I like to think that if Callum was still alive he’d approve of TwinsTown covering his Broken Song as a charity single. As we approach what would have been his 32nd birthday, 27 September, Whanga Records have now produced the official music video.
Cob Harrower filmed the live band and thanks also go to everyone who shot the Facebook stills and video, plus our video stars in the crowd. I was delighted to complete the final edit and hope it’ll bring happy memories to everyone who takes the time to watch it.
You can donate £1 or more to charity, Andy’s Man Club, by downloading the song from bandcamp.
TwinsTown’s new single Welcome to my World, the second from their forthcoming debut album Brankholm Brae, has been played on The Mickey Bradley Record Show on BBC Radio Ulster. We love the Undertones and Mickey’s show. He’s dead pan funny. Big thanks to @MickeyUndertone.
…officially completely original…
Michael Bradley
You can listen immediately below:
TwinsTown’ Welcome to my World on BBC Radio Ulster’s The Mickey Bradley Radio Show.
Apparently Briana Corrigan cited unacceptable laddishness when she left The Beautiful South. I was surprised to read that as both The Housemartins and The Beautiful South struck me as being bastions of political correctness.
When Graeme Galloway of Stirling City Radio decided to seek similar he turned to Dunfermline and our very own Fife bastions of political correctness were happy to oblige.
Briana, have no qualms, even the slightest traces of unacceptable laddishness have been edited out of this broadcast.
Tracklisting
UFO Space Disco – Birrell or Biscuit
Top of the Pops – Birrell or Biscuit
Welcome to my World – TwinsTown
Dive In – TwinsTown
Birrell or Biscuit, Whanga Records and TwinsTown on Stirling City Radio with Graeme Galloway. Pictures from Whanga Records HQ, Chalmers Street, Dunfermline, and TwinsTown’s video shoot for Dive In at The Blue Pools, Powmill.
Contrarian
Of course, ever the contrarian, Stuart Barrett immediately set about his Whanga Records podcast.
Briana, do not, I repeat, DO NOT, click the link below (and this is the post edit version).
Clicking the link above, you can find TwinsTown – Dive In by scrolling down to second from last on the poll.
Thank you for your kind support.
In other news John Murray hosted a menagerie on k107fm. I was going to write a few words on this momentous happening but some things just have to speak for themselves. Personal responsibility is trending right now therefore the onus is on you; you can click below to listen or click to exit.
Here’s the track listing:
Double Trouble
Welcome to my World
Dive In
Stay Alive!
Harry ‘The Duke’ Dixon, an authoritative media performer, who knew?
Mars Bars is my favourite song by The Undertones, bar none. Yeah, yeah, Teenage Kicks, I know, but Jimmy Jimmy, the A-side to Mars Bars, is better, as is the magnificent My Perfect Cousin (and I have a cousin called Kevin but I was tops at Subbuteo). True Confessions is better and the list goes on. John Peel was wrong.
Michael Bradley is not wrong. Tweeting as @MickeyUndertone he nails it when he says TwinsTown get an A* for music.
Michael Bradley from The Undertones is a legend and he gives TwinsTown an A* in music.
Hey, and the B for art isn’t bad either. Having just scraped a C I’d have loved a B in art. I’m lovin’ Micky Undertone’s grading almost as much as I love his lyrics. Here’s some more, this time from My Perfect Cousin.
He’s got a degree in economics
Maths, physics and bionics
He thinks that I’m a cabbage
‘Cause I hate University Challenge
Even at the age of ten
Smart boy Kevin was a smart boy then
He always beat me at Subbuteo
Cause he flicked to kick and I didn’t know
Written By: Michael Bradley / Damian O’Neill
“He flicked to kick and I didn’t know.” Calm down, calm down.
You can tell I’m a fan… so what!? It’s The Undertones. Young people sit down, this is not about you. The Undertones: the best band from Northern Ireland ever. That’s not even an opinion, it’s their official status over there. Indulge me here.
Don’t look so surprised
You’ve been telling me lies
It’s hard to wake up to your makeup
So please take off that disguise
All your true
Your true confessions
Written By: Michael Bradley, John O’Neill & Damian O’Neill
What’s that? I’m supposed to be writing about TwinsTown, aye!? Oops, sorry ’bout that, but TwinsTown aren’t really cutting edge. Michael Bradley @MickeyUndertone says so on his BBC MB Record Show. You can listen to him say it.
