Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue

Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue is a three piece indie rock band from Melbourne in Australia with the line-up of Alex Watts (guitar / Vocals), Brian Juffs (bass) and Michael McHugh (drums).

I was somewhat surprised by the journey I travelled on listening to Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue. One moment the vocal is reminiscent of the poetry of Bob Dylan, then with a deft switch I was off listening to some solid ’50s rock’n'roll before finding myself thinking of Chas ‘n Dave.

Wherever the trio take the listener they do it in style as the material is able to stand up to scrutiny and delivered with panache. Whilst the material stretches a wide canvas it doesn’t leave the listener feeling seasick as there is a continuity of a jangle that sits in the dead centre of the sound. They manage to utilise a number of other players to add an orchestral choice of wind instruments to the toolbox, which they use with well crafted selection as and where the instruments add value to the track.

This will be an interesting band to hear develop. Already an EP and follow up single under the belt this is a sound that will engage with a range of music fans who like their music to have an aura of intellectual savvy - indiebandsblog.com/

We may not go hammer and tongs with All Hallows Eve here in Australia, however as befitting todays date here is an exclusive peak at Alexs Watts and The Foreign Tongue's video for their song " This Haunting".

Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue released the single, 'This Haunting' earlier this year, and celebrated with an east coast tour including a killer launch at Cherry Bar. The song has received attention all over the nation with both airplay and courtship by music blogs here and abroad.

The film clip you are about to see was partly fan-funded, via a succesful campaign on crowd-sourcing
website Pozible, and is the directorial debut of lead singer, Alex Watts. The story is told from the point
of view of an elderly woman in the grips of dementia, who has become convinced that the husband she once murdered has returned to haunt her, and claim his revenge on her life.

Veteran stage actor Shirley Cattunar plays the role of the wife, whilst Alex Watts and Ana Kingsley appear as the younger versions of the husband and wife, in the remembered murder scene.

Check out Alex Watts solo;

Sunday November 4 @ The Fox in Collingwood from 4:30PM (free enrtry)

and Alex Watts and The Foreign Tongue;

Saturday November 10 @The Empress in North Fitzroy in support of Gosti's album launch

Friday November 30 @ The Penny Black in Brunswick

And now...."This Haunting" - Undercover

Rock/pop quartet Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue have released their latest single ‘This Haunting’ earlier this year t0 a packed out launch at Melbourne Cherry Bar.With national airplay and attention both in Australia and overseas ‘This Haunting’ created a buzz around the band, whilst showcasing their evolution since 2011's debut EP Desperate Love.

This film clip was in part fan-funded, via a successful campaign on crowd-sourcing website Pozible, and is the directorial debut of lead singer, Alex Watts. The story is told from the point of view of an elderly woman in the grips of dementia, who has become convinced that the husband she once murdered has returned to haunt her, and claim his revenge on her life. Veteran stage actor Shirley Cattunar plays the role of the wife, whilst Alex Watts and Ana Kingsley appear as the younger versions of the husband and wife, in the remembered murder scene.

We at adamNOTeve a proud to Stream the video online! check it out below! and give the band a like. - AdamNOTEve

Alex Watts and the Foreign Tongue is a Melbourne outfit consisting of guitarist/vocalist Alex Watts, bassist Brian Juffs and drummer Michael McHugh.

We caught up with Watts half way through last year when he told us about his creative idea for an upcoming album. The first single “This Haunting” certainly gave us a lot to think about.

The story is about a woman who is haunted by her dead husband who she is suspected of murdering. Not your usual love song. Watts explained the album was going to be a story that plays out across the length of the album. After listening to “This Haunting”, a hunger for more of the story was becoming increasingly desperate. Watts has now delivered. A new single is due to be released on February 19th giving another piece of the thread to the increasingly mysterious tale.

The new single, “Warned”, takes the listener in a completely different direction. With a deep, bluesy guitar sound and an insistent drum beat, “Warned” gives us a snapshot of a married man drunkenly serenading a prostitute in the early hours of the morning. Again, not your typical love song. The song starts off at a fairly slow pace but then builds to a trembling crescendo with Watts’s vocals becoming raspier to enforce the predicament that the married man has got himself into. With the inclusion of The Australian Ska Orchestra to build the intrigue, Watts has achieved what he set out to do and captured our full attention.

