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Throwing a bit of grit under the bubblegum chompers of British Invasion pop, Leeds-based garage-rockers Vehicle come out a-swinging with kitchen-sink cynicism, buoyed by a wink and a knack for melody. Starting 2026 off properly with the country-cruncher single ‘You Are Not A Cowboy’ (out January 23), we asked Vehicle’s lead singer, Michael Cable, ten questions to really get under their bonnet and see what they run on.

If you’re not a cowboy, what are you?

That’s for me to know and you to find out.

What are your biggest non-music influences?

Walking around the built-up area, Blanche Hunt compilations, Flann O’ Brien, Raymond Carver, Conversations with Harry Klaus, Mike Leigh, BBC Arena Documentaries, David Lynch.

In what ways does Leeds inspire your songwriting?

It’s the center of the universe. It’s where I grew up and it’s where I currently live. It’s not had its cultural day in the sun like Manchester and Liverpool, so it feels like a fertile place for ideas and it’s easy to find the solitude to write properly. It was also the motorway city of the seventies, so maybe we’d have a different name if we hailed from elsewhere.

How would you describe Vehicle’s sound?

Rainy Surrealist Rock & Roll 

If you had to cover any song and put a Vehicle spin on it, which would you choose?

‘Telstar’ by The Tornados 

What are your earliest memories of music?

‘Point Of View’ by DB Boulevard in the back of my mum’s car driving down the M6 looking out the window at the bright blue skies above.

What is the wildest gig you’ve ever been to?

Three Legs Karaoke, Three Legs, Leeds.

What does 2026 have in store for Vehicle?

Album 2, loads of gigs, maybe some festival appearances.

Why did you write the protagonist of ‘You Are Not A Cowboy’ as an ‘insular country fanatic casting suspicion on the rising trend of Americana in alternative rock’?

I found myself getting bored of my algorithm feeding me too many artists that are supposedly ‘saving music’, so I’ve put the worst parts of myself into this character and let it simmer in the bitterness. It felt quite refreshing to write a really negative song with an upbeat and hedonistic tune.

I love country and Americana and know bands who play music like that – this isn’t a pop at them. It’s a pop at people on t’Internet trying to force fairly innocuous artists into ‘iconic status’ and this is what came to mind at the time. 

Where do you want to see Vehicle in 5 years?

Being forced into iconic status.

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