On The Download: The Ting Tings

July 11, 2008

Tags:On The Download, Music, Brits

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Dennis Kleiman
The Ting Tings
Dennis Kleiman
The Ting Tings

Dennis Kleiman
The Ting Tings
Dennis Kleiman
The Ting Tings

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE: July 11, 2008 15:47 PM

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Even if you don’t recognize the faces of singer/guitarist Katie White (blonde, girl) and drummer Jules De Martino (sunglasses-at-night-wearing boy), you’ve no doubt heard of the Ting Tings by now.

The Manchester, England band’s super fun song “Shut Up And Let Me Go,” with those angular early ‘80s guitars and ‘70s disco-y synth lines were used for a recent hip iPod ad. Thanks to the ad and their debut album, “We Started Nothing,” released last month, they’re fast on their way to becoming the hot new band of the summer.

In May, the band hit the U.S. for a brief tour to support the new record and they made their U.S. television late night debut on Jimmy Kimmel’s ABC show.

“On The Download” went down for the set, bringing a musically clueless pal (he once mistook a rather famous drummer for a homeless person – and he gave him money, which the drummer-we-won’t-name took!). After stuffing ourselves with the show’s backstage mini-food (thanks Jimmy!), we watched the Ting Tings churn out four songs upstairs, and left totally enchanted.

Even when Katie, who looks — and occasionally sounds — like a young, blonde Chrissie Hynde (of The Pretenders), broke her guitar, forcing the band to play “We Walk” twice, we stood there unable to look or turn our ears away.

A week later, the band was back at the Troubadour here in Los Angeles and we hit that show too for their full live gig.

It was sold out and when the Ting Tings hit the stage it was easy to see why. From the nutcase standing in the center jumping vivaciously to the songs and Katie’s in-between song banter, to our plus 1 that night, who had only heard a few tracks beforehand, everyone found it sweaty, bubbly and once again, we all couldn’t stop staring.

The Ting Tings’ song “That’s Not My Name,” which was a number 1 hit in their native U.K., is such a super-fantastic pop song that Fergie might want to considering hiring the duo when she works on the follow up to “The Dutchess” (due to noted refrain of, “They Call Me Stacey …”).

Until the band is back next month, we’ll be buzzing around in our car with “We Started Nothing,” on semi-permanent rotation.