On the trail up we found executives from Whanga Records going back to their Scooby van for more drums. Who decided to hump a full drum kit to The Blue Pools at Powmill?
TwinsTown PR and photographer Joe Graham aka Bowser
I’m somewhat underwhelmed, it’s eh, no what I expected…
TwinsTown manager Billy George aka Big Daddy
Well, I think it’s beautiful… Staycation written all over it – if only more people knew!
Whanga Records marketing executive Mariam Ahmaz aka Mirror
TwinsTown wouldn’t be TwinsTown without a mixture of opinions.
Big Daddy and Mirror reflect on The Blue Pools.
“Where’s the f***ing chinstown c***s?”
“If I knew I was going to swim in my pants… I’d wear nice pants.”
“This is supposed to be a rock ‘n’ roll doc.”
Mariam Amhaz and Anna Heslop star as lifeguards as the sharks flounder. Just for once this blog has a serious point to make; please remember that lifeguard’s are essential and take care in and around water.
Lager, fags and a shark suit, maybe, maybe. Shark suit and fur coat in the water, no, no. Just ask Smackay.
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.
Dive In delivers a spritely start to Side Two of Brankholm Brae, the stunning debut album from TwinsTown.
The song was created when Donald Mackay, Ben Sharp, and Ben’s two friends, were jamming. Ben had the chords but had to leave. Donald offered to write a song with Ben’s chords, and Dive In was almost done and dusted when Ben returned.
It’s funny how the best songs can take the shortest time. I was talking on here recently about Phil Oakey of the Human League and Giorgio Moroder writing Together in Electric Dreams in just 10 minutes. Later, Oakey complained, albeit tongue in cheek, that Human League songs taking weeks or months enjoyed less chart success.
Dive In is track 7 on Brankholm Brae. Opening Side Two of TwinsTown’s debut album with a bang!
I first heard Dive In via Facebook Live. It was an impromptu performance in Harry’s back garden, and I loved the hook, “…plenty more fish in the sea,” which was added by Stuart Mackay to fully complete Donald’s earlier work with Ben’s chords. Great effort, Team TwinsTown!
Dive in into my mind to find some new people
Leaving my past behind because I don’t need another sequel
Dive in for me I’m a shark in the water
There’s plenty more fish in the sea
TwinsTown
Side One ends with the optimism of Big Heart and Dive In opens Side Two with a similar look at the upside of love and romance.
Dive In follows Big Heart, the last song on Side One of TwinsTown’s Brankholm Brae.
Musically, the song is tight. It pushes along at pace, a steady, unrelenting pace all the way to the bridge, before climaxing with guitar, keys and drums finally breaking out. It’s both conventional and satisfying. It’s TwinsTown plays pop.
Team TwinsTown Talk
Last night band manager Billy George aka Big Daddy gave the band a boost via WhatsApp.
He said: “You know what lads. I genuinely think this album [Brankholm Brae] is the best I’ve heard in many a year. I’m not saying this lightly. I’d like to congratulate each and every one of you. I’ve listened to it 3 times in a row with headphones on and it’s just an unrelenting work of joy. ❤️❤️”
“It’s got a bit of everything. Sacks full of melody, great lyrics, beautiful harmonies, awesome beats, booming bass, jazzy keyboards and walls and walls of guitar genius.”
Needless to say Big Daddy’s love was returned in spades by all.
Happy days for TwinsTown.
Coming soon…
You know it, it’s Brankholm Brae, the stunning debut album from TwinsTown.
I’m sitting in the flat above Tappie Toories, thinking about Stuart Adamson writing Big Country songs up here. Now I’m thinking if Harry doesn’t arrive soon we’ll be doing the interview doon The Glen or on the benches opposite The Old Inn. It’s 5.15pm and I’m lonely. Now I’m wondering if we can have a drink outside after six. I think we can but only until a minute past midnight on boxing day.
