Their Own Private Universe

It is with no amount of ego that Olly Knights from Turin Brakes refers to his band as having achieved a cult-like status. Genuinely humble, the folk singer-songwriter is simply stating an undeniable fact. The kind of dedication their fans show is usually reserved for boy bands or the dead. Not many could boast creating an album like The Ether Song, which, released ten years ago, was so popular fans have dedicated an entire website to praising its glory. It produced 1990s underground hits Painkiller and Underdog, and while the band have sold more than a million records worldwide, they've never recorded a number one single or album. They do, however, have a connection with their audience that reaches beyond chart success. “We are incredibly lucky to still be making a living doing what we love,” Knights admits, “because of that situation. We have friends in other bands whose bubble burst and couldn't keep going. It's not like we've smashed up the charts. We've just been quietly in our own bubble.”

Knights said he would be a “richer man” if he knew what made certain music resonate with the masses but felt fortunate to have survived leaving a major record company to find sympathetic indie distributor, Cooking Vinyl. The move appeared to be a direct reaction to problems with their earlier label, particularly at the height of their success, including several reissues of their work. “The reissue days are over,” Knights says. “When we started our indie label [The Complete ATOMIC] we just couldn't stop working because we genuinely love playing together, we couldn't keep away from music and people who love our music just kept coming.”

Stepping out of the machine and into their own realm has probably only helped to cement the band's hero worship but Knights believes the adoration is much more about what they do rather than how they do it. “We turned ourselves into a cottage industry and that suits the kind of cult-status. A lot of people talk about our fans and their dedication and I think what people are drawn to is the musicianship. If you are accomplished in mainstream music, that is not necessarily a good thing. It can be a real negative. We are proud of the fact that we play regularly and are improving all the time. I think people almost hold that up as a reason to love the band; they talk about the realness. Perhaps it is a reaction to X Factor and the pop side which is so orchestrated and manufactured, now more than ever. I'd like to think we stand in opposition to that.”

Australia is a signed-up member of the Turin Brakes fan club. On any given day their Facebook page fills up quickly with messages of adulation from around the world including requests for visitation. Australian audiences are often the most vocal and Knights admits he is aware it has been almost ten years since they last visited our shores. “It was ages ago, in the middle of summer and we freaked out – we didn't know what to do,” Knights jokes of the heat. “We're really proud that we can get all the way out there finally to the other side of the world. Some bands can do it every few years but it's a big thing for us on a personal level. I think you can get lost if you do it too regularly. But it's nice to think that we're still going and apart from the UK, the Aussie fans have been the most vocal about wanting to see us. It's a really nice feeling.”

Knights and the other main face behind Turin Brakes, Gale Paridjanian, will bring their band out for the unique spectacle that is the Hunter Valley's The Gum Ball and some sideshows. A three-day indie event, which features a variety of bands from Tim Rogers' The Hillbilly Killers to Tumbleweed, The Beards and even Catalyst, The Gum Ball markets itself as a family-friendly gathering where young children sporting hoola hoops rub shoulders with old hippies. Knights describes it as one of the new wave of “boutique” festivals that are developing their own cult following in the UK. “There is such a saturation of festivals in the UK and these kind of boutique, family-based [festivals] are becoming popular. I guess the idea is that there is a whole generation of people who grew up going to Glastonbury in their teens and now they've matured and want to bring their own kids and make it safe.” He admits it was somewhat strange the first time Turin Brakes performed in front of a toddler but it has now become standard practice. “It was at first, it was almost worrying like, 'What is going on here?' But you know what, we've all got kids so you realise how lovely it is.”

Whether it be at The Gum Ball or at their side shows, Knights has promised Australian fans will get a good dose of classic Turin Brakes including the full band of drummer Rob Allum and bass player Eddie Myer. There will also be a sneak peek of music they are just about to record. This week the band are heading into their studio in Wales to record their sixth full-length album. “We're going into our studio for two weeks to record,” Knights says. “When we come to Oz it will be having just finished that so we'll be weaving the new stuff in and out. It's been ten years since we've been there so there will be a lot of back catalogue work but we always try to make our set very broad.”

For a band that is often known for changing direction from album-to-album, one would think that bringing it all together could be difficult but Knights insists there is a strong consistency. “The albums are pretty eclectic but the way we play live fuses it all together. It still feels like it is all a part of the same picture and gives a complete and whole idea of who we are as a band.”

As for their new work, Knights reveals they are heading off on yet another new route. “The next album is going to be very '70s with a lot of folk and rock influences. We've listened to a lot of music from that era. There's been a great psychedelic thread running through it all.” Unfortunately the phone line to the UK drops out just as Knights was defending his use of the word, psychedelic, but he does manage one piece of reassurance for fans: “Don't worry, you should all embrace it, we're still Turin Brakes.”

Turin Brakes will be playing the following dates:

Wednesday 24 April - The Zoo, Fortitude Valley QLD
Thursday 25 April - Oxford Art Factory, Sydney NSW
Friday 26 April - Gumball Festival, Hunter Valley NSW
Saturday 27 & Sunday 28 April - Apollo Music Bay Festival VIC
Wednesday 1 May - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC
Thursday 2 May - Northcote Social Club, Melbourne VIC 
Wednesday 8 May - The Governor Hindmarsh, Adelaide SA