Towers of London get "Back to Basics"
Towers of London are a London based band made of two brothers Dirk and Donny Tourette (Patrick and Francis Brannan) that now have 3 new members on board. Since forming in 2004, the band have had various changes in line up but have now have 3 new members set for their "Back to Basics" tour starting on the 15th of October.
The band has gained both favourable reviews from the media whilst also gaining some extremely bad ones, which they have to been extremely quick to respond too (good on them!) The band are also well known for one of the Brannan/Tourette brothers appearance in Channel 4's Celebrity Big Brother 5 in January 2007 where Donny lasted 48 hours in the house before climbing away from the building over the garden wall! (True Rock&Roll!)
| The Band are set to hit Carlisle's Brickyard on the 20th of November as part of their tour and earlier this week, I was able to catch up with Dirk and find out what's happening with Towers of London as they are coming towards the end of the year and for 2010. |  |
Luke: Hi mate, how are you?
Dirk: Alright, yeah I'm really good! You're bang on time aren't you?
L: I like to be prompt
D: (laughs)
L: So you're from Liverpool originally?
D: Yeah, I was born in Liverpool and I moved to London in 1979. All of my family are from Liverpool. I moved to London when I was about 6 years old. I have a huge family, 3 brothers and 3 sisters and my Dad found a decent job down here in London and we only moved from Liverpool for the family.
L: Do you ever return to Liverpool?
D: All the time! All my cousins live there, in Bootle. As I said, I have a lot of family up there so I do go back now and again, mainly at Christmas.
L: Just as long as you're not an Everton fan!
D: Oh no! You're not one of the "Red Sh**e". Half of my cousins are Liverpool fans, Red-noses! There's some rivalry there...
L: Where did the name for the band come from then?
D: The name was basically from just us guys playing in and around London. Obviously I grew up here, from when I was six onwards and any gigs that I had been playing were inside London. We had a gig near the Towers of London one night and some guy came up to us saying "you guys absolutely rock, you should be called The Towers of London". We used to put our guitars up into the air, you know, like, to the Gods! And that's basically where the name came from, like the biggest and best band in London. It's not so much about where we came from to be honest, it's about us wanting to be the best band in London.
L: Good idea! Different! So, the line up has had various changes over the years, why is that?
D: Well, it has been changing ever since I started playing really. From when I was 16! The first band line up that we had a record deal with was with me, my brother Donny and two guys called Rev and Snell. I just think that it was down to that Rev and Snell couldn't really hack the pace of it all. Couldn't hack all the Rock and Roll life style, all the touring. So, people move on and people come and go but the calling of the band is all the same. We've have new guys with us now, one Jamima and another, James Phillips who I went to school with so it's all good. It is what it is after that I suppose.
L: What was your most memorable gig with the band?
D: God! There's a few! When we played Reading and Leeds that was good but for me a lot of the early gigs when we played in Shoreditch and East London. It's really hard to pick one, there has been so many and half of them I couldn't probably remember. Supporting The Libertines actually! When we are just first coming out we played in The Rhythm Factory with them in the East end of London, that was good! It was an all night gig and I think we were on just after them so it was pretty mental!
L: Good reception?
D: Yeah! We got a great reception from the crowd, the crowd were wasted! The Libertines had 5 bands on before them and 3 bands after them. We were playing at 2 in the morning. It was pretty good!
L: Would you compare your music to anyone or any artist, past or present?
D: I don't know really. I think there is a few bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash and even Oasis, we're a little bit like them I suppose. There isn't really a band that I would say we were very much like! But the bands that I've just said are a couple of my favourite bands.
L: You've been compared to the Manic Street Preachers, do you think that's a fair shout?
D: You know, I think that the Manic Street Preachers, I think that is all to do with what we were wearing, our spray vests and our big jacked up hair. I think that in there early days, they did something similar to that, so I'm told. I do like the Manic Street Preachers as a band but I don't think we sound anything like them!
L: What was your best fan experience?
