Darkwave, indie sleaze and a little controlled chaos; we catch up with Divebar Youth’s Vinnie Barbaro ahead of his first London headline at the Shacklewell Arms.
1. For someone discovering DIVEBAR YOUTH for the first time, how would you describe the sound, and what might surprise people?
I’d describe it as post-punk, indie sleaze, darkwave at its core. There’s a bit of electronic in there too I guess, with some of the production taking turns you wouldn’t necessarily expect from guitar music. I love the idea of controlled chaos. I think what might surprise people is how much the music moves between those worlds, sometimes within the same song.
2. DIVEBAR YOUTH is completely self-produced. What does working that way let you do that would be harder with a bigger team?
It gives me a lot of freedom to follow an idea without having to try to put it into words first. Writing and production happen at the same time for me, so I can completely pull a song apart and change direction without worrying about whether it makes sense yet. Sometimes I’ll spend ages on something and end up keeping the part that I didn’t intentionally try to create.
3. How did the project first take shape, and what sparked this specific sound?
I love indie rock and I’m always finding myself in these tiny, late-night venues that are super crowded and have very sticky floors. I remember being at a show with my friends one night when the name came into my head. It just felt right. The sound has come along gradually. I never really had a fixed idea of what the project should be, I’ve just spent a lot of time experimenting and figuring out what feels real to me. I think the music has changed as I’ve changed, but that feeling I had when the name first came to me is still a big part of it.
4. Post-punk and indie sleaze are obvious touchstones, but what else is secretly feeding into the music?
There’s definitely some 90s / early-2000s alternative music influence in there, but it isn’t always just indie rock, that era of electronic music inspires me too, which is why I love breakbeats and distorted synths so much. There’s something exciting about trying to put things together that might not seem to belong. Sometimes the things that shouldn’t really work together end up being the most interesting.
5. Your new EP Echo Chamber drops Oct 14. What’s the story behind it, and how does it push past your earlier stuff?
The EP is really about contradictions within myself. Wanting closeness but fearing it, losing parts of me while trying to belong, or knowing something is chaotic but finding comfort in it anyway. Those feelings can be pretty difficult to untangle, especially when you’re caught up in them. I feel like Echo Chamber is the clearest picture I’ve made of where my head’s been at, even if a lot of what’s in it is still unresolved.
6. Which track on the EP best captures where your head is at creatively right now?
I’d probably say selfish. It has that tension and energy that I’ve been trying to get out of my head for a long time.
7. What does the writing and production workflow actually look like when you’re doing everything solo?
There isn’t really a point where writing stops and production starts, they happen together. I might start with a guitar part, a drum sound, a synth or even just one production idea and build from there. I can keep changing the song right up until the end, so sometimes the final version barely resembles what I started with. I don’t really mind losing the original idea if something more interesting comes out of it.
8. You’re making your UK debut at Mutations in Brighton before hitting London. What are you most hyped about for the festival?
Getting to play in the UK for the first time is what I’m most excited about. Mutations feels like such a good place to do it because there are so many artists on it that I love. I’m really excited to see Fat Dog, Uche Yara, Cowboy Hunters, Basht and a bunch more.
9. Then it’s your first London headline at the Shacklewell Arms on Oct 26. What should people expect from the live set?
It’s a lot more raucous than the recordings might suggest. I’ve deliberately built the show around what inspired the project in the first place, drawing on the feeling those early indie rock shows gave me. I started by getting out and performing to people. There’s something about shows with such high energy, where you don’t know what’s going to happen, that captures why music is such an experience. Everyone’s in the same room, feeding off each other, and for that little bit of time nothing else really matters. Touring is the most important part of what I do because I get to experience that directly. You can spend so long working on something by yourself, and then suddenly it’s out of your hands and belongs to everyone in the room.
10. Any London artists, venues, or nights you’re desperate to check out while you’re here?
I’m looking forward to being on the ground, meeting people and seeing where it takes me. With Mutations Festival and my London show, it’ll be good to meet people who have found my music as well as other artists, find out what’s happening and go from there. Some of the best nights I’ve had have been the ones I didn’t plan.
11. What record have you had on heavy rotation lately that people wouldn’t expect?
Freight Yard by The Garden, also Jamie T’s Kings & Queens album.
12. What’s the master plan once the EP drops and these UK dates wrap up?
We’ll see where it all leads! There are definitely plans for more shows across the UK, Europe and Australia in 2027.
Catch DIVEBAR YOUTH live: DIVEBAR YOUTH at The Shacklewell Arms — tickets and event details.
