Interview: Brighton's Twin Brother

Published in SQ Magazine January 2012

Wandering through the streets of Brighton, it's hard not to realise the wealth of musical talent that surrounds you. Every other bar contains local bands plying their trade in one of the most vibrant musical towns in the UK. One act looking to do exactly the same is Twin Brother, the stage name for multi-instrumentalist Alex Wells.

I caught up with Alex to talk Twin Brother, Brighton and his Glastonbury experience.

Tell us about Twin Brother. How did you start out?

Well basically Twin Brother started at a time when I wasn't in a band. I found I had some stuff I needed to say so thought I'd try my hand at writing. I'd managed to get a mic or two, so produced and played the stuff myself. At first it was scary but after a while it’s lots of fun.

How long have you been writing music?

I started properly writing when I was about 17 I think. I'd written a couple of songs before that but they were sort of 'make up lyrics that sound cool and fit in with the music' rather than actually having anything to say. I wrote 5 or 6 songs for a folky project, and then I made the Twin Brother stuff. I write pretty much every day, but I just never have any time to turn the ideas into polished recordings!

You’ve been likened to acts such as Tom Waits and Nick Cave for your musical approach. Who are your main inspirations?

A friend of mine called Benjamin Blower is a huge inspiration lyrically (he talks about freedom and consumerism and stuff, definitely check him out). I'm really into Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, Solomon Burke, Fleetwood Mac, The Walkmen, Buckley etc. But maybe it ends out coming out more like Spoon meets The National. I love that people hear Cave and Waits in there, I'm a huge fan of both but never thought I'd come out with something similar!

The style of your music differs considerably from the reflective Ephemeral Love to the more indie sounding Lungs. How do you describe your sound?

I have a lot of trouble describing the sound. Those tracks come from an album I demoed out a while ago (only some of which are online). I really made an effort to come up with my own ideas and experiment musically. While that's personally rewarding, it does make it difficult to tell people if they are going to like it. I suppose lungs stands out because it sounds a bit like indie from a year or two back. Someone today called my stuff "moody rock" - I kind of like that.

Which part of music writing do you find more expressive and powerful; the lyrics or the music?

 Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but I'd say the lyrics without a doubt. Maybe it’s because I think lyrics can ruin or make a song more easily than the music. Perhaps the music is a vessel for the lyrics and should enhance what's being said. Also, when I feel like the lyrics aren't thought through, I struggle to feel any emotional connection with the song - and that's the point, isn't it?

The Brighton music scene is one of the most vibrant in the UK. How has it helped your music develop?

Probably more than I realise. After playing around the country a bit, I've realised that Brighton is really into a lot of good stuff and really encourages doing new things. Lots of good stuff is being done here and loads of my friends are local musicians doing really interesting things. We sometimes play on each other’s sets (look out of Ez Stone and Bella Spinks).

What are your plans for releasing more material? Hints have been dropped on your Facebook about a release, so is there anything in the pipeline?

I'm dying to get a proper release out. I need to spend some proper time in the studio to come out with something more thought out. I had no idea Twin Brother would go anywhere at all so the tracks we're still playing at the moment are from a 12 track demo I made in 2 weeks in my bedroom. I'd really like to put a bit more effort into it and hopefully get something really good done.

Highlight of your career so far?

Playing BBC Introducing at Glastonbury this year for sure.

How was it at Glasto?

Fearful yet exciting. To be honest I was also really excited to go to glasto as I'd never been before. It's absolutely nothing like anything else and it’s impossible to describe without having been! We were the first on, on the Friday (so pretty much the start of the festival). We had a really decent listening crowd, maybe because we didn't have much to compete with!

Where do you see yourself in 12 months?

Hmmm as long as I haven't had a mental breakdown yet I hope to have a decent album out and do some touring!

Get to know Twin Brother: Quickfire quiz

Tea or Coffee?

Coffee

Bath or Shower?

Shower (haven't had a bath in years... is that bad?)

 Sweet or Savoury?

Savoury (meat)

 Beaches: Sandy or Pebbly?

Pebbly!

 Football or Rugby?

I enjoy playing football, but gotta admit don't really follow either.

Beer or Cider?

Beer

 Fender or Gibson?

Fender

 Film or TV?

Film!

 Mac or PC?

eeeeghhh i kind of hate Mac. I feel cheated ever since I bought one...