Brummie darlings The Twang have had something of a whirlwind year. They’ve gone from a struggling unsigned band to one of the biggest acts of 2007, with a debut album, Glastonbury and a clutch of awards under their belts.
It’s easy to see why.
Martin Saunders, or just Saunders to his mates, and fellow frontman Phil Etheridge deliver vocals that range from dreamy and wistful to swaggering, loud and lairy, while Stuart Hartland's chiming guitars has marked them out as ones to watch.
When they last played Liverpool in the Spring they were tipped as the next big thing, now they are all set to return bigger, bolder and better.
“Last time in Liverpool we had an amazing time,” says Saunders.
“My girlfriend went to university in Liverpool, so when I’m in town she always tells me the best places to go.”
Didn’t Phil’s girlfriend go to university in Liverpool too?
“Yeah, they’re mates. Phil’s been with his girlfriend for ages, and she introduced me to her mate. It’s a bit incestuous I suppose, mates going out with mates, but it helps that they understand what we’re up to.
“We’re away a lot, and I think that’s quite hard for the person who’s left at home, but my missus is really patient. She’s busy herself. She works at Cadbury’s, so she’s pretty busy with that. Plus I can get free chocolate whenever I want. She doesn’t touch it really. You don’t when you work with it.
“I used to work at the HP Sauce factory. I can’t look at brown sauce now.
“Sorry, what was I saying? Oh yes, Liverpool. I like it. I love all the old buildings, and how they’re renovating everything really nicely. Every time I come something’s changed.
“That’s one of the things I like about touring, you get to play somewhere new every night, you get to see loads of place you might never go to otherwise. I like Birmingham and everything, but it’s great to be out of there sometimes.
“I love playing live, watching people sing along. That’s something we never get tired of. You might have a bad day but then you stop yourself sometimes and think ‘you’re having the time of your life - enjoy it’.
“We’re proper mates. We’ve known each other since we were kids. When someone’s grumpy, you know when to leave them alone and when to try to cheer them up.
“The only thing I miss is having time to rehearse. I iused to love those days in our practice room writing tunes. They were some of the best times.
“I love it. You go home and you can’t sleep becaue you’re thinking about the bit you’ve just written, when you know something is right.”
What inspires you?
“Everything really. I listen to a lot of music. I really like Ian Brown’s new album, and The Coral’s latest one – I’ve listened to that loads. I loved Golden Scans by The Klaxons, that has been one of the tunes of the year for me.”
The Twang came second in the BBC Sound of 2007 poll, one place ahead of The Klaxons.
“Yeah, that was weird,” laughs Saunders. “We still think of ourselves as this little band, then you get that and it’s weird.”
The lads were pipped to the post by exuberant pop icon Mika.
“Don’t laugh,” warns Saunders. “He’s alright you know, him. We’ve met him a couple of times. I quite like his stuff. See, I’ve surprised you there haven’t I?”
The Twang play the University on October 14. For more information see www.myspace.com/thetwang.