Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle
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Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle

London, England, United Kingdom | INDIE

London, England, United Kingdom | INDIE
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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"Making a Splash!!!"

The Northern Echo goes out all over the North East - The Northern Echo


"The Early Days"

Early Days - Newcastle University Courier


"First Releases"

some lovely pictures - The Journal - Newcastle


"Gig Review"

All sorts of goodness!! - Narc


"Is It Tyne For Tyrtle?"

Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle are one of the most eclectic bands traversing the M1 every week up and down the UK.

Part country barn party band, part polka-fueled pop explosion and completely bonkers when they take to the stage, the Newcastle-bred septet are turning modern pop music on its head, inserting influences and sounds that many ignore, such as the aforementioned polka, American pop folk and kitchen party Celtic [kitchen party wha...? - Ed].

As a result, the band spends half their life on the road, and many of the songs reflect that; songs speak to stints in the van, lost loves because of moving around too much and of course, the love of a good pint. Plus, when the band isn’t playing traditional gigs in pubs, they busk on the streets of London, sometimes earning more than they do playing a so-called proper gig in the evening. “Through busking you will reach a far bigger audience then you would with most gigs at our level,” explains vocalist and songwriter Robbie Humphries.

“If you play on a busy street and people stop to listen, which they do in their droves, every hour that’s 1000 or so people who’ve seen you play, noticed the big logo you carry around with you and (hopefully) bought a CD. You make money as you’re doing it - it’s advertising you get paid for. There’s nothing more satisfying then a pint earned from busking. Plus, the busking is an interpretation of what we do live, in a portable sense. We can busk for up to two or three hours at a time, anywhere, and it sounds good and is great fun. Some of our best gigs have been busking ones. They’re so spontaneous, you never have a clue who’s going to turn up. We had a load of police bodyguards at one busking gig because the crowd were getting so lively. That’s about the most special we’ve ever felt.

Yet, one cannot pay all the band and personal bills by busking alone, so the band also appropriates the traditional route, and as such is preparing a full-length CD, currently untitled but due for release at the end of the summer independently on the band’s own label. For this process, they returned home to where they felt most comfortable. “We recorded the album in the old Tyne Tees TV studio on Newcastle Quayside,” says drummer Joe Truswell. “A friend, and great producer/engineer, Julien Batten ran his studio in the building and was using the largest room in the building as his live room. This was ideal for our recording as we wanted to keep the feel as live as possible, it meant we could record many of the instruments at the same time. For us, it’s much easier to play when we can look each other in the eye, being boxed up in a little room surrounded by electronics, mics and wires can be a bit inhibiting. Anyway, they’ve bulldozed the whole building now so I’m not sure how that reflects on the whole process.”

As a result, the tracks on offer thus far exhibit a live-off-the-floor aesthetic, filled with improvisations, slight mistakes and exciting sonic surprises. Major-key, upbeat melodies take precedence, wafting over saxophones and strings arrangements that take bluegrass, folk, polka and old-fashioned rock‘n’roll a step further. It’s truly different from much else right now, and this is one of the sextet’s strongest points. There isn’t a hint of guitar rock here; instead, there are a dozen odd styles thrown into a pot and stirred around.

And it sounds as if it would work in a theatre or on a street corner. “The majority of what you are hearing is live recording,” says Truswell. “Some of the instrumentation has been multi-tracked and edited and the vocals are recorded later, but generally it was into the live room for four or five takes, then onto the next song. Getting a lot of good rehearsal time in before starting to record is essential. If you’re relaxed in the studio it can make the whole process a happy and productive one. I loved every minute of it. Plus, I’m told Sting thinks it’s awesome. He nicked one of our violin players, so we found out. And my brother kind of likes it which is a massive breakthrough for anything I’ve ever done as well.”

With the release looming, the band is doing what they do best. Packing up and leaving Newcastle. Some now live in London as well, because of the number of gigs the band plays in the Southeast. To date, nearly ten festivals are on the schedule throughout the summer, beginning with a headlining performance at Camden’s Barfly which is doubling as a release party of sorts for the collective. This band is best in the moment, on a stage (or pavement), weaving styles together effortlessly, improvising and generally having the time of their lives. “We can tailor our show to many different situations, so no two shows are really the same,” continues Humphries. “If you come to a full on gig, in a venue with a good crowd and atmosphere, what you’ll get is a whirlwind of high tempo, energetic, party music with blasts of many different but complimentary genres flying at you. It makes the crowd feel good and dance. We’re not the kind of band who you’re just going to stand and watch - we want you there in the middle of it all, enjoying the whole experience as much as we do.”
May 2010 - London Tour Dates


Discography

Single - Didn't Lie
EP - Songs to Enjoy
Single - The Tree Song
Album - Bushwacka
Single - Into Your Room
Album - Hotel Fandango
Single - Brown Box

Photos

Bio

A fruity, juicy and nutty performance guaranteed to stick out from the rest of the line up! Great musicians squeezed into a cocktail of festival fun and I dare you not to wobble, jive and do the gazelle strut. We absolutely love em!
- Adam Curtis, Director Eden Festival Scotland

Think Gogol Bordello meets Bob Dylan, think Jimmy Cliff meets Bruce Springsteen, think great party music played by a group of eccentric Englishmen, you have just thought of Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle. Featuring the worlds 4th finest English moustache, Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle went down a storm at the UK's biggest festival, Glastonbury, this year. Just part of an extensive summer tour that took in the most beautiful parts of the UK and Europe.

The band is currently working with super producer Youth (producer of The Verve, Crowded House, Paul Macartney) on their next ep. Due for release early next year, labels are already lining up for a piece of the pie. Previous releases have been enjoyed on radio from Sydney to Vladivostock and have been championed in the UK by BBC big hitters such as Steve Lamacq and Tom Robinson who said their "Brown Box' single was "simply stunning" adding "This band is on par with the best".

Sting loves the tunes and regularly listens to their album "Hotel Fandango" on his tour bus, even guitar hero Steve Vai is a fan "Maybe Myrtle Tyrtle are like an English Cadallac".

Praised for moving a crowd into delirium and placing smiles all round, this highly trained band play with a well placed sense of abandonment and fun.