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The Ting Tings

One half of Britain’s new favourite pop duo talks fame, heroes and drum-related injuries

The Ting Tings’ rapid ascent to the most in-demand band of the moment has left Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drum) unsure whether she’s coming or going. Last night she played a gig in Iceland. Tonight, with fellow band member Jules de Martino (drums, vocals), she will fly off to Spain – or it could be Italy, she’s none too sure.

Jules is said to be off doing some painting but Katie has find time to sit down and chew the fat. Looking impossibly cool in tight, multi-coloured stripes and her trademark fisherman’s cap, she tucks into a plate of fish fingers.

It’s good to see you wearing your fisherman’s cap – an item surely destined to become as iconic as David Byrne’s giant suit, Madonna’s conical bra and Roy Orbison’s dark glasses.

Do you think so? See, I don’t even think it’s a particularly nice cap. It’s more comfort wear than anything. When we perform live, I need to be wearing it at least for the first couple of songs. I’ve tried to go on stage without it and I just can’t do it. Without the cap I’m nothing. As soon as I put it on, my confidence soars.

Describe your childhood in exactly 50 words.

OK. I grew up on a farm on the outskirts of Wigan. Loved ballroom dancing and riding horses. I was a well-behaved girl but not a geek. Got a bit more mischievous when I turned 16, the normal teenage stuff, going out and getting drunk. Nothing too strange or nutty.

Bang on the nail. I’ve always had the suspicion that most people in bands would have ended up in jail if they hadn’t managed to express themselves through music.

Don’t you think that might be the tiniest bit of a generalisation? I don’t think I’d ever have become a criminal.  

The band name was inspired by a Chinese girl you worked with?

Yeah. There was a girl called Ting Ting I used to work alongside in a restaurant. But later we found out that it’s got multiple meanings: in ancient Mandarin it’s an old bandstand; it’s a Jamaican drink; it’s also a weird head massage. We keep discovering new meanings all the time. My favourite take on it is that it means a moment of innovation – that ‘ting’ sound you imagine you hear when a great idea pops into your mind.

Jules has been described as resembling a hit man from Hoxton. Is that anywhere close to the truth?

It’s not, but it’s a brilliant comparison. The funny thing about us is that we seem to get a wildly different reaction from everybody. No one reacts in the same way to our music. The number of different bands we’ve been compared to is astonishing – everything from The White Stripes to Girls Aloud. I like that. It means people can’t pin us down.

What are you hopeless at?

Acting – I’d be the world’s worst actress. I can’t even tell a small lie without my face turning red. I’m also terrible at telling jokes.

Have you met any of your heroes yet?

I’ve met Michael Palin, who is a complete hero to me. My ideal Ting Tings tour would involve following him around the world. He’d be looking for crocodiles and that type of thing while we walked behind him, playing songs.

At live shows, you are fond of throwing your instruments into the crowd. Have any interesting injuries occurred?

We were playing Paris and at the end of the show I chucked my snare drum into the crowd. It hit the MD of our record label on the side of the head. Also, at a gig in Liverpool, I threw a drumstick into the audience. This woman caught it, then about 10 people piled on top of her. She got injured and threatened to sue, so I’ve had to curtail my instrument throwing.

What are the chances of you turning into an insufferable pop diva?

About 50-50. I’d like to think my feet are planted on the ground but who knows? There is a chance that all the great reviews and the adulation will go to my head. I need to be vigilant at all times.

Jules has mentioned that the debut Ting Tings album could also be the last. Was he joking?

He was at least half-serious. The Ting Tings has always been about finding fresh inspiration, never being complacent. If we found ourselves sitting on a beach in Miami trying to write songs about how happy and successful we were, then we’d probably call it a day. We wouldn’t retire from music, but we might start up something entirely new. We like surprising ourselves. When that stops happening, it’ll be the end of The Ting Tings.

Story by Jon Wilde

This is an edited version of the Katie Ting Ting interview. To enjoy the full exchange, subscribe to Sony Magazine here

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