The clever song writing skills of Watts to give the listener a lot of intrigue over two amazing songs shows what an exciting talent this singer really is. Now with two singles released and different tales told, an even bigger craving has been created for the album to be released so we know the full story and how it all came about.

Make sure you get yourself a copy of the new single, “Warned”, to be released on February 19th. You can also see Alex Watts and the Foreign Tongue play live at The Post Office Hotel in Coburg on Saturday 9th February. Before you see them there, you can catch them at The Prince of Wales front bar in St. Kilda on Tuesday 5th February as part of the St. Kilda Festival. - Get Shot Magazine

2012 was a busy a year for indie four piece Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue, they released a single co-written with Mick Thomas (Weddings, Parties, Anything), toured the country twice, and directed their own fan-funded music video. The band performed at St. Kilda Festival last week and are about to release their new single ‘Warned’ on February 19th, so it doesn’t look like things will be slowing down anytime soon.

What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?

I was in a children’s circus from an early age so my earliest memories of performing are mostly to do with trapeze and juggling rather than music. I credit the fact that I feel very at ease on stage because I have actually been doing it since I was eight years old or so! Jordie Lane was in that circus too, his dad ran it.

When I was 12-14 while all of my friends were listening to Nirvana and silverchair I became obsessed with The Beatles and decided that’s what I wanted to do. So I started learning guitar and it’s been a trajectory to superstardom ever since!

Your new single ‘Warned’ is due for release on February 19th, what’s the track about?

The song is a conversation between a prostitute and her customer and takes places in the early hours of the morning. They discover that they have a connection and lament the fact they could not have met under different circumstances. The song is part of a larger song cycle that will make up our next album, but hopefully it can be also enjoyed on its own.

Has your approach to songwriting and recording changed at all since the release of your debut EP ‘Desperate Love’ in 2011?

‘Desperate Love’ was an accurate snapshot of this particular band at that particular time. I actually heard the record for the first time in a while the other day, and even though it was only two years ago I was surprised by how raw it sounds. We’re not exactly a polished band now, but we’ve worked to harness the elements of that looseness that are good into something a bit more digestible. I haven’t really changed my approach to writing but I try to challenge myself all the time and I feel I’m improving as I go along, sort of like a fine wine.

I’m definitely a better singer than when we made ‘Desperate Love’, I used to shout a lot because I wasn’t very confident, but the amount of live shows – especially the acoustic shows I do on my own – that we’ve done over the last two years has had a positive effect on my vocal ability and that in turn effects the sort of songs I’m able to write.

Singles ‘This Haunting’ and ‘Warned’ form part of a story that is to play out across the album, what inspired you to write it this way?

I just really like songs that are about stuff. I like the idea of an album having a running theme, whether it be a strict narrative or just an repetitive idea, that it can still be more than a collection of songs. The Who’s Quadrophenia is my favourite of their albums and it tells a story as a whole, but the songs are still great on their own, so you can choose to enjoy it either way. It also appealed to me that the extra amount of time I had meant I could get a bit surreal in places, introduce some twists which would be too complicated to explain in one three-and-a-half minute pop song.

What’s been the most challenging aspect of setting our to write your record this way?

I guess trying to not make it too confusing or annoying for the listener, once you say it’s a song cycle people are going to be listening for a connection between the tracks, and if they don’t get it then that’s offputting. Also trying to not make it too pretentious or overly serious because it’s still just a collection of pop and rock songs when it comes down to it, and rock’n’roll should be fun. But the challenges are part of what makes it enjoyable to write, otherwise I wouldn’t do it.

‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?

Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True, Crowded House’s self titled album, Simon & Garfunkle’s Bridge Over Troubled Water. Like most people my parents rebought all the stuff they still wanted to listen to on CD so I ended up with a small selection of classic LPs that I have been adding to ever since. Those three were probably the pick though, because they also owned a fair amount of Sting.

Which Australian bands are you enjoying at the moment?

