The Ting Tings - Live Review

The Ting Tings performed two sold-out shows at the glitzy Bush Hall in West London ahead of the summer release of their fifth album, ‘Home’. Described as yacht-rock, the collection is a textured, lush departure from their famous scrappy pop origins. The Salford duo made the album in Ibiza, where they live. They performed with a 9-piece band.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Deconstructing your identity and building yourself back up again is a daunting task; no easy feat. Tonight, the Ting Tings did just that. The Northern English pair treated a discerning audience to their new album, with the majority of the set list compromising of their new album’s full-throated production and a new mojo: lush, layered soft pop/rock destined for sunny car rides and BBQ’s.

In a lionhearted move, the duo treated the crowd to a handful of helpings from their stormy debut album, 2008’s We Started Nothing, but with a makeover to bring their catalogue offers into their new vogue.

Opening with a lusciously acoustic Great DJ, the punters were treated to four new album tracks. From tender songs about their young daughter to changing your identity, the crowd hopped aboard for the promised yacht-rock sound, giving the ‘Tings unwavering attention while wading through the waters of unfamiliar new material. Their backing band delivered the new album with well-rehearsed tranquillity, recreating a full studio set-up.

Mid-set, Shut Up and Let Me Go was given a rework to instead lament heartbreak. While their intent to reinvent worked well set list-wide, undeniable mutterings from the audience nearby seemed to signal a desire for the original, scrappier version.

A couple of new tracks further (Home is a particular stand-out as a stomper of a tune), We Walk and Be the One come into their own as welcomed old friends, sonically anew as smoky-roomed favourites. Katie White did the chat between songs, mostly introducing titles and letting the music do the talking.

The group neared the end with Dreaming, the more recognised of the new material, which drew the crowd’s attention back after a slight dip, though ending on Down, a slower number, set a mood of longing. It’s a surety that fans would’ve loved to hear a smattering of the band’s discography across their other three albums.

White and Jules De Martino, fairly music-focused throughout, took a second to thank the crowd, explaining that they were unsure of ever performing live again. They staged these shows somewhat spontaneously. Given the love in the room for the band and the music, the crowd are eager for more. The Ting Tings deserve all the love in the room.

Duly, the band faux-exited and swiftly returned for one more track, That’s Not My Name. Aided by their backing band, purposed to deliver luscious layers and gorgeous instrumentation, the track was spared the stripping-back of other discography songs. It instead was given a slicker coating, and sounding fresher with more romp than ever, and reached the same euphoric, lofty heights that propelled The Ting Tings skyward in the first place.