Your weekly go-to new music guide brought to you by our London music journo, Peggy as she uncovers the latest ‘bands and artists to watch’ in the post-punk, new wave, jazz and indie communities. This week she discusses the future of A/V, cable shows and warehouse raves with Dominic Rose, intrepid leader of North London disco-punk collective, Fake Turins.
@peggyfromearth
Based in the warehouses of North London, how has this musical community shaped your style?
The most interesting aspect has been immediate creative feedback. No work gets done in isolation — allowing the music to reflect that hyper dynamic & raucous approach.
Defined as an ‘audio visual collective’ as opposed to your everyday guitar band, how did you begin creating as a unit and how does the collective evolve with each track?
Many of us have worked & still perform in other projects, so it became an assembly of wayward creatives looking for something more. What started off as a musical union has increasingly spun into the voracious appetite we have towards all expression. For me, the sensuality of experience has been at the forefront of what we make — be that through songs that you can swim in or visuals that consume you. We want each step to offer you a whole new world.
If you could welcome one band or artist to collaborate with, who would it be?
Every collaboration has its unique merits [if taken from the position of self-discovery] but I’d have to say my dream collaborator right now would be Dan Carey. Between Speedy & his scottibrains/savage gary stuff — I think we’d have a lot of great work to get on with.
What’re the themes, concepts and influences which stimulated your latest single ‘Legs’?
To me ‘Legs’ has become a piece of work that defines change & through that offers an experience of mortality. Everything ends, everything grows — & like toes planted firmly into soil, our legs can become roots that propel us to dreams above.
Now with a neat string of single releases successfully completed, can we sense a debut EP or LP on the horizon?
We’ve got a lot of music working through our system at the moment, at least enough for a few records worth! The trick will be to decide which ones have reached the summit of our intention & which ones are just milestones on that path. There may also be talk of long form visual projects alongside this.
Leading the way for the disco-punks of this world, what does a live Fake Turins set look like?
Currently it looks like a parallel dimension cable show! But when we get back onto the stage there will be synths, percussion, guitars, reeds & a lot of poetic allusions to flowers. Abundance in all of its glory.
Having played live on a long list of London’s key grassroot venue stages, which has been your most memorable gig to date?
Our headline shows have held a special place in our heart — nothing quite compares to that exhilaration of a responsive & full room. But if I had to mention our most memorable, then our 2am performance at a warehouse rave in Enfield would take the cake. As our second gig already that night a lot of celebration had begun. Three versions of our favourite track ‘Down’ later & I could see the pupil-sized heaven in the dancing audience, not 1ft from my own face. It was a sweaty & sordid affair.
What can we expect from your venture onto our screens with the ‘Fake TV’ series?
Fake TV is our response to a world of digital misinformation. Redefining our own work into the alternate world of television has given us a chance to explore abstraction when not in the trappings of a modern gig experience. Subversion of the format is principal in all of our work & how to present information as the ghostly familiar.
What’s your order at a round of band drinks (can you sense I’m excited for the pubs reopening)?
If you’re buying, i’ll have a mezcal margarita with extra lime & some grenadine on top thanks!
In 2021 - when no doubt pigs can fly, we’re living underwater and Trump is world leader - what’s on the Fake Turins agenda?
First would be to catch those pigs & ask them what their secret is. Second would be to push further into arts we have yet to cover — I've grown increasingly fascinated by dance & performance art. I’d like to choreograph & produce a piece of physical art to live beside our [inevitably] expanding music catalogue & forays into visual exhibits, be that in digital or ‘real’ space.
@fake_turins