This is 2020. Five days before Christmas. I had a braw lunch at The Carnock Inn today. Steak pie with two tins of Irn Bru. My social inhibitions have not been lowered for a very long time. News just in, Police Scotland have no plans to establish checkpoints or road blocks at the border. Now I see Celtic celebrating the quadruple treble in an empty stadium. Despite setting his lawyers on the BBC, Tyson Fury is still in the running for Sports Personality of the Year. You couldn’t really make this up.
Where is Harry!?
News just in, Harry’s daughter Frankie is finishing her ice cream. I fetch the tins from the fridge. It’s the benches for us.
Harry Dixon and Tyson Fury, two sports personalities of any year.
Harry the big bad bassist bangs the door. The lights on Bruce Street are beautiful reminding me things could be worse. Thankfully TwinsTown are Covid-19 free. Cree Spowart who lives on Bruce Street told me this year’s lights are a tribute to Dunfermline’s weaving industry. My mum left school to help with the war effort and became a weaver at 15 years of age.
Anyway, the twins in TwinsTown keep telling me they’re in a rock ‘n’ roll band and I need to make them appear all rock ‘n’ roll. That means less blethering pish about whatever. Well, I say twins, Donald is the particular one. Stuart doesn’t give a monkey’s what I write.
“Right Harry, what’s rock ‘n’ roll about you?”
He looks surprised. I’ve surprised myself. I’m angry.
“C’mon then,” I continue, “sitting on a bench at the corner of Maygate and Kirkgate drinking a can of Tennents, rock ‘n’ roll, aye!?”
“Fuck AYE!” he replies.
“You should be in Tappies now, playing to a heaving crowd of 114, or at least a polite, sanitised, socially distanced, reduced capacity 25 all enjoying table service, with both doors open for maximum ventilation. Do you feel robbed?”
“Aye, totally, but we’ll think of a funnier answer than that.”
Ten minutes later…
“I’ve no funny answer, but as a serious answer, I do feel frustrated. We have an album [Brankholm Brae] in production and limited opportunity to promote it.”
Harry braved the cold, scooped a bottle of wine, and told me his role on Brankholm Brae is bass guitarist, and occasionally lead guitar. His favourite bass line is Dive In, an upbeat track about bouncing back after heartache.
“I tried to add texture to Dive In’s bass line by avoiding first position root notes and aiming for greater complexity, whilst keeping it true to the spirit of the song,” explained Harry.
Wow, the wine is potent.
Harry, Mr Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Harry goes on, “I like playing Bed Bugs on a high register. It’s not difficult but it’s fun to play. As is Say Goodbye to the Summer, where no one complains when I crank up the distortion pedal.”
Harry’s catchphrase is “flare it!” as he is notorious for flaring his guitar pedals, anytime, anywhere, any angle, and any song.
TwinsTown pedals.
Harry loves recording in the studio. It’s obvious. Yet his shyness kicks in.
“This is going to sound like a Mr. Men book,” complains Harry as he clams up.
“What Mr. would you be, Harry?”
“Mr. Flare It!” Harry fires back.
His shyness gone, he shows me his new tattoo. ‘Flare It!’ on his chest. Mark, Stuart and Donald have the same. It’s male bonding gone bananas.
Harry at Tpot Studios, Path of Condie.
Hoping for a hard-hitting question, “I hear you’re a big fan of Danny Dyer, is this true?” I ask.
“No, I prefer Sean Bean, in Sharpe, and Ronnie Scotland.”
Harry at big Barrett’s birthday barbeque, thinking of Sean Bean, and Ronnie Scotland.
In other important matters, I wonder who is Harry’s favourite Tappies bar tender. Apparently, it’s Shaunski aka Shaun Manuel Mitchell who was famously hospitalised after falling off the monkey bars in a local swing park.
We’ve been sat on these benches for three hours. I’m freezing. We’ve had a few drinks. You can probably tell.
“We need a sensible finish,” I suggest, hopefully.
“We didn’t finish talking about my favourite track. It’s Spitfire. I get to show off my guitar skills on it,” replies Harry, “and I totally flared it!”
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