Turin Brakes

Turin Brakes stand as a testament to the fact that, even in this day and age, two men with a guitar each can find their way to major success. Since releasing their first album, The Optimist LP, Olly Knights and Gale Paridjanian have sold a seven figure sum of records worldwide, and enjoyed a number five chart hit here in the UK with Painkiller (Summer Rain) back in 2003. If anything, it’s a surprise that they haven’t enjoyed even more success than that in the UK, especially since the folk sound they’ve been peddling for the past decade or so seems to have spiked in popularity in recent years. They do continue to enjoy the adulation of a sizeable cult fanbase though, a fanbase that keeps them touring at a prodigious rate. Now expanded to a four-piece, both live and on stage, the band are on the live form of their lives, with new material taking them into more traditional indie rock territory. In particular, they made a serious impression at this year’s SXSW industry festival in Austin, Texas, where they played a host of shows across the city; with a new record, We Were Here, lined up for September 30th, the next step is to embark upon a UK tour throughout October and November, which will take in some of the usual suspects - Manchester and Birmingham - as well as some of the less visited towns, musically speaking, like Chester and Wakefield.