Nakatomi Towers

This is the first real tune from Belfast-based boy/girl duo Nakatomi Towers and what a cool beast of electro-pop it turns out to be. From the "duh-duh-duh" nonsensical yet catchy chorus to the insistent disco bassline, this is promising stuff for all 2 minutes 47 seconds of its duration. - Niall Byrne - http://www.nialler9.com/

Nakatomi Towers already sound like the real deal. Active since just June, Dave Frecknall and Julianne Shawe bring prior band experience with The Jane Bradfords and CODA respectively to the table, yet their new collaboration is a world removed from those acts.

What you get with the Towers is bespoke electropop with lashings of synths, guitars and smart boy-girl vocals. Tracks such as Cut Me Out and What you see are shimmering, occasionally coy but always bussing tunes.

They have a rake of Belfast shows lined up for October. Check them out. - Jim Carroll - The irish Times

Nakatomi Towers declare they are “the musical equivalent of a hug on the dancefloor” and I’d be inclined to agree. I’d even go one further and describe them as the musical equivalent of getting a sneaky kiss from the pretty girl you’ve been dancing with in the Stiff Kitten for the past hour. Synthesisers, boy girl harmonies (with sultry vocals from Julianne Shawe and able support from Dave Frecknall of Jane Bradfords fame ) and an unabashed desire to make awesome electro pop dance music are the foundations of Nakatomi. Sure, the lyrics are hardly incisive (a chorus of do do do do doesn’t do much for me in “Cut Me Out”) but we’re not expecting Dylan or Waits moments of literary magic. Simplicity seems to be the goal of Julianne and Dave. You won’t get crazy over the top symphonies and you won’t get 20 minute instrumental tracks with more peaks than a mountain range from Nakatomi Towers, but what you do get is rather good electro dance music that will please the girl that just wants to dance, the musical snob and the guy that just likes his electro music. With undercurrents of M83 and Friendly Fires running through their music Nakatomi’s debut EP isn’t half bad.


“Cut Me Out” is a cracking wee track and you can download it exclusively from Secret Fireworks. While I’ve already made my comments about the chorus, it’s imaginative in other ways. The funky bassline and Julianne’s vocals in the first verse are a decent intro as the layers fall in one by one. I’ve never been a fan of drum machines and if I was being super critical I’d prefer a little bit more variety in the drumline but it’s not a big deal. With a nice little guitar solo and overlapping synth parts I can’t shake off the feeling that the song is going to ask me to take them to Funkytown. That, by the way, is a good thing. “What You See” is equally danceworthy and follows the same sort of formula as the first track, applying layer upon layer as time goes on. It’s a little bit more relaxed than “Cut Me Out” but it’s arguably the best track from the EP. There’s more musicianship on show for this track, with a decent chorus and a great outro after a synth solo and a keyboard part that Kraftwerk would be proud of is added to the mix. It’s good stuff, not the most original music in the world but it’s hard to be cutting edge all the time.


Of course, an act like this band are more at home upon a stage instead of a recording studio. NT recently supported Moon Unit at the Stiff Kitten in mid July and are set to support Pocket Promise at Mandela Hall’s Radar night on the 24th September: go ahead and check them out!


Check out: “Cut Me Out” and “What You See” - SecretFireworks

First impressions count and this Belfast boy/girl duo’s electro/indie tune ‘Cut Me Out’ makes a lasting one. Ones to watch.

- The Irish Independent

Radio review of Nakatomi Towers supporting Jack Penate. - Broadcast 19th October 09

'Nakatomi Towers are brilliant'
'really similiar to Simian Mobile Disco'
'such a good sound for just the two of them'
'really connected with the audience who totally got what they were about'
'really engaging, really easy to dance to'
'compared to the likes of LCD soundsystem'

'Nakatomi Towers winning Across the Line lineup and defeating Jack Penate this week' - BBC Radio Ulster

producing high end electro pop that would sound just at home in an after-hours club as it would galloping from a DAB radio at lunchtime

"Theres so much inspiring stuff out there' says Julianne. "and I feel like our sound is still evolving. We are both interested in taking lots of risks with our sound, but at the end of the day we're not reinventing the wheel. Ultimately, we want o write pop songs. Songs that have you dancing round a club or on your own in the living room. Our focus is on making music anyone can listen to." - Hotpress - Colin Carberry