Towers Of London

So, what exactly do we know about Towers Of London? A band blessed with the spirit of The Faces, the wardrobe of the Clash and aural power of sulphate-era Manics, unquestionably. An iconic, five man strike force on twenty-first century apathy, undoubtedly.

But as an afternoon in their company proves, they’re also fans of everything from skateboard flick Dogtown And Z-Boys to The La’s to Shane MacGowan, knowledgeable rock’n’roll dreamers and so steeped in the spirit of ’77 even Steve Jones of The Sex Pistols took them to his hearts on a recent trip to LA.
“He called us a bunch of little cunts” beams guitarist Dirk Tourette from beneath a towering blonde testament to the power of hairspray.
“I think he likes us because we get up the noses of the trendies.“

He’s not joking. For those recently returned from Mars, Towers Of London (Donny Tourette: vocals, Dirk Tourette: guitars, Kristian Marr: lead guitar; Tommy Brunette; bass) have ruffled more feathers than any British band since The Libertines. A ten-legged whirlwind of glitter-punk riffs and aviator shades, they have already amassed a rock’n’roll charge sheet to die for, but more crucially, they’ve given U.K rock’n’roll a much needed shot in the arm without resorting to heroin chic or cosying up to the media.
“It has been a battle so far” explains Donny.
“It’s weird, because in the end all we want is the freedom to play loud, party rock’n’roll. Yet once you start doing it you realise there are lots of people who don’t want you to take things to the very limit and someone ends up getting arrested. Usually me!”

The singles you probably know about. If “On A Noose” and “Fuck It Up” acted as sonic calling cards, “How Rude She Was” marked both their arrival in the Top Thirty and a handy knack of writing pop classics.
“We’ve always loved big tunes” enthuses Donny.
“I spent the first six years of my life in Liverpool, and you hear those old Beatles melodies so much it soaks through into the way you write.”

Rewind. Having moved from their native Liverpool to Buckinghamshire as kids, Dirk and Donny formed a band lost in the mid-nineties spell of Champagne Supernova. “Dirk was always playing the guitar in his room and one day I heard him playing an Oasis tune and it actually sounded good. He told me to sing “Live Forever” and we took it from there.”

Fuelled by a shared love of “Never Mind The Bollocks” and “Appetite For Destruction” the brothers set about recruiting band members from the most likely looking candidates at school assembly.
“It’s been a long process” explains Donny.
“We’ve done loads of dispiriting gigs, had loads of band names- Brass Monkeys, The Lost Boys, the usual stuff. But we’ve come through it, and we’ve still got the swagger and belief in rock’n’roll we always had.”

All of which, needless to say, is instilled in the grooves of the Towers debut album. Released on June 5th 2006, Blood Sweat And Towers is a monument both to their struggle and to the redemptive power of rock. Recorded over the course of three months between London with Youth (The Verve, Guns Roses) and LA with Stacy Jones (American Hi-Fi) it is a record where echoes of Slade, “Sweet Child O’Mine” and The Faces “Ooh La La” happily co-exist, all shot though with a spirit and -yes-soul- almost entirely lacking in the wry, twitch-rock epidemic currently saturating the charts. If the Phil Spector meets The Ramones cacophony of first single “Air Guitar” will shock the doubters, it’s only the start of the surprises.
If the anthemic “Kill The Pop Scene” boasts a defiant “What d’you think about that?” rallying call, anyone doubting their capacity to evolve beyond their (bleached) roots should be directed towards the acoustic romp through “Fuck It Up” or extraordinary highlight “King” . Featuring a thirty piece orchestra and the lyric “I’ve learnt my lesson well now I’m back again’ it is an anthem for anyone who’s ever started into a bedroom mirror clutching a tennis racket.
“It’s the perfect soundtrack for anyone up for having it” says Donny.
“It’s got that swagger; that feeling walking into a club, us against the world”
Or as Donny sings in “Start Believing” : “Out of the flames/And into the light/ They’ll never stop me dreaming”
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