The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings performing at the Mod Club Theatre in Toronto, 14 March 2009
Background information
Origin	Salford, Greater Manchester, England
Genres	Indie pop[1] indie rock[2] dance-punk[3] synth-pop[4] dance-pop[5]
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Columbia RED Ink Roc Nation Finca Wonderful
Members	Katie White Jules De Martino
Website	thetingtings.com

The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo formed in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, vocals).

The duo's debut studio album, We Started Nothing, was released in 2008 by Columbia Records to positive reviews and commercial success, peaking at number one on the UK Albums Chart^[6] and number 78 on the US Billboard 200. It spawned four singles, including "That's Not My Name", which topped the UK Singles Chart in May 2008 and reached number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100; “Shut Up and Let Me Go”, which earned them a MTV Video Music Award.^[7] They received two Brit Award nominations, including for British Album of the Year and a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 2010.

Their second studio album, Sounds from Nowheresville, was released in February 2012,^[8] with the lead single "Hang It Up" released on 16 January 2012. Their third studio album, Super Critical, was released in October 2014. Their fourth studio album, The Black Light, was released in October 2018.

Career

Background and formation

Katie White started her music career as a school-time hobby in a punk trio called TKO—short for Technical Knock Out—with two friends from Lowton School, Marion Grethe Seaman and Emma Lally. The band had minimal success, once sharing the same stage as the bands Steps and Atomic Kitten.^[9] While De Martino was in Manchester, the pair bumped into each other and discovered they had a mutual love of Portishead. De Martino relocated to Islington Mill Studios (the Mill) in the Salford, Greater Manchester area.^[10] The pair, along with friend Simon Templeman, went on to form the Portishead-influenced trio Dear Eskiimo, who signed to Mercury Records. However, due to a change of directors and managers, the management style of the record label caused them to split.^[11][12] The experience left White and De Martino with a distrust of the music industry.

White was a barmaid at the Mill while De Martino produced tracks for various artists therein. The pair developed their sound from influences of performers at the Mill, and were inspired to form their own group, "The Ting Tings". Ting Ting was the name of a Chinese colleague of White at a shop, who told her that it sounded like the pronunciation of "bandstand" in Mandarin (亭).^[11] The band researched the name and found it also meant the "sound of innovation on an open mind".

Having created three songs, the band's first gig was a free-beer invite all at the Mill in their rented dwelling called "the Engine House". Subsequent gigs were funded on donations, and after their third gig they were name-checked on XFM.^[10] The Islington Mill gigs ended up as some of the most sought-after tickets on the Manchester party scene with various A&R reps and record producers, such as Rick Rubin, asking for tickets.^[12]

Exposure

Performing at the Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia on 23 October 2008

Their first double-A single "That's Not My Name/Great DJ" was jointly released by the band and a local label, Switchflicker Records^{[failed verification]}. With their second single "Fruit Machine", they were on heavy rotation on British radio, including BBC 6 Music and others. DJ Marc Riley was the first to have them in session on 6 Music and the first to play their record on the station. "Fruit Machine" was released as a limited-edition, 500-only, seven-inch single on Legendre Starkie Records (the band's own label), which was only offered at their three live shows.^[13] They had a notable performance at the Glastonbury Festival in 2007, and after an October 2007 tour of universities in the UK with Reverend and the Makers, they signed to Columbia Records.^[14] On 14 December 2007, they appeared on Later... with Jools Holland. In May 2008, the band credited BBC Introducing for giving them their 'life changing' break after the show spotted the band and put them forward for inclusion in the Glastonbury running order.

In January 2008, they were voted third in the annual BBC 6 Music poll of industry experts Sound of 2008, for acts to emerge in the coming year.^[15] In February 2008, they were the opening slot act on the 2008 Shockwaves NME Awards Tour, performing with The Cribs, Joe Lean And The Jing Jang Jong, and Does It Offend You, Yeah?.^[16] In conjunction with NME and HMV, the band contributed a demo version of "Great DJ" to a limited-audience, 5,000-copies-only, 10" vinyl release of all the artists on the NME Awards Tour. In late March 2008, The Ting Tings joined with Alphabeat and The Fratellis to play as part of the MTV Spanking New Music Tour, at a gig held at the Islington Academy in London.

