LIVE music photography

Well the most hyped band of 2008 can now bask in the glory of a No.1 single and album which undoubtedly will enter the top 5 next Sunday. Even though No.1 singles mean less now than perhaps they did 10 or 20 years ago it’s quite a feat for a band who less than five months ago were playing venues such as The Hoxton Bar and Grill.

My blog from their show in January is not part particulally complimentary however, their potential was evident even at their first London show. Ever since this band performed at Glastonbury last year opinion has been divided on whether or not they were a cutesy manufactured pop band or were in-fact a real band who despite their obvious marketability, were keen to establish their own niche. If The Ting Tings are the result of clever marketing and A&R teams at Columbia they have done very well. I would go so far to say that the route of their success may now become a blueprint for similar acts wanting to break into the mainstream. Normally bands such as The Ting Tings would bypass the indie music press and radio and focus on targeting the likes of Radio 1, Capital, Virgin as well as appearing as special guests for big name artists playing the likes of the 02 arena and Wembley. This route has worked well for the likes of One Republic, The Feeling or One Night Only however unlike The Ting Tings none of these bands have any real credibility, nor have toured in the same way that the TT’s have over the past five months.

With the past three singles the band have received three “Single of the Week” with the NME and have been embraced by XFM from day one. The band slogged around the country with first on the bill on the NME new music tour with The Cribs, Does it offend you… and Joe Lean and the ….. this earned them a lot of brownie points with many in the music industry and has shown that they were wiling to put the leg work in. Katie White also has never exploited her good looks or sexuality in order to sell records or magazines. Bands nowadays are more likely to be marketed in the pages of Heat, Closer and the tabloids rather than the likes of the NME however this is a short lived strategy and one which they quite rightfully have steered clear of despite the inevitable pressure from they would have been from their record label.

Ok on to the gig. The show tonight was quite evidently a lot more confident that the previous ones that I have watched. For once Katie could take centre stage knowing that that the audience had paid to see them (her and Jules) rather than some other band on the bill. Critics have previously criticized her guitar playing and live performances however tonight they were excellent on all fronts. Musically they are not inferior to CSS or The Klaxon’s who this time last year were basking in the same success that The Ting Tings have found themselves in now. The key thing for them moving forward will be ensuring that they have a life after their No.1 single. Fingers crossed this hopefully won’t be too much of a problem for them.

Written by John Rahim