Interview by Abi Whistance
Formed back in 2004, The Twang are a cornerstone of the Midlands’ indie music scene – born, bred and beating their way up the charts before any NME endorsement or wildfire anacronym came to represent bands from the second city. Or Worcester.
Known for their somewhat anarchic and raucous live shows, on stage and off, The Twang built up a ferocious following. Their debut album, Love It When I Fell Like This, took the No3 spot in the UK album charts – with lead singles ‘Wide Awake’ and ‘Either Way’ achieving No15 and No8 in the UK singles charts respectively. And this was back in the days when sales meant sales.
With their fifth studio album now in the offing – the eagerly awaited If Confronted Just Go Mad, set for release in November this year – The Twang are back on the road promoting their new material and line up. Since the departure of Martin Saunders in 2018, The Twang have recruited two female vocalists, Cat and Rio, to accompany the founder and frontman Phil Etheridge.
‘Everytime’, the first single to come off If Confronted Just Go Mad, was released on 17th May and shows a more soulful pop side to The Twang – harking back to the days of a misspent youth whilst celebrating the joy found in coming of age. Finally, maybe. Probably. Hopefully.
But it’s a summer anthem, make no mistake. And The Twang have been cherry picking gigs to showcase their new material, including a top slot at the Inner City Festival in Perry Park on Sunday 28th July and a support slot for Shed Seven’s UK tour in autumn this year – coming to the O2 Academy Birmingham on 22nd November.
Abi Whistance caught up with The Twang founding fathers, Phil Etheridge and Jon Watkins, a few hours before they were set to play the main stage at the Godiva Festival on Saturday 6th July. Watch the full interview below:
Interview with The Twang @ Godiva Festival 06.07.19
The Twang release their new album, If Confronted Just Go Mad, in November 2019. For more on The Twang, visit www.facebook.com/thetwang
The Twang will be playing at the Inner City Live festival in Perry Park, Birmingham on 28th July – alongside Doves, Johnny Marr and The Coral. For further details and tickets, click here.
________
NOT NORMAL NOT OK is a campaign to encourage safety and respect within live music venues, and to combat the culture of sexual assault and aggression – from dance floor to dressing room.
To learn more about the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here. To sign up and join the NOT NORMAL NOT OK campaign, click here.
If you have been affected by any of the issues surrounding sexual violence – or if you want to report an act of sexual aggression, abuse or assault – click here for information via the ‘Help & Support’ page on the NOT NORMAL NOT OK website.