2008–2009: We Started Nothing

Performing at South by Southwest in 2008

The first single released on Columbia was "Great DJ", which received considerable airplay on BBC Radio 1 and XFM in the UK and praise from magazines such as NME. "Great DJ" reached top 40 on the UK Singles Chart. The band's debut album, We Started Nothing, was released in May 2008 and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, following the single "That's Not My Name", which topped the singles chart. Subsequent singles were "Shut Up and Let Me Go", which peaked at number six, "Be the One" (number 28) and "We Walk" (number 58). We Started Nothing won an Ivor Novello Award for best album in May 2009. The Ting Tings recorded a cover version of Altered Images' "Happy Birthday" for the children's show Yo Gabba Gabba.

In May 2008, the band performed a live set on the in New Music We Trust stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Maidstone, Kent, which was made available by the BBC's online video player application iPlayer. The Ting Tings performed at the iTunes Live London Festival in the KOKO nightclub in July 2008; the performance was released as a downloadable EP in the iTunes Store under the title iTunes Live: London Festival '08. In December 2008, they (along with numerous other singers and bands) performed on Jools Holland's Hootenanny show on BBC2. The band toured Australia and New Zealand in early 2009 as part of the Big Day Out Festival. They also toured in Singapore as part of that festival's night counterpart, Big Night Out.^[17] In June 2009, they returned to the Glastonbury Festival, playing the Other stage on Friday night, and appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival.^[18]

In the United States, the single "Shut Up and Let Me Go" appeared in an Apple iPod commercial in late April 2008, helping the song peak at number 55 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[19] Tracks from the album were featured in various television shows, films and advertisements. The Ting Tings were one of four performers who played small interludes consisting of remixes of past hits throughout the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, including a section from "Shut Up and Let Me Go" with Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and DJ AM. They also won the award for Best UK Video for their single "Shut Up and Let Me Go". Columbia Records announced the U.S. release of the single "That's Not My Name" for January 2009, followed by a March/April U.S. concert tour. The duo also toured the country as a support act for Pink on her Funhouse Tour. In December 2009, the duo was nominated for Best New Artist at the 52nd Grammy Awards. The Ting Tings appeared as the musical guests on Saturday Night Live on the 16 January 2010 episode, hosted by Sigourney Weaver.

2010–2012: Sounds from Nowheresville

The duo began writing their second album in Paris, France.^[20] The original incarnation of the album was recorded over a period of eight months in the basement of a former jazz club in the Friedrichshain area of Berlin, Germany.^[21][22][23] It was described by Clash writer April Welsh in 2010 as "an album glistening with polished pop perfection. Ranging from acoustic folk to bangin' electro, R‘n’B and, of course, rock and roll."^[24] The lead single, "Hands" (the first track they wrote for the album), was released in October 2010.^[25] It was mixed by Calvin Harris and written by the duo themselves.^[26] The single debuted at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart, marking the duo's fifth top 40 single; it also topped the Billboard dance chart in the US.^[27]

The Ting Tings later scrapped the majority of the material from the Berlin sessions against the wishes of their label, with White explaining: "We were in Berlin where there is a great electro scene with Sian Hogan, and so we made songs like that, but quickly realised that everything on the radio was Euro-pop shite. We didn't want our record to be tarnished with that brush". De Martino added that they were angry the single "Hands" was promoted on BBC Radio 1, but had been intended by the band as "an underground, white label-only release". The band relocated to Spain, where they found influence in the music of the Beastie Boys, Spice Girls and TLC.^[28] They performed new material from the album in July 2011 at DCode Festival in Madrid.^[29]

The video for the single "Hang It Up" premiered on YouTube in October 2011, followed by a video for the song "Silence" (remixed by Australian electro-house duo Bag Raiders) in November 2011. Another track, "Soul Killing", premiered on the internet in early February 2012;^[30] a video was filmed^[31] but never released. The album, Sounds from Nowheresville, was released in the same month^[32] and reached number 24 on the UK Albums Chart.

