The whole story of The Courettes reads like the subject of one of their own songs. The duo first met when drummer Martin was touring with his previous band as the support act for guitarist/vocalist Flavia’s band The Autoramas in her native Brazil back in 2013. The two shared a common bond through their individual obsessions with the music and fashions of the 1960s and soon became romantically involved, resulting in Flavia relocating to Denmark where they decided to form The Courettes in 2015. Since then, the couple have married, started a family and have toured and recorded as the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll love story ever since. And this month, they’re hitting two venues within the region, the Westgarth in Middlesbrough on Friday 10th June and the Cluny in Newcastle on Tuesday 14th June.
A glance at their previous gig history and over the discography offers a glimpse into how the band operate. The touring schedules are intense and relentless, meandering through the backwaters and big cities of whichever country they visit, pausing only to record and release their next slab of vinyl to an increasingly eager fanbase.
To describe them as a retro band would feel like a disservice in that they genuinely seem to live and operate how “proper” rock ‘n’ roll bands should. There is a sense of real dedication to their craft, their style and their recorded output.
The duo are both self-confessed vinyl lovers and take great pride in the impressive ’60s kitsch-inspired design work on their records, something they feel adds to the collectable nature of a physical format over the soulless nature of streaming or downloading.
On a sonic level, the band occupy a space somewhere between the brilliantly catchy bubblegum pop melodies of Phil Spector-produced girl groups like The Crystals and The Ronettes and the razor-sharp fuzz and chest-beating thud of classic garage rockers like The Sonics and earlier material by The Kinks, with an added reverb-soaked twang reminiscent of some instrumental surf acts like The Ventures.
Their latest full length on Damaged Goods records (The Buzzcocks, Billy Childish), 2021’s ‘Back In Mono’, sees the band release their finest material to date, delivering 35 minutes of irresistibly catchy earworms dripping with rock ‘n’ roll swagger. The Courettes might just be the coolest band you’ll see all year.
For tickets, head to seetickets.com (Middlesbrough) or thecluny.com (Newcastle).
