Victoria De Angelis: Feeling the Rush

Victoria De Angelis has never been one to get upset when someone tells her she can’t do something. It’s been a reoccurring theme throughout her life since she first took up music as an eight-year-old growing up in Rome, when playing guitar was reserved for the boys. It happened again when she entered middle school and was urged to take on classical compositions and sheet music instead of rock & roll, and then shortly after that when she was coerced out of playing guitar in lieu of bass. When she let her ambitions be known of becoming a rock star, she was laughed at and taunted, but it didn’t faze her one bit. And once she did become a rock star, she was quickly condemned for her boisterous stage energy and her choices in clothing, or lack thereof. But again, none of those instances detoured her — instead, they fueled her journey in becoming exactly what she knew she’d always be. 

Despite Vic being only 23 years old, her hard-rocking outfit Måneskin has sold over 40 million records worldwide and accrued over four billion streams in the span of three albums, which have achieved multiple Diamond and Platinum status. Their tours sell out in minutes, their fanbase is among the fastest growing in music, and their songs are played across virtually every platform available. Vic’s bass is always in the forefront — whether she’s tightly mirroring the vocal lines of singer Damiano David, locking in with drummer Ethan Torchio and guitarist Thomas Raggi, or blazing a trail of her own. While upholding all of the conventional cornerstones of rock bass, she chooses to deviate frequently, and her use of pedals bring layers of depth to her already arena-size tone. After playing various basses, she discovered her love of Danelectro Longhorns; she is now synonymous with Longhorns and has multiple signature editions of them. Her dedication to her sound is paralleled by the amount she woodsheds, as she also serves as a chief songwriter for an already-prolific young band that’s constantly building new material.

In addition to the wild success of 2023’s Rush!, Vic was also asked by John Taylor and Duran Duran to record bass and vocals on their cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” for their album Danse Macabre. After working together and seeing her perform live, Taylor commented that “she’s probably the most important electric bassist out there right now.” There will be no shortage of praise like that as Måneskin continues to take over and revitalize rock music, in stark contrast to the criticism that Vic was previously accustomed to. But positive or negative, she doesn’t let outside noise consume her. She just wants to rock.  

Between the success of the album Rush! and the tours that followed, what has this past year been like for you? 

It’s been beyond our wildest dreams. We’re traveling a lot, and for us, the tour is our favorite part, because we love playing live and interacting with our fans and feeling our music come to life. It’s when we get the most energy and inspiration to write new things. We write a lot on tour; whenever we have free time, we’re always writing. The success is surreal and so amazing, but really, we’re always focused on what we’re doing, and that’s usually writing new songs. 

Was Rush! primarily written on the road? 

Some tracks were, but we wrote most of it in L.A. over three months. It’s all very different; some songs were from a few years back from the road, and a lot of it came in the time we spent in the studio. We don’t have a specific way of writing; we just like to do it often. I always have ideas for bass in my head, and then when the other guys have parts, it all seems to come together. We were meant to play music together. 

Is it easy for you to take those ideas from your head and articulate them to bass? 

For the most part. I’m very instinctive when it comes to writing. I didn’t study theory so much, and I don’t think a lot when I write. I go from my gut and what I hear in my ears. I always try to make my lines very melodic, so for every song I want my bass to play a part that you can actually sing along with. I don’t want to just follow the guitar or drums; I want my bass to have its own life within the song that you can follow. We’re just three instruments in this band, so a lot of songs are a riff on guitar and then the whole song turns around. But a lot of our songs are centered around the bass. We always want to make each song interesting. 

You follow the vocal lines on songs like “Mammamia” & “I Wanna Be Your Slave.” Does that typically originate from your parts or the vocals? 

That just seems to naturally happen with me and Damiano. With “Mammamia” it all started with me and Ethan jamming together, and the whole song came from my bass riff, and then the vocal melody came from what I was playing. When I write, I think about the bass and the vocal becoming one. The bass never has to just be a riff underneath everything; it should be an important part of the song. “I Wanna Be Your Slave” started with the vocal melody, and then I followed it. I always think that it makes the vocals more powerful.  

That’s some absolutely nasty bass tone you get on “Gasoline.” How did you achieve that?  

Thank you! That was the intention. It’s tuned to drop C, all played on the E string, so it’s really low, being two steps down. I also used some heavy distortion on that one. I was listening to a lot of EDM and techno music at the time and I wanted to achieve that heavy, deep bass, but on an analog instrument and bring it into our rock world. I wanted the lowest, heaviest notes possible. I’m glad it worked. 

“Kool Kids” has a very punk rock vibe. Did you write that? 

We were jamming in the studio and I came up with that riff, and Ethan started grooving on it, and we went all in with the punk. The whole song is pretty much the bass riff on repeat. I knew I wanted to go for that type of sound, and I wanted that style of tone to come through. 

