With only a couple of singles to tease us with so far, we were eager to hear more from London quartet Two Tribes. They kindly obliged, and gathered round together for a Q and A. Here’s the low-down.
Howdy! How’s it going? How’s life treating you?
Howdy partner, things are pretty swell at the moment thanks.
How did music enter your lives and how has that shaped you as a group?
Straight in the deep end! It’s likely we were all infected with a love for music at a fairly young age – probably best blame the parents for that one.
How do you think the chaos of London influences how you go about writing and performing? I can imagine it creates some frustrations that music would be great to express through?
Yeah London is pretty fast paced, but for the most part you can thrive off it. There are so many great bands around that you’re constantly kept on your toes, it makes for some real healthy competition. We’d say living here is a stronger influence on our work ethic rather than the music itself.
I hear a bit of John Carpenter in your work, do you find that sort of 80s horror particularly interesting? Or maybe your work is influenced by something entirely different?
There is definitely a strong aesthetic from 80s/90s music and cult films that drives the band, but lyrically we take influence from the modern-day shenanigans that are happening right now in our lives. It’s hard not to be really, we live in an interesting age. Like, most bands are formed on some kind of nostalgia really; if you can make something that sounds familiar and fresh at the same time you’ve nailed it.
Your music is incredibly eclectic, how do you go about creating something so diverse? Do you jam things out as opposed to having a clear end vision?
Haha glad you think it’s eclectic! There is obviously a lot of common ground musically between us, but there are also four very strong personalities, each with their own taste, so that definitely feeds into the finished result. We actually prefer to write from home for the most part, swapping ideas with each other and mapping out structures before taking them to the rehearsal room. While jamming songs together is an important part of the creative process for us, it’s usually what we do to finish an idea rather than start one.
The internet is like a new religion really: people will use it to look for answers or to justify what they already believe.
New single ‘Videodrone’ considers technology and identity. Now, technology is a freeing but corrosive force: if you could invent one thing to make your lives easier however, what would it be and why? Maybe there’s some technology you’d rather destroy…
Well we’d be cautious in saying that technology is a “corrosive force”, because ultimately we’re the ones responsible for how we use it. People have always had an inherent need for stimulation or validation from others, and all technology does now is enable us to pursue these things without any limits, regardless of how it affects our health. Another interesting development is the amount of contradictory information available online, without any reliable way of knowing its credibility.
The Internet is like a new religion really: people will use it to look for answers or to justify what they already believe, and any challenge to a belief can be dismissed as agenda, because what we’re reading is the truth and what they’re reading is fake news, right? Haha. The way ‘Videodrone’ considers these themes is by looking at the depths of self-obsession and the pursuit of identity, how we use technology to validate ourselves to the point where you either become one with it or you become nothing at all. Maybe not relevant to everyone, but it felt relevant to us when we wrote it. On a lighter note, if they could invent something that delivers you grapes no matter where you are that would be sound.
What do you see your music saying to a listener, what would you like people to take away from it?
Probably best not to be too concerned with interpretation, people will always take what they want from a song and that’s the beauty. As long as it comes across as genuine we’re happy.
Finally, what are your plans for the rest of the year? What can we expect after the release of ‘Videodrone’?
We have a single launch at The Shacklewell Arms coming up on Saturday 9th November, and one in Brighton on the 12th November at Latest Music Bar. We’re also supporting Sink Ya Teeth at The Lexington on 29th Nov which will be dope. After that straight back to work on another release for 2020!
Listen to Two Tribes on Spotify – keep an eye out for those new releases this November.
