Music: Jeff Hemmings

Turin Brakes: Survivors of the New Acoustic movement are enjoying a renaissance

I’m pretty happy, we are in the album charts today,” says lead singer and songwriter Ollie Knight, who along with childhood friend Gale Paridjanian, formed Turin Brakes in South London in 1999. They signed to a Brighton based label and played their first ever gig at the legendary Freebutt, before signing to a major label in time for the release of their genre defining The Optimist LP in 2001. Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, it spawned a few minor hits, while Painkiller, from their biggest selling follow up album Ether Song, made number five. But the good times didn’t last… “We did the classic label arch of going from being a priority act, doing really well, to one that was virtually shelved.”

Dropped by their label after 2007’s Dark on Fire, the band signed to renowned indie label Cooking Vinyl, whom they’ve been with ever since. And their new album, Lost Property, their seventh so far, is taking them back to where they were in the early days, with chart success and daytime radio play back in their lives. “The general reaction has been amazing. Its been one of those weeks! We’ve become experts at carrying on regardless, so when something like this does happen, it’s like OMG, all those things that felt quite far fetched, even just a couple of weeks ago, are happening. It’s lovely after working pretty hard for ten years and getting some reward.”

Of course, Turin Brakes never went away in the first place; Knight’s songwriting ability, the chemistry of the band as a whole, with the same bassist and drummer since their debut album, and the fact that what goes round, comes around, has worked in their favour. They have kept their loyal fanbase, and are finding many new fans. The hard work has finally worked in their favour.

Brighton has always been very close to the hearts of Turin Brakes. And they are really looking forward to rekindling their relationship with the place as part of an extensive UK tour. “We trust each other,” says Olly. “There’s a four piece chemistry, that is undeniable.”

Concorde 2, Wed 2 March,
7.30pm, £20