Oh Mercy, The Cactus Channel, Ben Salter, Liz Stringer, Paul Kelly. I know that seems like a very Melbourne-centric list but that’s just because the rest of the country aren’t very good.

Do you have any particular ritual before you go on stage, or even a lucky charm you take with you?

I like to smash my guitar within the first few minutes of my set, it’s not extremely practical but it keeps the audience on their toes.

You’ve already had the opportunity to work with Mick Thomas, which other Australian artist would you like to collaborate with?

I’m doing a show with Alex from Oh Mercy in a few months so I’m looking forward to that, he’s got a very original style.

What is your band’s music the best soundtrack for?

Shelling peanuts and doing your tax return.

What’s planned for Alex Watts & The Foreign Tongue in 2013?

We’re going to finish this album! We’ve got some new songs that have us all excited, so we’re going to go back and record those hopefully soon and get the record ready for an end of year release. We’re also about to announce a remix competition on our Facebook page where people can download the individual instrumental parts of ‘Warned’ and then upload a remix, the best of which we will release through our label, Astound Records. It’s open to everyone, bedroom beatmakers and whoever wants to have a crack, I’m really looking forward to hearing what kind of weird directions people might take my song! - Tone Deaf

Since releasing their debut EP ‘Desperate Love’ in 2011, the Melbourne rock/pop trio of Alex Watts, bassist Brian Juffs and drummer Michael McHugh, have seen their band’s success rise dramatically.

After releasing their previous single ‘This Haunting’ in 2012 and spending the latter half of that year touring around the country, the band’s latest track ‘Warned’ is the next part of the song cycle which will make up the band’s next EP.

A domestic tale of religion, temptation and murder, ‘Warned’ occurs earlier on in the story than ‘This Haunting’, which appears at the end, and paints a portrait of a married man, drunkenly serenading a prostitute in the early hours of the morning.

Where ‘This Haunting’ has a playful and bouncy rhythm, ‘Warned’ takes a more ‘morning after’ approach. With a slower pace, emotive howls, interesting and dirty guitar riffs, along with an insistent drum beat and even a horn section.

Though it has quite a dark and depressing aura, there is something about the sound that still gives it that light feel which offers comfort rather than redemption.

It also has quite an interesting layout. Not only does it go for an extended time of five minutes, but there is no real distinct verse and chorus pattern.

If you’re a fan of Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, The Clash, or just something different from your Top 40 hits on the radio, then this is definitely a track worth checking out.
- Top Shelf Magazine

First to take to the compact stage is Alex Watts, doing it acoustic and solo tonight without The Foreign Tongue (that’s Watts’ group). Armed with a 12 string guitar and playing to a dedicated audience of around 18, Watts performed as if playing to a packed house.When you cross the threshold to enter The Old Bar in Fitzroy you are greeted with a warmth, not only caused by the heating but also the atmosphere. The vision before you is how bars used to be and disappointingly have been rendered obsolete in the name of progress. The Old Bar though makes you feel like you’ve made it home to familiar surroundings. It’s small on the new development scale, but that’s what makes it so appealing to see a night of music that won’t get lost in the usual honour guard of poker machines. That’s why we are here tonight. A great night of tunes from Alex Watts, The Black Chords and Dan Lethbridge is just what is needed to bring cheer to a dismal Tuesday night.

It’s not about how many you play to, it’s just being up there and playing your music to anyone who wants to listen, even if that’s just one person privileged enough to be there.

While delighting those assembled with his masterful playing, a lady popped her head into the room and said “Oh! you’re not the one I was thinking was playing.” After stifled laughter had gone around the room, Watts commented “It’s always good to get feedback halfway through your set.”

