By Daffs (TwoDaff)
Ahead of their release ‘You’re Mine Divine’ I managed to catch up with Warrington based indie rockers The Twenty Two to chat about their music and the new single.
Hi lads and thanks for taking the time to speak to Awayday Radio. Can you tell me a little about yourselves and your musical history and where you come from?
Hiya, We are The Twenty Two from Warrington in the North West of England.
The Band is
Joe Rhodes: Lead Vocals/Guitar
Nay Rhodes: Bass
Matt Morris: Lead Guitar
Jack Van Dyke: Drums
Joe: ‘Me and Nay are brothers and have been writing songs and playing in bands together for long as we can remember. We got together with Matt and Jack at the end of Summer 2019. We spent a lot of hours bashing out material in rehearsal rooms, spent a few days in the studio and played a couple of gigs to prepare us for a launch in Spring 2020…
Needless to say, it didn’t work out how we’d planned.’
Matt: ‘Yeh, There’s a video on our Youtube channel from Feb 29th 2020…Doesn’t come around very often that date, that’s how I remember it! The video is called Car Chitchat and one of the questions we were asked was what would you do if the world was due to end tomorrow. Couple of weeks later, that’s how it felt…’
Joe: ‘Some bands thrived during the lockdowns, using Zoom and social media to do their thing.. but it wasn’t for us. We parked it, concentrated on writing and getting in the studio as often as we were allowed.’
What are your previous releases?
This single, You’re Mine, Divine is our third release. Our first was ‘Just Tonight’ in February this year and ‘Heartache’in April.
What inspires you to write music and what are your influences?
Jack: ‘We have a wide range of influences in the band tbh. We all come from different places, musically. I think we all value authenticity and credibility in whoever it is we’re listening to or have been influenced by.’
Joe: Most of the song ideas come from personal experience and the people you meet along the way…A lot came from my time at university in Liverpool. ‘Just Tonight’ was written after a memorable night out in the City
What would you say your musical vision is?
Nay: ‘ What’s important to us is that we can grow and evolve and try out new things when we want but also that we can continue to do what we already do well when we choose. We’ve always enjoyed using contrast in the music, dipping into different styles when we feel like it, but we know the importance of creating a vibe with a collection of songs and not confusing everyone with random releases.’
Joe: ‘ Yeh…We’ve actually been on a musical journey already which on one heard! We’ve learnt a lot and have good idea how the future might sound…whilst still allowing ourselves to be influenced by sounds old and new…We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel, we just want to ride the bike for a bit’
If you had to describe your sound, what would you say?
Big..Melodic..Anthemic..Powerful and slighty too high to sing comfortably.
Songs that would fill a field is what we aim for.
The music scene is pretty vibrant at the moment who else have you been listening to lately?
Joe: ‘This week, we’ve been mostly listening to Velvet Starlings, Jane’s Addiction and Stone’
Tell me a bit about your new single, what was the thinking behind it?
Joe: ‘You’re Mine, Divine’ is another song which draws from my observations from nights out in Liverpool as a student. In fact, the first batch of songs we wrote could actually be made into a concept album about moving from a small town to a big city.
I wouldn’t want to be to be too prescriptive, I know that people already have their own ideas about what the song is about and it’s great to hear other people’s interpretation of the lyrics.
At the heart of it, It’s a song about toxic masculinity and about some of the characters you see and hear when it’s time you should be getting yourself home.’
I had a really good listen to the track prior to its release and of course since and i reckon it can be interpreted as an observation of the characters you meet in everyday life in any City, town or country, ‘Their excuses are inspired, hate the lies but love the liar’ we all know someone like that.
“Bass and Drum…with vocals which are slightly too high to sing comfortably”
The intro sets off at pace with a powerful drum pattern overlaid with a lead guitar riff that has a slight oasis vibe before the chugging bass line and a really powerful vocal sets us off. Although in their own words they describe the sound as “Big guitars, Bass and Drums… with vocals which are slightly too high to sing comfortably” I have to disagree slightly…Yes, the guitars are big, yes, the bass and drums are big but the vocal is intense, yes, its high but with power and reminiscent of Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) it fits perfectly, it is delivered with ease. It is full of energy, it even smacks of desperation as the song progresses. I really do like the vocal.
The track is punchy, melodic and anthemic, in your face stuff. Having released two previous singles, they are evolving and developing their own sound, drawing on many influences from not only the past, but also the present, running with it to give them a unique sound, which again in my opinion is what music should be about, in their words ‘We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel, we just want to ride the bike for a bit’ There’s hints of old rockers like Zeppelin and the Who and yes, a bit of Oasis thrown in but the sound is definitely their own.
“We’re not trying to re-invent the wheel, we just want to ride the bike for a bit”
Where was it recorded, which label and any info regarding production?
