vitriol emerged in the early 2000s – around the same time as Hundred Reasons and Hell Is for Heroes – although their sonic resemblance leans more towards The Smashing Pumpkins than, say, Fugazi; more My Bloody Valentine than Quicksand. Som playfully referred to the band's sound as "nu-gaze," though this label is of course somewhat facetious. My Vitriol’s sound mixes distortion and dreaminess, drawing influence from the aforementioned bands while carving out a sonic landscape distinctly their own.
“Getting so moved by music is what inspired me to want to try and create music, and that my music would hopefully have the same emotional impact on people.”
In an alternative landscape of the early 2000s, which was dominated by garage rock booms from bands like The Strokes and The White Stripes, My Vitriol's sound stood apart. Som also mentioned Coldplay as a contemporary when we spoke, recalling a conversation where he told Coldplay's guitarist, Johnny Buckland, that he believed Coldplay would become bigger than Radiohead. Som's belief stemmed from the notion that even grandmothers would enjoy their music. In many ways, this prediction proved accurate.
Apart from being a fan of their music, what’s stood out to me about My Vitriol is that both Som and drummer Ravi are of South Asian descent, specifically Sri Lankan. Som is Sinhalese and was born in Sri Lanka, but moved to the UK when he was 10 years old. He says it was by chance that Ravi, who is Tamil, happened to be a talented drummer and his neighbour in his university halls.
Early versions of their songs were born during jam sessions between Ravi and Som in their university accommodation. "Ravi would literally have his drum kit in his room, and I would have my guitar plugged into my hi-fi speakers. We’d jam across the hall, really loud,” Som explains. They then received their first play on radio by Steve Lamacq after Som handed a CD of their early demo EP ‘Delusions of Grandeur’ to him, warning that “it’s a bit shit”. Steve Lamacq didn’t agree, stating that it was some of the best new music he had heard – once they cleaned off all the hiss. "Mistakes are a distraction, but perfection is boring," says Som. "There has to be an emotional connection. Even if the mix isn't perfect, if it makes you feel something, go with that."
Som's first musical awakening came through Sri Lankan television showing a rarely seen Beatles cartoon. His mum explained that these were caricatures of the real band, The Beatles, and that they were the most famous in the world. ‘Eleanor Rigby’ made him cry for the first time, prompting him to ask his mother about its meaning. Upon discovering Nirvana a few years later, he was inspired to pick up a guitar and start writing songs. The simple, three-chord structure of their loud pop-leaning songs shaped his songwriting, evident in My Vitriol’s recognisable song ‘Always: Your Way’. Coincidentally, the band’s current bassist, Tatia Starkey, happens to be the granddaughter of Ringo Starr.
“All my waking hours had something to do with the band…that's what really made me burn out.”
Songs from ‘Finelines’, especially ‘Always: Your Way’, brought My Vitriol success, leading to live performances at Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds Festival, V Festival, and appearances on Top of the Pops. Chino Moreno of Deftones even hailed them as "the best band in the world." Their journey included an excellent B-sides and rarities compilation, ‘Between the Lines’, in 2002. Fans expected a follow-up album to ‘Finelines’ soon after, but this wouldn’t arrive for another 16 years.
Their prolonged hiatus was for good reason. Som tells me of some of the challenges they faced as a band during that period, including the very real concern of protecting his hearing and steering clear of burnout; the latter he was not successful with. “All my waking hours had something to do with the band. The rest of the band had more of a healthy work-life balance,” he explains. “It was easy for them to check out and go. But for me it was always on, and that's what really made me burn out.”. Som is adamant that someone should only do music if they absolutely and unreservedly want to as his experiences in the music industry suggest another reason why he decided to pause the band. “Bands sign contracts and they have a hit album. Then they end up touring it. There's a lot of excitement around that, but you can end up with no time to hone your new material and then suddenly you have to release the next album and then they rush it out,” he says. “It can be a disaster for most people.”
My Vitriol eventually returned in 2016 with the self-released collection ‘The Secret Sessions’, featuring songs that feel like a progression from ‘Finelines’, a sharpened and refined sound. The band sound heavy and forthcoming on opener ‘We’ve Lost Our Way’ and mid-album stomper, ‘The Agonies and the Ecstasies’. Slower moments such as ‘Lord Knows I’ve Tried’ ventured into electronic territory while retaining vocal prominence, reminiscent of Depeche Mode or Adore-era Smashing Pumpkins. The album was a result of Som and Ravi's dedication, done out of respect for long-time fans of My Vitriol. “Me and Rav were doing the work of an entire team of people,” says Som of the process of getting ‘The Secret Sessions’ together. “It wasn’t an economic exercise. The whole thing was gonna lose money and we pretty much knew it. We were doing it out of respect for the fans that have been with us for so long.”
Reflecting on the band's career, Som notes that success is relative. “We were very successful because we got way beyond anything we ever thought we would. We didn't think we were gonna end up on Top of the Pops and have top 40 hits when At the Drive-In and Queens of the Stone Age hadn’t at the time. I’m very grateful for how it went.” Looking forward, Som tells me that My Vitriol have new music in the pipeline and a reworked version of ‘By The Water’ from their demo EP ‘Delusions of Grandeur’. While the releases by My Vitriol have been infrequent, they’ve maintained an exceptional quality. As a dedicated fan for over 20 years, any new release from them, no matter the format, would undoubtedly be an eagerly anticipated treat.
Listen to Neil’s interview with Som Wardner from My Vitriol on our podcast We Are The Weirdos, Aunty-ji.
About Neil
Neil Parmar is a West Midlands-based media producer and has produced a variety of short films, documentaries and podcasts that have explored alternative culture. He is a writer for WEIRDO’s website and editor of ‘We Are The Weirdos, Aunty-ji’ podcast. In his downtime, Neil enjoys photography, live music and being a cinephile.