Moving on, Watts played a sensational acoustic version of his last single “This Haunting” which equaled the quality of the original perfectly. Watts also played “Warned“which is going to be the next single to be released. These are tracks from an album expected for release in early 2013. One more song called “Sally Watts” had finished his work for the night. - Get Shot Magazine

First to take to the compact stage is Alex Watts, doing it acoustic and solo tonight without The Foreign Tongue (that’s Watts’ group). Armed with a 12 string guitar and playing to a dedicated audience of around 18, Watts performed as if playing to a packed house.When you cross the threshold to enter The Old Bar in Fitzroy you are greeted with a warmth, not only caused by the heating but also the atmosphere. The vision before you is how bars used to be and disappointingly have been rendered obsolete in the name of progress. The Old Bar though makes you feel like you’ve made it home to familiar surroundings. It’s small on the new development scale, but that’s what makes it so appealing to see a night of music that won’t get lost in the usual honour guard of poker machines. That’s why we are here tonight. A great night of tunes from Alex Watts, The Black Chords and Dan Lethbridge is just what is needed to bring cheer to a dismal Tuesday night.

It’s not about how many you play to, it’s just being up there and playing your music to anyone who wants to listen, even if that’s just one person privileged enough to be there.

While delighting those assembled with his masterful playing, a lady popped her head into the room and said “Oh! you’re not the one I was thinking was playing.” After stifled laughter had gone around the room, Watts commented “It’s always good to get feedback halfway through your set.”

Moving on, Watts played a sensational acoustic version of his last single “This Haunting” which equaled the quality of the original perfectly. Watts also played “Warned“which is going to be the next single to be released. These are tracks from an album expected for release in early 2013. One more song called “Sally Watts” had finished his work for the night. - Get Shot Magazine

In an age where it is uncommon for a band to release a single, it is great to see Alex Watts & The Foreign Tongue have done so. Originating from Melbourne, their first EP release entitled Desperate Love appeared in 2011 along with their single release of ‘This Haunting’ in mid-2012, so these guys are relatively experienced within their scene. Some touring highlights from their past few years of being a band are the 2011 Queenscliff Music Festival as well as numerous clubs along the east coast they toured through towards the end of 2012. It has been said that ‘This Haunting’, which is more of an upbeat song is a contrast to ‘Warned’.

‘Warned’ is a decent 5 minutes and 39 seconds full of great musical tension. The song continuously builds and along the way more instruments are added to the mix, creating this collection of sounds, but still portrays a rock vibe. The first of these sounds is a dirty driven blues lick that kicks off the song and has that perfect fuzzed-out bluesy guitar distortion. This is then followed by Alex Watts’ vocals, which I compared immediately to the late John Lennon’s vocal style, smooth yet you can tell there is power behind it. This then transforms into a catchy pop chorus, which reminded me of some of The Living End’s chorus hooks. A horn section from The Australian Ska Orchestra makes an appearance, supplying that trademark ska sound, but then this is contrasted with some noisy guitar bits and really levels out the songs vibe. Once ‘Warned’ picks up more pace, it finally builds to the outro of the kick drum beating and all the tension that the song built is lost.

I love hearing these types of songs because they are so well written. I can hear the amount of time the song would have taken to produce and tweak, it was all worth it because I feel ‘Warned’ is a textbook pop/rock song. It has everything a mainstream rock song should contain and more. Truly a masterpiece in itself, Alex Watts & The Foreign Tongue are definitely worth checking out. - Australian Musicians Network

Coming out of Melbourne is Alex Watts and The Foreign Tongue, whose have just released their new single ‘This Haunting’.

‘This Haunting’ is a cracking listen, due partly to the way the band draws on a pastiche of genres to create a warm, fun and unique sound that the band refers to as ‘jangly rock’n’roll’. The beats and electric guitar patterns, particularly in the introduction are so indicitive of energetic indie rock, yet the initial slow tempo really helps give off this folky vibe. Alex Watts voice could have been plucked straight out of the Nashville, it is strong, quirky and just has this characteristic country swagger to it. I just love the sliding guitar riffs and the stop start beats towards the end of the track are a particular highlight. Its the kind of track that offers a little something for everyone, undeniably enjoyable.

Following on from their solid 2011 EP ‘Desperate Love’, Alex Watts and The Foreign Tongue have taken big steps in further developing their unique ‘jangly’ sound, ‘This Haunting’ rocks. - Aussie Playlist

Having featured their latest single ‘This Haunting’ a couple of days back, we then had a little questions and answers session with Alex Watts and his band The Foreign Tongue, and here is what they had to say…

First up, who are Alex Watts and the Foreign Tongue? How did you guys all meet and come together to form the band?