I always try to make my lines very melodic, so for every song I want my bass to play a part that you can actually sing along with.

What is a Måneskin show like from your perspective? 

I always try to stay very connected to what’s happening onstage, and I always want to be in the moment. I look at people’s faces during the show. From the time we come out to the end of the set, I’m looking at specific people, and I love seeing their reaction to every small part of the song. I find this interesting, because we often talk about it after the gig — each of us lives the concert in very different ways. For example, Thomas is a lot more in his mind and is focused on what he’s playing and gets lost in the music, while I’m a lot more projected outside, and I’m trying to live the experience through the reaction of other people and their expressions. The smell of sweat and beer and people touching you is what I love the most. You can never have that feeling in any other occasion, and not many people get to experience it. Being in the middle of a 10,000-person crowd yelling is a unique experience, and it fills me with an energy that I can’t get from anywhere else. 

You went from playing smaller, more intimate venues to selling out arenas in a short span. Is that a wild thing to experience?

At first it definitely was. In some way we’re used to it now, because we play so many shows and we’re always on the road — so even if it’s something insane, in some way you start seeing it as normal. But I always try to be grateful and aware of what’s happening. There are a lot of moments during shows when I take a minute and look out and think about how there are 20,000 people who bought a ticket to come and see us and planned their days around it. They might have spent weeks looking forward to this moment. I remember when I was younger and went to concerts how unique it was to be at a performance. It’s a very special thing. 

Which songs have you been most excited to play live lately?

“Kool Kids” is absolutely my favorite, because we extend it to like nine minutes. We added a lot of instrumental parts, and it’s been the last song we play in our sets, and we get all the people onstage so that it’s a really punk and free moment. When we play live, I love it most when the energy is at its highest level, so I always go for the ones with the fastest tempos. I’ll take playing with a lot of energy over playing an overly complicated bass line where I have to focus a lot. 

You have a larger-than-life persona onstage and in the public eye. How close is that to your personality? 

I think it’s quite true to who I am. I never fake anything. Onstage I’m being free and, of course, having fun. But if I went out with friends to a party, I’d be the exact same. I never do something I feel isn’t true to myself or that is playing the role of a character. A lot of people probably think we’re insane because we’re naked and spitting onstage or whatever [laughs] — but it doesn’t mean anything about who we are on a personal level. I can be chill and sweet and mellow, or I can go wild. But I never put on an act or behave in a way that I wouldn’t in real life. 

A lot of people probably think we’re insane because we’re naked and spitting onstage or whatever [laughs] — but it doesn’t mean anything about who we are on a personal level.

Growing up in Rome as a youngster, did you ever imagine that you’d reach the heights that you have? 

I always felt it, but it was so far away when I was a kid. Kids want to be astronauts or athletes, or rock stars, and it’s never taken seriously and it’s only seen as a fantasy. But at the same time, I always dreamed about it. I was lucky because I never reached an age where I had to come to terms with whether it could come true or not. You can get in your 20s and want your economic independence, so you get a job and give up on your passions. I never got to that point, luckily. I just dreamed of this because I loved it, and I never questioned whether it could become real or not, and then it happened. 

Has rock always been your musical love?

Yes. I started playing guitar when I was eight years old, and from then, rock was my passion. I love the freedom and the fact that you can experiment so much and express so many different emotions in such a raw way — that always fascinates me. 

At what point did you switch to bass?

I switched to bass when I was 14. We all met at a musical middle school where you would play guitar or piano, but in a very classical approach. I didn’t even know how to read notes. It was all about technique there, and you were graded on your skill. I was really bad because I had such a different approach. At the end of the year, we had to play with a chorus and orchestra, and all the parents came. My teacher asked if I wanted to play bass for it, because I wasn’t where I needed to be with guitar. Right away, I felt [the bass] a lot more and it was mine. I started playing in bands right away. 

You’re known for playing Danelectro Longhorn basses and even have your own model. What is it you love about them?  

I love the unique tone they have. Fender basses are amazing, but they have such a specific sound. I like the idea of being recognizable — not only in my playing, but also with my tone. I was experimenting a couple years ago switching between many different basses and amps, and then I found this bass and I haven’t changed it since. It’s so me. I must admit, it’s also way less heavy than a Fender bass, so my shoulder gets less sore. I love that it’s short scale, because I feel so much freer when I play. My fingers move on it without looking, and it feels like an extension of my arm now because I’ve played it so much. 

You also have a sizeable pedalboard on the road. Have effects always had a big impact on your playing? 

