The Twang

Name?
Phil Etheridge

Where are you from?
Birmingham

What do you do?
Shouter for The Twang.

Describe your style in three words?
Cardigan Wearing Kev. 

If you could make a record with anyone from history?
Man, it's a tricky one cause I'm starting to think who I might get on with and who wouldn't be up their own arse. The Chemical Brothers maybe? What they did with Noel is one of the best things he's done. Maybe UNKLE, again for what they did with Ashcroft and Brown. The thing is they were all moments in time that can't be repeated... Just gotta believe in fate and those chance meetings that may lead to something magic.

What’s the best gig you’ve ever been to?
There's been too many but I watched Future Islands a couple of years back in Camden and everything about that night was glorious from the company I was with to the pre-gig drinks and of course the gig itself. Just one of those nights - Loved it!

What British music icons inspire your sound today? 
We have a rule in the studio where won't listen to The Smiths or The National as you'll never be as good as 'um and it's just going to ruin your day. I know we sound nothing like either but I guess those bands are always subconsciously on my mind.

If you could spend an hour with anyone from history?
Hunter S. Thompson - just to see if he really was that f***ing crackers.

Which British subculture means the most to you?
I skated (skateboarded) up until I was about 15 and it's been a big influence on my life ever since. I think it's a great way to spend your days as a kid otherwise you just end up standing in a bus shelter going threes on a draw trying to find a girlfriend who doesn't wear a tracksuit. Which is fun and all that but with skating you always had something to aim for, somewhere to go and be part of. So many of the Birmingham lads from that time went on to do creative stuff and I feel chuffed to have been a (little) part of it... I still hate seeing plastic skaters carrying their board around like an accessory. It’s a way of a life.

I guess the other biggie and probably even more of an influence clothing wise was seeing the lads from round where I went school and they'd be in their leather flying jackets and them first black and purple Air Max or Reebok Pumps and they'd be off raving at Quest or The Eclipse and I proper wanted to be part of it. I was too young to go but they were always alright with me for some reason. I think they thought I was just this little weirdo with good shoes. Big shout out to the BBB.

If you could share the bill with any British band in history?
Oasis (when they were good).

What music did you listen to growing up?
When I was a kid I listened to Op Ivy a lot because of this H-Street video where ‘Matt Hensley’ skated to ‘Bad Town’. I also listened to a lot of Dinosaur Jr, Carter, Neds, Wonderstuff etc because my older brother was bang into all that scene. Then I stopped skating, started doing acid every week and got into dance, rave, house or what ever you want to call it. At the time we'd go to pure records in Brum and buy tapes every week and copy 'um for each other. I remember a Ratty & Sy tape with Robbie D from Fantasia being a personal fave. I use to write Robbie D’s lyrics down in a book so I could steal 'um and make cases for the tapes out of flyers. I’ve still got 'um all.

The Twang are an indie rock band Birmingham. They will be touring the UK in November/December 2017 to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of their seminal debut album 'Love It When I Feel Like This'. The tour will see them perform the album in its entirety for the first time.