Rock and Roll has always been the music of the outsider, it’s always been a snub to the mediocrity of mainstream norms and aspirations. Yet, in a world where marketing rules, rock and roll has too often been co-opted as a method of selling records.
One day a band is a nu-folk sensation , and then they’re leather clad poster boys posing in front of Triumph Bonneville’s. But for Two Wounded Birds, there’s always been Vince Taylor on the stereo and Elvis’ picture on the wall.
There’s no marketing strategy with this band, no friends in high places, no favours to pull in. They’re from Margate, But there’s a benefit to being so isolated. As wave after wave of the next big things have engulfed England’s cities, singer Johnny Danger has quietly amassed a mountain of classic records in his quiet corner of the country, collecting everything from doo-wop to New York punk of the late 70s.
From this fountainhead of pop, Two Wounded Birds have steeped themselves in the defining sounds of the last 60 years, creating their own micro-community in an unreceptive, generally hostile home town.
This all-encompassing love of rock and pop has acted as a block to the relentless buzz of the hype machines and instilled in the band a fervent appreciation of melody and a deep reverence for the song.
And it comes across in the music: listen to All We Wanna Do and try and get that melody out of your head, or put on Night Patrol and try not to catch a chill. In other words, for once, this is the real deal.
Although Two Wounded Birds have written hundreds of songs over the last few years, things really kicked off for them when The Drums approached the band and began courting them over Myspace. Then Jon Pierce refused to go onstage on NME’s radar tour unless they were supported by Two Wounded Birds.
Maybe it was that anachronistic American look or maybe it was one of those killer hooks that got their attention, but soon enough Jacob Graham had released the bands first EP, Keep Dreaming Baby, through his own Holiday Records.
Since then the band have built up a loyal and illustrious following. A songwriting trip to LA found Brian Wilson, of the Beach Boys, calling up Johnny and complementing him on a ‘great sense of melody.
’ Whilst, Debbie Harry, Tracy Emin and even Spongebob Squarepants have jumped on board with equal enthusiasm after discovering the band independently. And maybe you had that feeling too: that moment of exhilaration, that extremely personal, intense feeling of joy when you discover a band that exceeds the hype, overcomes the nonsense and really delivers something worth your time.
And that’s really all there is: the songs. When you finally shut out the world, forget about what who thinks about who and who’s being played where, all you have left is the music. And this is the sound of well-crafted, timeless pop played by a group of unwavering, romantic, rock and roll obsessives.