The Mickey Bradley Record Show, July 2020.
It’s great having someone like Mickey offering TwinsTown such positive feedback.
Cutting edge on a Friday night, who needs it!?
Mickey – I hope I can call him Mickey – likes Mark’s piano and Whanga Records too.
Great piano from Mark Guyan who famously did not play keys with The Darkness. Mark does not believe in a thing called love. His band name is The Darkness. Phew, glad we cleared that up. And Whanga! What a name!
Well, I say Mickey likes Whanga Records, I doubt he’s met them in person. Check this oot.
Stuart Barrett and Craig Birrell, founders of Whanga Records, and what a name it is, honouring the Māori heritage of late friend and former 1/4 Chubz frontman Callum Jake Paterson Whanga.
Then again as a punk icon I guess Mickey might like big Barrett’s 1/4 Chubz and Craig’s Birrell or Biscuit. I hear he has played UFO Space Disco and Top of the Pops. Find out more at Whanga Records.
Finally, a big thank you to Michael for all his work with The Undertones – my childhood benefitted enormously – and on his excellent The Mickey Bradley Record Show on BBC Radio Ulster. I’ll be tuning in again TwinsTown or no. Most of all, of course, thank you to Mickey for playing Dive In and for getting those pesky twins telt. “Plenty more fish in the sea” is a romantic turn of phrase. The song is not about fish. You’d think the writers would know what they’re writing about but it takes a music legend to keep them right.
Oh, I almost forgot, please vote for Dive In by using the link below and feel free to share this post widely encouraging others to join in the vote for TwinsTown.
This week’s Audition show poll on Amazing Radio went live last night with DJ Charlie Ashcroft introducing TwinsTown alongside other talented new and emerging artists.
TwinsTown’s Dive In on the Amazing Radio Audition show with Charlie Ashcroft.
You can catch the show on Rewind now or, to cut to the chase, I’ve created a wee edit with added pics from the Dive In video shoot.
TwinsTown’s Dive In on Amazing Radio with Charlie Ashcroft plus pics from the video shoot.
As Charlie explains in the link, your vote will help decide which song is added to the Amazing Radio playlist. Enough votes could even see TwinsTown enter the Amazing Radio chart for new and emerging artists.
TwinsTown are on Amazing Radio tonight, on the Audition show with Charlie Ashcroft, and the Dunfermline indie rockers need your help to see new single Dive In climb up THE AMAZING CHART, a chart for new and emerging music.
To help TwinsTown please click the link below and choose Dive In as your favourite track on Charlie’s weekly show.
Today TwinsTown reveal their cover art for forthcoming debut album Brankholm Brae and it’s a typically brilliant painting by local Dunfermline artist, and friend of the band, Jack Paton. We’d like to send a big thank you to Jack, his effort and support is very much appreciated.
TwinsTown’s twins Stuart and Donald painted specifically for debut album Brankholm Brae by local Dunfermline artist, and friend of the band, Jack Paton. Thank you, Jack.
The work, painted specifically for Brankholm Brae, follows the theft of Jack’s original take on TwinsTown’s twins Donald and Stuart.
The earlier work featuring Stuart and Donald Mackay by Jack was stolen from Dunfermline High Street.
Jack’s earlier work featuring Stuart and Donald (as shown above) was stolen from Dunfermline High Street. For years now Jack has been adding colour to the auld grey toun by strategically placing art in the centre of Dunfermline.
A friend told me, “you’re nobody in this toun until you have a Jack Paton,” needless to say she reached for her mobile phone to prove that her famous fizzog does indeed appear in a Jack Paton.
Unfortunately, I don’t have that one in my phone, but I do have Pars fan Andrew Carnegie and The Skids’ and Big Country’s Stuart Adamson.
Stuart and Donald sharing the limelight with Dunfermline legends Andrew Carnegie and Stuart Adamson.
Here’s more of Jack’s art and I’m sure the boys will love this.
Noel and Liam Gallagher by Jack Paton pictured alongside their heroes Stuart and Donald Mackay. Or is it the other way around. Who knows!?
