The Ting Tings — Katie White and Jules De Martino — first told you That’s Not My Name in 2008. Now, they’re back with a new album and a performance lined up at the What’s On Party in the Park on November 14. tabloid! caught up with White ahead of the show.
Q. What do you expect from Dubai and what can Dubai expect from you?
A. Dubai is such a warm and beautiful place and I expect to find warm and beautiful people there who would appreciate our music. As for us, we’re just going to come there and do our thing. Our performances are never polished. They just get raw and punkier every day, so... expect a good time but nothing polished.
What were the difficulties you faced when you came together as a band?
There were other bands and we had to do everything ourselves, from writing the songs to the recording. That was very challenging but we learned a lot and here we are.
You’re an indie rock band. How has the chart strength of EDM affected you?
In Ibiza, we used to party a lot and mostly all the DJs would play EDM and similar kind of music. We would enjoy it, but once we came back home, we would want to play and listen to our kind of music. So basically, we haven’t thought about it, we just love what we play.
‘Super Critical’ is out now. How has the response been for that?
It’s too soon to tell. The album just released a few days ago. Until now, we’ve been getting good reviews, but we want to take a slow approach towards it and build it slowly and subtly among people.
How is the ‘Ting Tings’ album release tour going? How has the audience and crowd been?
It’s going good and the response is great. After Dubai, we’re heading to Japan and it’s very exciting.
Let’s talk about inspirations. What’s the motivation to keep working on new albums?
I would say moving to different countries. We’ve made each album after moving to a different country. The moment you move out of something familiar, you open your mind to so much more and I think that’s how we derive our inspiration.
Have you managed to live your dreams or is there still something pending?
I’ve always wanted to make clothes and travel. That’s what I’m able to do as well right now. I’ve loved fashion and exploring new places. I don’t know what Jules’ dreams are [laughs] but yes, I am living my dream.
What can we expect in the near future from the two of you?
Definitely more songs and more tours. Yup.
— Priyanka Bhaduri is an intern at Gulf News.
