With Maze, their coruscating uncategorisable album of snarling intent and improvising candour, trioVD have come of age. Po-faced they’re not. Exclusive Interviews With The Band: Daniel Spicer.

“We’ve just got a new band credit card, so I think I’m going to go out and get myself a new gong, chuck some vodka on it and set fire to myself.” Drummer Chris Bussey is riffing on the cliché of rock god excess, mucking about with the good humour that’s typical of trioVD.

It’s a warmth that shines through in their live performances as well as in person. Chatting with Bussey, guitarist Chris Sharkey and saxophonist Christophe de Bézenac is always good fun. What’s more, this relaxed attitude complements rather than undermines the trio’s very serious musical intent: “We care a lot,” says Bussey. “We give a shit. But we also like to hang out with it and have fun because that’s when the best stuff happens, when you’re relaxed in your writing and your playing. If you take it too seriously or worry about it too much, the music suffers. If you’re laid back, you can dash it off a little bit more and it’s more enjoyable and more fluid.”

It’s no shock to learn that Bussey is a Zappa fanatic, who admits “I generally don’t go a day without listening to the Z man.” You don’t have to be much of an expert to spot parallels between Zappa’s methodology, and trioVD’s approach: intelligent, schooled musicians, making rigorous sounds, played to exacting standards but with a humorous twinkle in the eye.

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