Well I’m Alex Watts, I’m a singer/songwriter and guitarist, and the basic band is myself, Brian Juffs on bass and Mick McHugh on drums, and then we have various other ring-ins that we get depending on the show.

The band’s line-up has changed almost completely since it was first put together two years ago. With the exception of our original drummer, Huw Elias, who used to play in a band called Dirty Sanchez with me and is playing on this current tour, I didn’t know any of these guys previously. I decided a few years ago when I felt it was time to get out performing again, that I didn’t want to be a member of a band, I wanted to build a group around myself. That way if people leave or join and the sound changes, it can still be the same project because it’s still me performing my songs, and also allows me the freedom of name recognition, so I can perform solo shows without having to advertise it as ‘Alex (singer from the Foreign Tongue)’. So I auditioned some shit hot players that seemed like nice guys and that was that. Now we’re mega-famous.

How did you come up with your stage name? The Alex Watts component is perhaps a bit obvious, but where did the Foreign Tongue Come from? Did you perform under any other stage names before finding the one that worked?

Before moving back to Melbourne to resume my music career I lived in Italy for two years, working as a ‘madrelingua’, meaning mother tongue, English teacher. It seems kind of obvious that the Italian words for language and tongue (lingua) are the same, but I guess it was just on my mind.

On my way back to Oz I stopped in Berlin, and one night I decided to get a beer at the hostel bar. Much to the delight of a bunch of young Italian guys who were there, two drunk girls, who were, embarrassingly, Australian, were putting on a show for them by making out with each other. The guys didn’t really speak English so they rushed over to me and asked excitedly in Italian what was the word for ‘lingua’. Misunderstanding, I said ‘language’, and so they turned to the girls and chanted ‘MORE LANGUAGE! MORE LANGUAGE!’. That’s where I got the name from.

I imagine this wasn’t your first foray into music, what other projects did you have?

My first real band was called Dirty Sanchez, we only lasted two years, and our final show was our CD launch at The Public Bar, supported by Cash Savage’s old band, Jim Dandy. We weren’t that great but it was fun, and a good learning experience, particularly in what not to do. When we started out I was never planning on being the frontman, I thought I’d get the group going, demo some songs and then find a great singer so I could stand at the back and play keys. After auditioning a lot of Chris Cornell impressionists, the band finally convinced me to stay on as lead singer and I’ve been doing it ever since, although hopefully I don’t impersonate Elvis Costello quite as much as I used to.

What has been your venue to play at so far? And if you could play any venue, what would it be?

Some of the places I’ve enjoyed the most are both in Melbourne – The Toff, and the courtyard at Pure Pop. Although they’re quite different, they are both fairly intimate and so the crowd tends to pay attention and respond to the music, which in turn makes me play better! If I could perform anywhere it would be toss-up between the Royal Albert Hall and The Forum in Melbourne, although I’m really looking forward to our first show at Cherry Bar this Friday. It’s like Melbourne’s version of CBGBs, but wankier.

What is that inspires you to make music?

I’m fairly obsessed with music – I’m just a massive fan of it in general - Aussie Playlist

After gaining attention with 2011's Desperate Love EP, Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue released their newest single This Haunting. The single was released through Alex Watts' own independent label Astound Records. The band will launch the single in this late June and early July.

Check out for our Q&A with the frontman, streaming the single and for the launch dates!

1. Who makes up your band?
Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue are myself, singing and playing guitar, Brian Juffs on bass and Big Mick McHugh on drum duties.

2. Where are you from?
Melbourne.

3. Who’s your music inspiration?
I'm the least technical guitarist you will ever meet, so most of the people who have a direct influence on what I do are songwriters - I'm talking about Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Joe Strummer, Neil Finn.

4. Can you tell us how did you first write music?
The first instrument I learnt from about the age of eight was the piano, which I loathed - being forced to practice what seemed to me at the time to be this extremely stiff and boring classical music, until one day I was taught the 12 bar blues progression. I immediately added one variation as a bridge section and claimed it as my own creation.

