With riffs and choruses that will stick in your head for an age, Twin Atlantic play hard and fast and loud like the best hard, fast and loud bands, then instantly flip the switch and have a packed venue waving lighters to their softer side. They head to Boiler Shop this month so Christian Darby caught up with the band to speak about Glasgow, promoters and more.
Your latest album, ‘Transparency’, feels and sounds very personal. Tell me about the process and inspiration behind the album…
The brakes were slammed on our band during the pandemic and we had to try and figure out what to do. The easiest way for us was to jump in and make another record. I was like: “Oh my god, we need to do something”. The album was made at home during the first main lockdown and it only took about six weeks; I made it in my daughter’s bedroom who was only six months old at the time. So that’s why this album sounds so different to our other stuff. We’ve been used to working in fancy studios and taking months to perfect things, but I kind of liked that it gave me the opportunity not to overthink things and I had to work off instinct. It’ll be cool to let my daughter hear it when she’s older – “You know that pandemic everyone talks about? I did this in your bedroom”. It’s quite cool to have that wee time capsule.
What is your favourite track from the new album?
I really like a song called ‘Haunt’: I just think that’s probably the most classic song in terms of that it could have come from any decade or era. I then really like a song called ‘Dance Like Your Mother’ too as it probably has the most groove any Twin Atlantic song has ever had, or maybe ever will have.
You’ve been playing several intimate acoustic shows leading up to your main UK tour. How have the gigs been going?
They’ve been chaos. We have quite a deep back catalogue now. We had fans there that have been with us since day one but also new fans that have heard this new album and think it’s our only album. Our approach was that we’ll play a few songs from the new album and then let people shout out requests. These shows felt like we were getting back to people kind of letting their guard down a little bit and enjoying themselves. It was nice to see.
Your upcoming UK tour kicks off this month and you will be celebrating the 10th anniversary of your album, ‘Free’. You have announced you will be playing the album from front to back. Could you expand on this a little?
We toured that album for three years and sold around 100,000 copies; it was a crazy time and set us up for life as a band. The idea was suggested by a promoter and it was during the pandemic when it hit 10 years. It probably caught us at the right time (when we were missing touring and feeling grateful). We thought: “You know what, for once let’s do something for the fans”. We do have a really loyal fan-base so we wanted to recognise that. We’re sort of looking at it like we’re supporting ourselves. I’m not going to say a word and just play the full album from start to finish, as if you’re listening to the record. We saw Foo Fighters do that when we played SXSW in Austin, Texas. It was when their album ‘Wasting Light’ came out. They played that from start to finish in the style I’m talking about. I remember at the time saying: “How class would that be to get to do that one day”. We’re going to play a set that has two halves and this is the longest we’re ever going to play for – you’re getting two Twin Atlantic gigs in one.
How excited are you to be back playing in Newcastle?
I always remember that Newcastle was the first place I ever saw someone crowd surfing at a gig of ours. There wasn’t even enough people there to be able to crowd surf, but the people were just so passionate for live music in the North East. I remember having an instant bond with the people there. Every time we go on stage there, it almost feels like a home away from home as we’re quite similar people in Glasgow and Newcastle with that grassroots, working-class outlook on life. It’s like we’re amongst kindred spirits. A Glaswegian having a night out in Newcastle, it already sounds like it’s going to be amazing.
Twin Atlantic play The Boiler Shop, Newcastle on Monday 9th May. Tickets, priced at £22.00 in advance, are available from boilershop.net.