My favourite Jack Patons are of Billy Connelly and if you look carefully below you might spot the man himself, toun legend, Jack Paton.
This time Double Trouble, Stuart and Donald, are overshadowed by Jack Paton himself and three of his paintings featuring Billy Connolly. Top left is the Big Yin looking down from the gap site towards Dunfermline High Street.
For the back cover of Brankholm Brae we’d like the full band photographed; Harry Dixon, Wayne Robertson, Mark Guyan, Donald Mackay and Stuart Mackay. However, with lockdown and all the Covid-19 restrictions I have not managed a single shot of the full TwinsTown line up, nevermind one with their backing singers, TwinsTown manager Billy George, Billy’s daughter Ellie and former TwinsTown member Ben Sharp.
Billy is planning a vinyl release for Brankholm Brae but with everything going on we don’t have a date yet. Hopefully it will be 2021. Just for Billy I’ve photoshopped a mostly black and white alternative album cover. I like to call it 52 Years A Par. Well done for supporting the band, Billy. You’re a star!
Black and white version 52 Years A Par for long-suffering TwinsTown manager Billy George.
Thanks again to Jack Paton. To view and buy Jack’s art please click here: Art by Jack Paton.
Today, in advance of their forthcoming debut album, Brankholm Brae, indie rockers TwinsTown have launched their new website.
“During these gig-free times, it’s another great way for us to keep in touch with our audience,” explained Stuart Mackay, who fronts the 5-piece with brother Donald.
“Our ever-growing audience,” chimed Donald, keen to point out the increasing popularity of the band on Facebook and Instagram. The TwinsTown Twitter page is a recent addition and hasn’t caught on yet.
“We’ll continue to use Facebook and Instagram as usual, and now Twitter too. Our website will be an addition, with all the social media links available.
“Let’s hope TwinTowners share freely.”
Before social distancing, and before Mark joined TwinsTown. Wayne, Zena, Harry, Stuart and Donald.
Talking of sharing freely, I’ve been sharing a few with the boys in Tappie Toories, the band’s spiritual home, as it was for Big Country when the popular Dunfermline boozer was owned and operated by frontman Stuart Adamson and his wife Sandra. I drank in Tappies with Stuart behind the bar or playing tunes. I remember reading an NME article around that time listing Big Country as the third biggest act in the world behind U2 and Simple Minds respectively.
I mention this as TwinsTown don’t just share Stuart’s old pub, they share his drive and ambition too. On one of the nights, Tappies hosted band member Harry Dixon’s birthday party and the social distancing didn’t dampen anyone’s enthusiasm.
Wayne looking reserved and smiley.
I asked the more reserved members, Wayne Robertson and Mark Guyan, if TwinsTown share a wee bit of Big Country’s talent. Drinks were set down for a round of serious nodding. I think I heard a couple of “Oh! aye!” remarks but difficult to know for sure when sitting 2 metres away.
Mark: “Oh! Aye!”
Please watch this space for more TwinsTown updates.
THE Mackay boys are back in town as the guitar-wielding brothers announce their debut album.
Donald and Stuart Mackay lead from the front in the Dunfermline five-piece’s 12-track record Brankholm Brae.
Donald and Stuart Mackay
When gigs return, they intend to “flare it” to the masses with the help of guitarist Harry Dixon, drummer Wayne Robertson and Mark Guyan on keyboard/piano.
Wayne Robertson, Mark Guyan and Harry Dixon.
Featuring indie pop melodies mixing with rock vocals, the studio album will be released after the recording process is finalised.
They hope to get that done and dusted as soon as possible but the coronavirus pandemic has slowed down their efforts; keeping all but the Mackay twins (who shared a household) apart for long periods.
Donald said: “Working within COVID-19 guidelines for the past few months has caused us to be both careful and innovative, however we do plan to complete the recording, and stay safe.
“I’m excited about TwinsTown and our forthcoming album. I think we are all looking forward with hope and just a little expectation.”
Harry also added: “We love Dunfermline and we hope Brankholm Brae will be loved in both Dunfermline and beyond.
“When we are allowed to gig, we intend to flare it!”
Brankholm Brae will be released across streaming services in due course.
Originally published in The Dunfermline Press on 1st October 2020.
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