The Twang

The Twang aren’t like everybody else

 The Twang are back with new music, but they’re a different prospect to the lads that first arrived on the scene in the mid-noughties. We had a chat with long-serving bassist Jon Watkin to garner a better idea of what we can expect from the Birmingham band this year. They’ve got some big fucking ideas. 

“You know if you listen to a Strokes album”, Jon tells me, “or an Oasis or Libertines album, you know pretty much what it’s gonna sound like, don’t you? We’ve never really been like that.”

The Twang

He’s got a point. They’ve had a bit of a shake-up over the last year or two, longtime member Martin Saunders leaving, and a couple of new female members arriving in his place. “We were looking at getting another lad to replace him but we were like ‘let’s get a girl [Cat McTigue] in and mix it up’” says Jon. “There are two girls with us now – there’s Rio [Hellyer] as well.”

What else has influenced us, really? I mean, we were drinking quite a lot.

“It’s just a change really, having the two girls in the band now. We toured with them in December and they’ve brought a different vibe to the band. Obviously, it’s going to when you add new people – when we’ve been all lads since we’ve started. And quite laddy lads; we’ve been close, we went to school together and we hung around as kids together, so we’re really tight. So, having the girls come in, it’s fun; seize the opportunity to get new musicians because they change your sound and help you evolve, don’t they.”

Cat’s vocals can be heard on ‘Everytime’, the first track from If Confronted Just Go Mad to be released. In Jon’s words, “It’s got quite a poppy dance vibe to it. We’ve never gone that far before and we did get the fear a bit. We were really pleased with it, and then we were kind of like ‘Are we gonna alienate the fans – what will people think?’”.

As it turns out, the new tracks have had quite a positive reception. “I think we’ve pulled in quite a few people who weren’t into us before which was the point really – to try and get to a different audience” he explains to me, “I believe that you have to try and do something a bit different.”

I ask about ‘Dreams’. It’s a bit different again from ‘Everytime’, ditching the conventional pop song formula. “It’s got quite an odd arrangement,” says Jon, “and the lyrical content is a bit bizarre because it’s based on dreams.” 

We were looking at getting another lad to replace him but we were like ‘let’s get a girl in and mix it up.’

“Me and Phil [Etheridge, frontman] were meeting and we started writing this song about dreams – just weird dreams that we’d been having, so all the lyrics are snippets of dreams; getting drunk, going to sleep and having strange dreams.” he laughs. 

But does this mean the whole album will be different – more pop? Not so. “There are a few pop songs on there. There is some slower, trippier kind of songs, and there are two or three Twang fan-favourites, we think.”

The Twang

They’ve got a wide range of influences too. As much as people mention Happy Mondays and The Streets when talking about The Twang, I’m told that “Phil is into Young Fathers, who are quite experimental”, while Jon brings up lo-fi, slacker rock American indie: Mac Demarco, Kurt Vile, Real Estate. 

He pauses for a second, pondering. “What else has influenced us, really? I mean, we were drinking quite a lot. Me and Phil were meeting up on a Wednesday, and we started writing and then going to the pub after. Then, the drinking got earlier and earlier so we were kind of drinking all day.”

“Without sounding like a twat, drink was quite an influence on the writing sessions.” He summarises. Honestly, I can’t argue with that. And with the quality of the tracks they’ve dropped so far, their methods seem to be working. But what’s to come after – they’ve got the new album later this year, and a support slot with Shed Seven on their UK tour – is anything else lined up?

From what Jon tells me, there looks to be some more activity next year. “There’s talk of us doing another tour in March, our own tour. And then see where it goes from there.” He’s relaxed and optimistic about the band’s future, as they all seem to be taking it in their stride. 

The Twang are set to play Neighbourhood Festival in Manchester on October 12th. Tickets are on sale now, available here. Listen to The Twang on Spotify and Apple Music.

why did martin saunders leave the twang

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