D: (laughs) Fans are weird at times! This one girl in particular took it upon herself to get these portraits made of me and my brother, separate 3ft by 3ft of both me and Donny, they're pretty big! I don't know how she found out, but she sent them to my mum and dad's house! My mum wouldn't give them to me, so they currently reside in her lounge.
L: I don't suppose you get that every day?
D: No, you don't get that very often. I suppose it's a nice little perk of the job!
L: Are you currently signed to a record label?
D: No, we're not at the minute. We were signed to a New York record label called TVT but as of now, we're not signed.
L: How long were you together before you became singed to the New York label?
D: Well, we were signed in 2004 so I would say that we were together roughly about three years. A good three years! Although the line up that we had when we were actually signed were together for just about a year! I don't know whether that's quick or not, its doesn't really bother me, I've been playing since I was sixteen with the view of being signed! It did take a while but for example: bands such as Pulp were together for a good 16-17 years before they ever became singed and they were great!
L: Did you have to send out many demos before you became singed?
D: Yeah I used to do all that stuff. I used to send out loads of demos to Sony and EMI. I really liked Blur at one point so I obviously send out a demo to their current label. Sometimes I would hear back from them with letters etc and sometimes they would say that it wasn't for them but I was a lot younger. Before we were signed though, it wasn't really done by sending out demos, you had to go out, play great gigs, and make a name for yourself!
L: If someone asked you "how do I get into the music business?" What would you say to them?
D: I'd recommend them to concentrate one writing songs! Get a band that are all committed, even if they're not the best players they know, commitment and passion are the main things! Make sure you have your songs sorted out before you get gigs and then when you get gigs go and make them as good as they can be! Depending on which genre, take us for example, get a crazy gig, get the front man out there and get yourself noticed so that a local promoter would put you on the next step of the ladder!
L: Good advice! What is it like to have one of your songs played on the radio or on a night out? A strange experience?
D: Yeah, definitely! The first song of ours that I heard being played on the radio was "On A Noose" and that was one Radio1 and yeah, it was strange but it was a brilliant feeling! It just makes all the effort with gigs, recording, writing and so on, all worthwhile!
L: How many shows does the band play per year on average?
D: Well this year we haven't so many, we've been in America recording a reality television program for VH1. It's like a documentary of us as we are touring America. Normally, over the past few years, we've been doing well over 100 shows per year! Easily over a hundred!
L: Does it ever get too much?
D: It can become like that, it's not so much the gigs, it's the excess that around the gigs. The partying, the nights outs. Its can all become a bit too much on the body really and then you just need a few days away from it all to re-cooperate really. I never complain about it!
L: I definitely would! So which venue in the UK would you most like to play?
D: One I've never played, oh no, I have played there. I was going to say Brixton Academy but I have played there! Wembley Stadium then! Wembley!
L: Nothing like setting you targets high!
D: No, nothing like it (laughs)
L: Are there any plans for 2010?
D: The VH1 series is set to start soon which shows us cracking America, hopefully that will be coming out in the states soon and maybe over in England. Maybe a new album, definitely doing a 5 track EP and basically just keep ourselves as creative and as busy as possible!
L: New Years Eve isn't too far away, are you considering giving up the Rock and Roll lifestyle for a quieter life?
D: (laughs) Definitely not! I love it!
L: What is it about it that you love so much?
D: I just love it all, I just love it all! I'm too young to give up now! Maybe be in a few years time. I haven't got any kids yet so maybe when one of them comes along I might have to give a few things up but not until then.
L: One last question for you; who's the most talented brother?
D: Who's the most talented brother? Me of course! But I've got three brothers, so I'm going to say each one is talented in their own little way!
L: Well thanks for your time Dirk, much appreciated! Good luck for the tour!
D: No worries! Have a good one! Thanks.
Punk Rockers can be nice guys!
Make sure you catch Towers of London! It's bound to be a good yet crazy night!
www.myspace.com/towersoflondon
20/11/2009 19:30atThe Brickyard, Carlisle 18+ // www.ticketweb.co.uk
Richmond Hall, 14 Fisher Street, Carlisle, Northwest CA3 8RN
Cost: £9
