The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings I was tempted to call you by a different name so you’d tell me “That’s not my name” but I presume that happens a lot?

The Ting Tings [laughs] Yeah, it has!

You’re just about to release the second album, I’d presume there was some added pressure there after the success of the first?

Not really, I think we are so fortunate for so many people to listen to our music that everything else is a bonus. We wrote that first album around ten times and it was just insane how it travelled around the world. We just try to make it as enjoyable as possible and not try to be a huge success because then you’re forcing it and it seems contrived. The second you try and write a ‘hit song’ is when it begins to sound crap.

These Good Vibes shows will showcase the new material, have you had a chance to show it off since finishing the album?

Yeah, we’ve practiced a couple of songs at a gig in Germany which was really cool because the audience responded well. We used to try the first album out on our friends when we were drunk, we’d keep the songs that would get them going. We’re now doing the same thing with our fans, and we have a couple more songs we’ve rehearsed that we can play in Australia.

Have you got the collaboration process worked out between yourself and Jules in terms of the album and planning gigs?

[laughs] No! But we like it that way.

How will you tackle the setlist for Good Vibrations now you have new material to show off?

I think we’re going to keep things upbeat because it sounds like an upbeat festival. We’ll add some of our newer, more upbeat songs to the setlist.

They’re still using your songs for commercials down here, how do you react when you hear one of your tracks around town?

I get quite excited! I’m never keen when it’s in a club because I don’t know what to do. Do I go and dance or do I sit down? A promoter once made us go to this afterparty where they played our album on repeat, and everybody was just pointing at us while singing our songs. That was really embarrassing, not my idea of fun! [laughs] We’re in Spain at the moment and it came on the telly over here, it’s just really bizzare that it’s all around the world, but cool and fascinating as well.

Finally, I bet Mercury Records are pretty pissed they let you go from their label now that you’ve had all this success…

You’d hope so, yeah. [laughs] It’d be a nice bit of revenge actually.

The Ting Tings play Good Vibrations, hitting Sydney on February 12th, Melbourne on the 13th, Gold Coast on the 19th and Perth on the 20th. For details, visit goodvibrationsfestival.com.au