5. How do you describe your music?
I usually tell people it's rock/pop music and if they want a better idea they had better come to a show. I have found it's quite a difficult thing to be able to describe a sound to someone who hasn't heard it, unless you fit perfectly into some definitive perameters, i.e. 'this is pop because it sounds like Katy Perry', or 'this is rock because it sounds like Pearl Jam'. But I can tell you we are interested in a broad range of styles that all fit somewhere under the umbrella of pop music. Also it's really, really good, and you should buy our records.

6. Tell us a little bit about your single This Haunting.
This Haunting is part of a longer song cycle that we hope to record in full at the end of the year, about the rise and fall of a marriage and the constraints of civility and religion. The song takes place towards the end of the story, where, by this stage, the elderly and somewhat crazed wife, who murdered her philandering husband many years ago, is convinced he's come back to claim his revenge. Just before we went into the studio to record this I sat down with Mick Thomas, who I don't really know and had never met before, and he rearranged the whole song, or 'straightened it out', as he put it, and helped tighten up my ramblings into a toe-tapping pop tune!

7. What kind of bands are you into at the moment?
I've gotten really into Nick Lowe over the last eight months or so and have been slowly working my way through his discography, so many great songs! I've also been listening to a lot of Ghostface Killah, Q-Tip, Wilco and Jack White.

8. What are you working on at the moment?
We are getting ready for our single launches, which are happening in Melbourne, Wollongong and Sydney the last weekend of June and first weekend of July. We're playing with some great bands on the tour, including blackchords and The Good China, who are both playing with us at Cherry Bar on June 29th, very much looking forward to it!

9. What do you reckon is the most difficult challenge in the writing/recording process?
Being honest with yourself when something you're working on is not good enough. I've found there is a kind of sadistic pleasure involved with ripping up and throwing away something that you had previously convinced yourself was pure gold! I also discovered songwriting rule #1 a few years ago that, like any other kind of skill I suppose, you have to practice writing all the time - keep going through the process, throw some stuff out, maybe keep that little bit, and eventually you will have a song. If you sit around and wait for inspiration all day you will get nothing done.

10. If you could collaborate with any musician, who would it be and why?
I'd really like to write a song with - Indie, Keep Scrolling

Having gained attention with their 2011 EP Desperate Love, Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue have returned with brand new single "This Haunting". The upbeat track will be released on June 11th, 2012 through Astound Records, but you can have a first listen below!

Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue will launch 'This Haunting' in Melbourne at Cherry Bar on June 29th, in Wollongong on July 6th at Dicie Rileys, and in Sydney at The Landsdowne on July 7th. - The AU Review

One of the most interesting things about country folk music is the range of artists it influences. They may not necessarily sound very country folk, but a closer examination might find a deep appreciation of strong songwriting (by no means exclusive to country folk but a definite strength) and a focus on what’s honest and real. These strike me as the strongest connections Alex Watt’s has to the music Unpaved focusses on. The inclusion of a cover of Hank Williams’s Ramblin’ Man earned him definite brownie points in the twang department.

Watts wears his heart on his sleeve. He sings passionately and wholeheartedly with vocal inflections that owe more to punk or Brit Pop artists like Jarvis Cocker than country troubadours. The emotional intensity of his writing is matched by energetic guitar and a swinging rhythm section. The rock out at the end of They Called Him Monster has a sense of Jane’s Addiction epicness about it that’s easier to imagine hearing at a Big Day Out than Woodford.

To his great credit, Alex Watt has packed an enormous amount of energy and artistic vision into this recording. If he can get this much into an EP, I look forward to seeing what he comes up with for an album. - Unpaved

Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue play upbeat country rock that straddles the border between country rock and southern rock. Their infectious style is certain to get audiences dancing. - Only Australian Music

If you like warm, jangly rock'n'roll with hints of folk, a bit of attitude and plenty of swagger, then I suggest you listen to Alex Watts & the Foreign Tongue's debut EP, Desperate Love. The band make music sure to please lovers of old school soft rock looking for something new. - Inpress