The first two years of the band, when we were 16 up to 18, I didn’t have any pedals. I just plugged into the amp and put the volume to the max. Because I learned on my own, I wasn’t into the technical parts of music, and pedals seemed technical to me. I always thought that pedals would be a boring thing that I’d have to learn and try too many pedals and so many settings. I just wanted to play. It was very childish, but it was also what I wanted at the time. But then when it became serious, I had opportunities to make my sound so much better. When I started experimenting with gear, it became like a drug, because you find a pedal that gives you a crazy sick tone and then you want to find another one and another one. I had a crazy phase a couple years ago when I was just getting nuts with pedals. We went into the studio and I told the producer that I wanted to do the verse with this fuzz and the chorus with this Rat pedal and the second verse with a different distortion pedal and so on. Luckily now I’ve found a balance. 

Tell us about your playing technique. 

That’s something I’ve tried to work on, because I studied early on with a few teachers who’d tell me that I’m playing in a wrong way by going hard and moving my fingers a lot. I had a time when I was really trying to change it and learn how to do it properly. But since I started playing when I was so young and I started touring when I was 17 — when I knew nothing about technique — it became instinctive. I played for so long without knowing what to do that it became a part of me. I learned that it made me unique and that it was my own way. It’s not the most perfect, technical way to do it, but I don’t have to be the most perfect, technical player in the world. I am me and I cover a role in my band where having my own character and my own identity is more important than being technically perfect. Of course, you need to have control over it and be able to play all of the notes with the same intensity. When I’m in the studio I’m more careful with tiny details like playing softer lower on the neck to get deeper notes. But when I’m onstage I care more about giving it my all and giving it all my energy. 

Who are your greatest bass influences?

When I started out, Tina Weymouth and Kim Gordon were icons for me. I saw them as role models because they were females in rock music doing whatever the fuck they wanted and following their own paths. Kim Gordon really inspired me because she’s not the best at a technical level, but it’s more in the spirit of punk and the creativity of the whole project. She just wanted to create a sound and a vision for the band. I really saw myself in her and Tina, especially when I was a kid starting a band. When we first began we got criticized because there were so many better bands from a technical standpoint. Of course, I’m not the best bass player. There are millions of players better than me. But what makes something unique is the way you live the music and put your feelings and emotions into it and how well it can connect with other people. 

Do you feel that the landscape has changed for female musicians since Tina’s and Kim’s early days? 

I feel very lucky and privileged, and I don’t feel those gender differences in certain ways. Of course, there are always things that happen and things that you see that bring you back to reality and makes you see that there are so many stereotypes and judgments based on your gender. It’s never been something that I’ve cared about. Even back when I was eight years old, and I played guitar and looked like a boy, everyone would tell me that guitar isn’t for girls. But I never gave face to that. It never made me insecure; it only made me want to do it more to prove them wrong and to make my own choice as to who I am. Of course, I see the comments online that I’m a naked whore or just looking for attention or that I can’t really be playing my instrument onstage. But instead of thinking about that, I think about myself and doing what I like and being fulfilled and proud of who I am and what I’m capable of. 

You also just worked with John Taylor and Duran Duran on their new album. What was that like?

It was crazy. We met John about a year ago in L.A. at a dinner, and we talked about who our bass icons were growing up, and it turns out that ours are a lot of the same, including Tina. Then when he went in to record the album with the rest of the band, they were doing a cover of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” and he immediately thought of me and asked me to come in. I went into the studio and we jammed together and it was surreal. We played parts together and wrote the bass for it in the room. It was amazing.

What do you typically work on when you pick up your bass and play on your own? 

Right now, every time I’m on my own I am writing new music. I’ll play some drum grooves in the background and just jam on them. Ideas are always coming up when I play, so I like to just go for it and see what comes out of it. 

When can we expect a new Måneskin album?

After this long stretch of touring, I think we’ll take a moment to have a break before we jump right back in. I feel that if you’re constantly putting out music, you never have time to think about what you want to do next and which direction you want to go — to see the bigger picture. When you’re always on the go, you’re kind of in it, and it’s really important to step out of it for a moment. 

Why bass? 

I remember perfectly the first time I went into a rehearsal at a practice studio, because I had only been playing with a little amp in my room. That was the first time I turned up a big amp and I felt that feeling in your stomach when the bass hits you, and I knew I wanted to feel it for the rest of my life. It was such a strong feeling that I never had experienced from anything else before. I still get that feeling. –BM

Gear

Bass Danelectro 58 Longhorn Bass, Danelectro Signature Model, Danelectro 59DC Long Scale 

Rig Ampeg SVT, SVT 810

Pedals Pro Co Rat 2, Electro-Harmonix Small Clone, Micro POG Polyphonic Octave Gernator, ZVex Woolly Mammoth, Boss TU-3 Chromatic Tuner 

Hear Her On

Måneskin, Rush! (Are You Coming?) [2023]

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