Flagged as one of the year’s hottest new acts, already the duo have two hit singles under their belt and the hype-o-meter reading is off the scale.
Some concerns naturally arise. Will they crumble under the weight of expectation? How will the two musicians replicate their big sound on stage? Will one album provide enough fodder for a substantial live experience?
No need to fear. No chinks in the armour here. Arriving on stage to Talking Heads’ ‘Once In A Lifetime’, a choice decision considering the countless Tom Tom Club comparisons, Katie White and Jules De Martino’s flawless set is the product of experience, versatility, killer tunes and an undeniable chemistry.
Opening with the anthemic ‘Great DJ’, they work hard at maintaining the momentum. Katie’s years in girl band TKO have finely honed her live skills, as her performance is part-Debbie Harry rock chic, part Jane Fonda workout. With unrelenting energy, she jumps around, punches the air with her fist and urges the crowd to dance along (not that they need any prompting).
Throughout, she alternates between playing guitar and cowbell, and pounding a spare bass drum with a mallet. Meanwhile, Jules’ impressively frenetic drumming propels the performance. He also sings backing vocals and, on slow number ‘Traffic Light’, takes over on guitar duties while playing drums with his feet. Although synths, sequencers and bleeps are all on backing track, the performance is electric.
The Ting Tings’ infectious brand of disco-pop with a rock aesthetic is intoxicating. After the punchy sass of ‘That’s Not My Name’ closes the main part of the set, they return for the encore to perform the title-track from their forthcoming album. Curiously enough, it’s titled ‘We Started Nothing’. How wrong they were!