Photo Credit: Press

Birmingham’s THE TWANG will celebrate 15 years of their second record ‘Jewellery Quarter’ this December with a 9-date UK tour. The record will be released on vinyl for the very first time next month, which features fan favourites ‘Barney Rubble’ and ‘Encouraging Sign’. We sat down with frontman Phil Etheridge to talk about the record 15 years on, their tour preparation, and what they have in store going into 2025.

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‘Jewellery Quarter‘ turned 15 this summer. Looking back on the record, what are your feelings on it?

Phil: I hadn’t listened to that record for a long time. It was nice to revisit it, and especially with the tour coming up, to refresh my memory on some of the songs. There are songs from that record we have never played live before, so it was a lot of learning again. Looking back on it, after reaching #3 with ‘Love It When I Feel Like This‘, we never expected to get near that with the next record. When ‘Jewellery Quarter‘ reached #20 in the charts, we were dropped from our label within a week. If somebody told me that we’d get a top 20 record, I’d have bit their hand off. There are fans and friends who say that this is their favourite record, and it’s the record they associate the band with, so that makes me even more proud of it, and more so now after revisiting it after years of not listening to it. I always say the last record is my favourite each time we release one, but I think between the two, ‘Jewellery Quarter’ is mine.

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You are returning to some familiar venues such as The Leadmill and O2 Ritz. What brings you back to these iconic places?

Phil: The Leadmill has this unreal history. It was one of the first big venues we ever played years ago, so to play it again is always special, as is the Ritz. The Leeds show will be really cool too, we did an acoustic show there earlier this year, so it will be a nice little warm-up ahead of the bigger venues. I am very thankful we have the opportunity to keep coming back. As big of a statement as it is, we are some people’s favourite band, so to achieve that, it means a lot.

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What has it been like to revisit those songs that never got the live experience before?

Phil: It gets harder over the years to pick a set list as you have new material to play, so with the album anniversary we are going to be playing that in full. We never got to tour the last record because shortly after its release, it was lockdown. A lot of bands will probably disagree with this, but I am all for giving the fans what they want to hear. You have to play the hits at the end of the day. So the purpose of this tour is for ‘Jewellery Quarter‘ and looking at the socials with what people are excited to hear, songs like ‘Twit Too’ which we’ve never played live before, so it will be exciting for everyone I think. I am nervous as I always am, but it will be good. We’re releasing the record on vinyl for the first time too, and that will complete some people’s collection as it was the only one that was never pressed on vinyl before, so that’s extra special.

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You have brought in Pastel to support on the tour, as well as a different opener each night. What was the decision behind that?

Phil: I think it is a really nice thing to do by giving a band a gig. You try to get on these tours and it can be very difficult. I remember the opportunity we had to support The Coral, James, bands like that and feeling incredibly grateful. I always try to be fair, and we have given some bands their first big shows at the end of the day. I like to hear what’s happening, getting to listen to what people are releasing and it was great to get so many submissions. Pastel was meant to play with us last year, but unfortunately couldn’t make it in the end. They dress really well, I believe in them, I have really bought in to what they are doing. They seem like really cheeky lads, I like that. They’re fans of the band too which is great, I am really looking forward to meeting them. We supported Shed Seven, which was an amazing opportunity for us by the way, and Rick’s son was there, and I promised him a gig, so I am looking forward to seeing Serotones in Leeds as well.

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The tour concludes less than two weeks before the new year. What are your plans for 2025?

Phil: We have some festivals pencilled in, I am waiting to find out the dates so me and the family can go on holiday actually. We have been writing together for the last few months, and started demoing in October. I am really excited for this one. It sounds good, it sounds happy. The band’s been through a lot, but there’s no pressure, we’re having a laugh, the band’s in a really good place right now. 

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The tour poster states there will be some surprises too, is it too early to feature one of the new tracks?

Phil: We still have a few more weeks of rehearsing. I don’t know. 

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How much has your rider changed over the years? Has anything been added or removed that you can tell us?

Phil: When we had our big production, we asked for remote control helicopters. Even though we were paying for it, you would ask for some stupid stuff. One of the propellers hit my hand once, and we had a right ding dong so we got rid of that. A few bottles of red or brandy are a must. I have switched to Kraken lately actually. We don’t have much sandwich stuff as it always gets wasted. We do still like to get involved, but I have to look after my throat more now. You can’t be carrying a hangover, especially as you get older, it gets harder. Saying that, all that will more than likely go out the window on the first night anyway.

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THE TWANG will be touring the UK this December, playing their second album ‘Jewellery Quarter’ in its entirety, plus fan favourites and much more each night. Tickets are on sale now.

Pre-order the album on vinyl for the first time HERE.