Tings Can Only Get Better

By Joe Kavanagh

In terms of prestige and genuine recognition as an artist, the world of pop music ranks somewhere near the bottom of the proverbial barrel, frowned upon by most genres and positively sneered at by the contemporary rock community.

It comes as somewhat of a surprise then - and perhaps even an anathema to some - that one of the most highly touted indie bands of 2008 has its roots firmly entrenched in the world of pop music, and the candy-coated kind at that.

In contrast to many other acts that have taken the route from vacuous pop to edgy indie, The Ting Tings make no effort to deny or hide their previous incarnations, and much to the chagrin of the Camden set, they even claim that the sugar-coated pop of their past still pumps rigorously through their veins today. It might even be the difference.

Journalists love a good back story, preferably one that is infused with a degree of drama, so when speaking of The Ting Tings, they love to point out that the band has already managed to secure a major label deal and a truckload of publicity, despite the fact that they have been together for just over 12 months.

The true story, however, goes back as far as 1987, when Jules De Martino appeared on the scene as part of the teenaged band, Babakato, releasing the forgettable single, Just To Get By.

Upon Babakato's demise, he even managed to return in the mid 90s as the singer for indie act, Mojo Pin, who managed to squeeze out two singles before fading into oblivion.

Tired of the musical merry-go-round, the multi-instrumentalist and studio-rat decided instead to focus on writing music for other artists, which is how he would eventually come across his current collaborator.

At around the same time that Mojo Pin were fading like yesterday's fire, a teenager named Katie White was just beginning her efforts to follow in the path of her idols the - ahem - Spice Girls, by recruiting two school friends to form pop tart outfit, TKO (Total Knockout) whose high water mark proved to be when they opened for the likes of Atomic Kitten and Steps.

Despite the best efforts of Katie's dad, who served as their manager, the all singing/dancing trio failed to secure the all-important record deal, but unbeknownst to her at the time, she had already secured her ticket to the big dance when the band worked on several tracks that had been written by De Martino.

As TKO bowed out of the ring, White and De Martino joined forces in 2001 to form Dear Eskiimo [sic], a glam trip-hop act, notably, if rather optimistically, described by one hack as "the Scissor Sisters strapping on Gorillaz outfits".

For a while it even looked as if their collective luck had finally turned, as the duo signed a multi-album deal with Universal offshoot, Mercury Records.

Their dream soon imploded though, when the people responsible for signing them were fired and they found themselves unceremoniously dropped before ever even putting an album out.

The experience proved extremely traumatic, particularly for White who later recalled: "The experience left me with a bit of chip on my shoulder", adding, "I wanted to carry on making music, but I was determined not to let things hurt me so much next time."

Instead of chasing their dream and traveling the world, the pair now found themselves living back in the Manchester suburb of Salford, albeit in the so-called Islington Mill, a building that serves as a living quarters and haven for dozens of artists from the fields of music, art, film and beyond.

Turning their back on their pop past, the pair immersed themselves in the local scene, absorbing a host of new influences and enjoying the buzz of the clubs, even as the money began to run out and they found themselves "counting coppers" and having to sell off pieces of musical equipment just to pay their bills each month.

It was only when White decided that she wanted to be more than just a singer and took up the guitar for the first time just over a year ago, that the pair began to apply themselves to music in a serious manner once more.

De Martino returned to his original instrument of the drums, making them an inverted White Stripes of sorts, and within a short time they realized "if we just did this twice a week and got little jobs, it'd actually be satisfying."

By last February they had a name and played their first gig, to 25 friends in their apartment the following month, with White so nervous and untested as a guitarist that she forgot to turn on her amp.

Despite such hiccups, they were hugely enthused by the response they received, a sentiment matched by the crowd, which had doubled by their second gig a few weeks later.

Such was the electricity they generated that by the time their fourth gig rolled around, radio station XFM announced it on air and the throng on hand included representatives of all the major labels, incongruously seated on the wooden floors due to the lack of space.

With momentum now on their side, the band released an insanely catchy limited edition single, That's Not My Name, on indie label, Switchflicker, which sold out within days and then followed it up months later with another single, Fruit Machine, which also sold out in quick smart time, despite the fact that it was only available at the live gigs.

The buzz building over the summer turned into a roar when the band played the small stage at the Glastonbury Festival and were introduced by enormously influential deejay, Steve Lamacq, who announced them on stage as "the next big thing."

BBC television made the decision to show the band's performance and, despite the fact that it was aired late at night, the duo awoke the next morning to find their MySpace mailbox inundated with messages from people that had caught the performance.

By last fall, they had signed with Sony offshoot, Columbia Records and more television performances were mixed with a handful of low-key live gigs in New York and LA, as US crowds got their first glimpse of the lady increasingly being referred to as the "coolest woman in British music", with a fashion sense, personal style and stage presence not unlike Gwen Stefani.

The momentum has carried over into this year as the band were recently announced as headliners on NME's 2008 Awards Tour, which has provided a springboard for acts such as the Klaxons and Coldplay in the past.

They also appeared on the BBC's decidedly influential Sound Of 2008 list and their name is already penned in on all the major festivals in the Europe, the US and beyond.

Described as a band that has "one foot in the art school and the other in the shopping mall", critics compare their sound to a acts such as Blondie, Gossip and even Girls Aloud, proving that they still retain the pop elements of their past.

Far from being a band of the people such as fellow Mancs, Oasis (though Noel Gallagher is a big fan), The Ting Tings are the type of band that music fans will either love or hate. The smart money says the majority will fall into the former category.