Jack: ‘The Covid restrictions gave us time to tinker and tweak the songs. We didn’t feel any pressure to release them so we’d live with them for a bit..play them to friends, change arrangements and lyrics etc. We recorded some tracks at Neon Palms in Northwich, with others and overdubs at Catalyst Studios in St.Helens.
At the end of it we had a bundle of songs with bits that needed attention, so we took 6 or 7 of them to The Motor Museum in Liverpool and spent some time adding and repairing different parts. You’re Mine Divine needed some help with the drums, and we were really pleased with the drum sound we got in there.’
We mix the tracks ourselves on Pro Tools, with loads of revisions being sent back and forth over WhatsApp until everyone is happy..or nearly happy.
Are you signed to anyone yet?
Joe: ‘Haha..No… Someone said that the music industry would come to us when the time was right..well we’re here now don’t play hard to get.
We have ambitions to buy white Rolls Royce’s and guitar-shaped swimming pools so that we can drive our white Rolls Royce’s into our guitar-shaped swimming pools. That kind of environmental vandalism needs the support of a Major Label and a healthy bank balance we reckon. Currently, we are concentrating on building something that can stand up alongside the artists that we respect.
Matt: ‘The main thing, regardless of how successful we are, is that we’ve become great friends. We love being in a band and creating music together. Success would be a bonus…a really massive bonus mind’
Joe: ‘..No mate, the white Rolls Royce is the main thing!’
Where have you been gigging this year and what’s lined up for the rest of the year?
Nay: ‘Gigs have been pretty local, we’ve played The Cavern for Dave Monks at BBC Introducing, EBGB’s and The Jacaranda with This Feeling supporting The Chase.
We filmed the video for ‘Just Tonight’ downstairs in the Pyramid Arts Centre in Warrington. The space was previously a restaurant. For the single launch we convinced the venue to rip out the seating and let us paint it black so that we could use it as a gig venue.
We have a PA in there and have put on 3 sold-out shows with younger bands from the town. It been a great way of developing our live show without having to travel too far afield. Now that we’re starting to release the songs we’ll be gigging more extensively this year.’
I’m kind of old school, I used to buy music from record shops on vinyl as that was the only option, how do you feel about the way music is accessed these days in the world of technology?
Matt: ‘For me…the Jury’s still out on this question tbh. As a punter, having access to everything on my phone Is convenient but the amount of music available makes it hard for new artists to be heard and given attention. We hope that the social media platforms help to throw the net out wide and that enough people like what we do. Records are cool, I love the way they smell and feel in your hands and I enjoy reading the cover notes but I’m not sure it’s good to send songs out into the World on lumps of coloured plastic whilst it burns. Especially slightly different coloured versions of the same song to boost chart positions. ‘
Have you any other releases in the pipeline?
Nay:’ I’m just going to say it.. We have loads of really strong songs’
How important are radio stations such as Awayday radio for up-and-coming artists/unsigned acts?
Joe: ‘We’re all fans of British Rock Bands. I mean the type of bands who could sell out Wembley Stadium, Shea Stadium and Rio de Janeiro in a Summer. Where are those bands now? I reckon they’re still here but the industry doesn’t seem to have the ambition or knowhow to launch a band that high anymore. How many bands have emerged in the last 10 or 20 years that could fill these places? And how does that compare with previous decades? Solo artists are doing great and good luck to them but… come on.
Awayday radio is really important. You are keeping the flame burning for emerging bands. We just need the industry to suck up a bit of your ambition. 90’s bands still selling out stadiums after 30 years is cool but it seems like this massive cultural export has been abandoned because it’s easier to deal with a solo artist maybe.
Got to ask…football and clothing..what you into?
Matt: ‘I’m not into football that much but these guys are mad for Liverpool FC. We performed at The Jacaranda on FA cup day minutes after Liverpool beat Chelsea on Penalties in the FA cup. We watched it in the street…It went off when they scored! Then we got on stage and everyone was buzzing. Great show that.’
Joe: ‘ Me and Joe are doing this interview from Glasto so clothing at the moment is pretty eclectic! We wear black tie and suits a lot during our performances but comfort more than brands has always been the most important thing when we’re not on show with the band ‘
And finally, if you could have written one song from history what would it be and why?
Joe: ‘I’m going to say…something by The Beatles…Haha.. Not ‘Something’ by The Beatles but…
‘Yesterday’ is a tune and it’s a weird one because it’s written around a 7 bar sequence. We’re used to 4 or 8 bar sequences in music but if you count it, they do the verses in 7 bars and I think that tickles my brain.
Many Thanks Lads and good luck with everything you do.
Thanks for having us x
Overall, this a solid release from the lads in the North west, in my opinion their best one yet, and if that is anything to go by, then I am already looking forward to their next song, and apparently, they have loads more. Only a matter of time before someone snaps them up. Music is definitely alive and kicking once more.
