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Find Out Which Bands Are Hot This Summer

Posted on Tue, 15 May 2007 16:22:30

It has been said for quite some time that British music is in good health, and British indie music especially. This opinion is vindicated by the very existence of the two bands featured on this page, Pull Tiger Tail and The Twang. Two bands, two completely different sounds, but one label – both are signed to indie label B-Unique, the house of Kaiser Chiefs and The Automatic. If ever there was a time to dance, it is now. Roll on the summer of 2007! Unique? C’est chic!

Pull Tiger Tail: They’re Grrrrrrrreat

Indie trio Pull Tiger Tail have been ripping up the underground disco dance floors for quite some time now. Their contacts are cooler-than-thou (they’re friends of The Klaxons), as are their clothes and songs.

Fans turn up to their gigs wearing tiger masks, displaying killer dance moves. With a debut album out very soon, the summer’s looking hot, hot, hot for them

Hello, Pull Tiger Tail. Who are we speaking to and how are you?

Hello! You're speaking to Davo and I'm well and touring.

For those unsuspecting students out there who haven't heard of PTT, can you please attempt to describe your music?

Our music is a bubbling concoction of all the noise the three of us can make at the same time, using guitars and keyboards and glockenspeils and whirly spinny things. We love Bjork and Pavement and Blur.

What's the PTT story so far?

There's not much to tell! The story's only just beginning. Formed in our second year of uni and we had to defer our third year to go on tour. We've written our album, and anxiously await the unleashing.

The Guardian described you as thus: "Jack is the rentagob, Davo's the babe magnet and Marcus is away with the fairies." Would you say this is an accurate summary?

Haha… it's more of a combination of all three of us mixed up. I'd say that thanks to our close and lengthy friendship, we're all likely to switch between "rentagob" and "away with the fairies". And we've all got magnetic personalities.

Why did you sign to B-Unique?

They were the most human operation that we met, and offered us the most control musically and artistically. Simple! Also they have a Who Pinball Wizard pinball machine in the office. And a dog.

We love your latest single 'Let's Lightning'. Could you please tell us what it's about?

On Marcus' behalf, I'd have to say that it's about recognising and initiating change within yourself towards self-improvement. I think.

We understand that you used to live with the Klaxons and are founding fathers of 'new rave'. How does it feel for both bands to have broken through, and what do you think of the 'new rave' tag?

It feels great but I don't think we're quite broken through yet... ask me in 6-8 months. The new rave tag I think is applicable to bands who make music from the mindset of dance music. So I don't think we can be tagged with it but I do think that it is relevant.

Do you find it weird or inspiring when your fans wear tiger masks to your gigs?

Great! Frightening to see a sea of tigers but definitely a rallying device. We've got further plans... it'll be great.

Your biography says that only you and Madonna have played both Koko

and the Camden Palace – is this really true, or total bollocks?!

True! We think. That's what someone told us, anyway.

What have you got planned band-wise over the summer?

Festivals! But we're not sure on details yet...

What's your favourite festival, and what's your best festival tip?

Benicassim used to be, but it's so aggressively marketed to Britons now that some of the magic's gone out of it. It used to be a great place where you could hang out with people from all over Europe – now you're likely to be camped next to John from Slough and Jamie from Cornwall. It's still great, I hope we'll play.

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Bring it on!: The Twang

Mouthy Birmingham fivesome The Twang have been described as the band to resurrect the baggy sound, garnering comparisons to Happy Mondays and Stone Roses along the way. Not that they’d agree with them! Saunders took some time to answer a few questions

Hello, The Twang. For our readers out there who don’t know you, can you please give a short statement to sum up the band in your eyes?

Five lads from Brum who love making tunes and getting drunk.

Where does the name come from?

I used to love wearin knickers, and every time I bent over the lads used to twang them.

Your music has been compared to Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and Oasis (we know that these comparisons don’t particularly make you happy!). How does a band from Birmingham end up being compared to these giants from Manchester?

It don’t piss us off we just don’t think we sound that much like them, but people probably see the same sort of gang mentality in us that they had.

How would you describe your music yourselves?

Dance grooves, big guitars, great lyrics.

Are you worried how quickly everything has happened and how much praise has been thrown your way in the early days?

Nah we like it, but all of us know people can turn on you just as quick.

We’ve heard some wild things from your A&R-courting days at the end of last year. Any stories you’re particularly fond of?

Matty getting found in the hotel corridor with his tool in one hand and a bottle of champers in the other.

With so many labels knocking at the door, why did you sign to B-Unique?

Because everything felt right.

How’s the tour going?

It’s going great, seems people are really getting into it. And w’ere havin a right laff as we go.

Congratulations on winning the NME Philip Hall Radar award. What does it mean to you all?

Thanks! It’s a real privilege, when you see how good some of the bands are that have won it before. If we can get to the levels that they have we’re laffing.

Looking at the winners of the past three years, (2004 Franz Ferdinand, 2005 Kaiser Chiefs, 2006 The Long Blondes), what would you hope to emulate from their careers?

Just to have a great album, like they all have. They sell loads, don’t they?

Anything that you’d rather leave behind instead?

Nah they’ve all done well, we’re just different.

Do you know which festivals you’re playing this summer? If not, which would you like to play?

Nothings confirmed but I’d love to play Glasto, it’s amazing and we’d love to be part of its history.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Just buy our tunes. Cheers! x



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