Spotlight On... The Twistettes

Edinburgh duo The Twistettes are fiercely independent and furious as fuck, and with good reason. Their most recent single, Tory Cunts, is a cathartic war cry against a government that continues to let down its country and its people. What's more, it's supremely catchy, bulging with screams of rage and we defy anyone who hears it once to not find themselves humming the titular refrain while going about your day to day business. Tory Cunts was released back in June, but the pair celebrate with a launch party at The Wee Red Bar this weekend, so it felt like the perfect time to shine a spotlight on The Twistettes. We catch up with lead singer and bassist Jo D'arc to find out more.

Can you start by bringing us up to speed on The Twistettes, how long have you been making music together and who/what inspires you?
We’re sisters so have been making music together in some form since we picked up instruments. The Twistettes' first album, Jilt the Jive, came out in 2016. Since then we’ve had some great opportunities including touring across the UK and East Asia playing venues ranging from the legendary Glasgow Barrowland to crammed basements in South Korea.

We are punk, art-rock, riot grrrl, real-deal indie with a touch of psychobilly. Acts like The Cramps, The Slits, Bikini Kill, PJ Harvey and Distillers have inspired our sound with a spoonful of pop melody from our beloved 50s/60s girl bands sprinkled over the top. We are known for high energy live performance and being loud. There are only two of us but we make a pretty big sound with banging drums and growling distorted bass guitar. Our shows are all about expression and making a space our audience can feel free and be themselves within.  

We loved your recent single, Tory Cunts. It feels ridiculous to ask what the song is about, as that feels pretty clear from the title alone, but it would be good to know why you felt inspired to write a song about the Tories?
The song was written on the evening of the 2019 election results. Boris had just been re-elected and I was driving to practice with a sense of impending desolation churning in my gut. I kept hearing this chant pounding through my mind and by the time I arrived at the studio the lyrics were written. The music came together pretty spontaneously, primal screams and all. One of those songs that just rips its way out of you.  

Ultimately, it’s a release of frustration at the lack of reprieve from a government that didn't even pretend to care about the majority of people in the country; excelling in the worst shade of selfish, greedy, corruption with no concept of compassion for those in a less fortunate situation than them.

We’re from a fairly politicised mining family in Fife and my dad’s village was the first place where the army were mobilised against the strikers in the 80s. That is our backdrop. We remember in our bones. We actually have a song that will be on the new album called Coal Dust. Its a capella, with our voices creating melody and rhythm as it explores this idea of identity and hereditary knowing. 

Can you tell us about Tory Cunts' accompanying music video, directed, edited and produced by yourself?
Over the pandemic I began digging deeper into producing electronic music and started a new project called Minerva Wakes. I became really interested in creating a visual element to the music to add depth and power. This led me to making visuals which I’m now bringing into The Twistettes' dynamic.

I’ve worked with some brilliant videographers in the past who taught me a lot and inspired my approach to making films. There's something really special about having the skills to create the visual representation of your own music. 

Everything is filmed on a phone and edited in my bedroom... we have no budget for fancy equipment as we are completely DIY. I don’t think this is a limitation though. I believe you can make good art from nothing. It's about the spirit, the heart, the passion. That’s what I have tried to create in both the song and the video. 

You’re celebrating the single release with a launch show this weekend at The Wee Red Bar. The political landscape has changed somewhat since you released the song last month; how do you think that will impact the night, if at all?
We are looking forward to celebrating the small victory that was won a couple of weeks ago. I say 'small victory' because I certainly don’t think that the political landscape is now fixed by any means. The term ‘Tory’ has a wider meaning than just a member of the Conservative Party – it means someone who is for the status quo, who is generally against liberal views and often pro-monarchy with a general penchant for ‘flags’ and colonialism. Actually, the term Tory comes from the middle Irish/Gaelic word ‘Tóir’ meaning ‘robber’ or ‘outlaw’ and I think this an apt description of many more characters in our political circus than just the ousted Conservative government.

Once the single was out on Spotify and YouTube, a bunch of great producers were interested in creating remixes of the track so instead of a single it's become a remix album called Tory Cunts + The Remixes: Not all TORY CUNTS and BLUE. It could be argued that the new government are somewhat ‘remixes’, a little more palatable but their intentions seem unclear and questionable. There is still a lot to scream about. 

Tory Cunts is the first single from your forthcoming third LP. Can you tell us more about what we can expect from the new album? And do you have a rough idea on when we can expect it?
It's been a long road since our second studio album A Strange Play was released in 2018. I suffered a spinal injury that eventually led to surgery. Despite this, we have still managed to cook up some banging bass-driven, drum-heavy, punk music. The album delivers the signature frenzied sound with a smouldering contempt for the broken system we exist within. We will be serving up some big melodies and primal screams pierced by gravelly grooves and feral undertones.

The next single release will be the track Big Boned, out on 30 August on all streaming platforms. We will be celebrating the launch at Broadcast in Glasgow on 7 September, supporting London band Gum Disease. This gig will raise money for Women’s Aid. We then plan to bring out another two singles before the album launches in April 2025 with a UK tour to celebrate.

What else does the rest of 2024 have in store for The Twistettes?
We’re still working with our producer Michael Brennan to finalise the mixes for the album. It's been really great to collaborate with him, he is very skilled and has worked with all sorts of amazing acts including Super Furry Animals, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream and Mogwai.

The focus after our summer tour will be pulling everything together including developing artwork/videos. We are halfway through our summer tour right now having played Bearded Theory Festival, Kelburn Garden Party and Eden Festival already.

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Tory Cunts is out now
The Twistettes play Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh, 27 Jul; NanoStock Festival, Saint Luke's, Glasgow, 3 Aug; Broadcast, Glasgow, 7 Sep; Equinox Festival, Lincolnshire, 20 Sep

Follow The Twistettes on Instagram @thetwistettesofficial