2012–2015: Super Critical

The band went to Ibiza in September 2012 to begin writing and recording material for their third studio album, which they worked on through in April 2013.^[33] They travelled to New York City to mix and master the album in September 2013. In October 2013, the band stated they had nearly finished mixing their third album and were planning to record numerous music videos.^[34] They released a club remix of the first single, "Wrong Club" through SoundCloud in April 2014;^[35] the single was released to download in July.

The duo's third studio album, Super Critical, was released in October 2014.^[36]

The band's 2015 US tour was cancelled in June 2015 as a result of a hand injury suffered by White.^[37]

2016–2019: The Black Light

After the tour in support of Super Critical The Ting Tings kept a low profile for the most part. The band made several festival appearances, including performances in Philippines^[38] and Colombia^[39] for the first time in 2017.

During 2018, The Ting Tings started being more active on social media, eventually announcing their new album The Black Light via their Instagram story. The album was released on 26 October 2018.^[40]

An alternative version of The Black Light subtitled The Manchester Versions was released in 2019.

2023–present: Home

In November 2023 The Ting Tings started teasing new music through their social media, sharing snippets of the new song "Dreaming" and announcing new album for 2024.^[41] Another new song, "Danced on the Wire", was teased in March 2024.^[42]

On 24 May the band released "Down" as the first official preview from their new album, potentially titled Meadow, inspired by soft-rock acts like Fleetwood Mac, Toto, Steely Dan and Christopher Cross.^[43] The band teased a country album back in 2012.^[44]

The first single from the album, "Down" b/w "Danced on the Wire", was announced as a limited edition 7" vinyl with release in early October.^[45] The digital release of the single with swapped sides followed in late November with the announcement of the name and release date of the new album, Home, on February 28, 2025.^[46][47][48]

Members

Katie White

Main article: Katie White

Katherine Rebecca "Katie" White (born 1983^[49] in Lowton, England) was brought up on a farm in Lowton,^[50] and attended Lowton School, which has a large performing arts department.^[51] In 1995, White's grandfather Ken (of whom Katie saw little) won £6.6 million from the then-newly established National Lottery and gave each of his three sons £1 million.^[52] Katie's father David used his share of the money to purchase a haulage company, and he helped Katie during her school years as a prospective musician.^[53]

Jules De Martino

Main article: Jules De Martino

Julian "Jules" De Martino (born 1969 in London^[54]) began playing drums at age 13.^[55] He studied fine art at Loughton College in Essex and signed a minor publishing deal with Morrison Leahy Music (who also publish George Michael). He formed a band, Mojo Pin, which was influenced by artist Jeff Buckley. The band released two indie singles: "You" and "My Imagination", with Pondlife Records and toured with Irish band the Big Geraniums in 1997.

Discography

Main article: The Ting Tings discography

• We Started Nothing (2008)
• Sounds from Nowheresville (2012)
• Super Critical (2014)
• The Black Light (2018)
• Home (2025)

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by the Ting Tings

References

1. Moerder, Adam (19 June 2008). "The Ting Tings: We Started Nothing". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
2. Paine, Andre (14 June 2008). "Big Buzz". Billboard. Vol. 120, no. 24. p. 41. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
3. Stern, Claire (31 January 2015). "The Ting Tings on Their New Album Super Critical and Partying in Ibiza with Duran Duran". InStyle. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
4. "Ting Tings Remix Dylan, Rare Johnny Cash + More". Spin. 4 January 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
5. Raymer, Miles (9 December 2014). "The Ting Tings' 'Wrong Club' gets an ironically clubby remix by Boix". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
6. "World Album Charts". aCharts.us. Retrieved 10 June 2008.
7. "The ting tings top u.k. album chart". Retrieved 10 June 2008.
8. "The Ting Tings: 'Our record label chased us around the world for our second album'". NME. 17 November 2011. Archived from the original on 19 November 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
9. "BBC Sound of 2008: The Ting Tings". BBC News. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
10. "Tings can only get better for The Ting Ting's". The Independent. London. 29 February 2008. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
11. "Ting Tings – History". The Ting Tings. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
12. Ting Tings – the hottest party in town Manchester Evening News – 8 June 2007 Archived 26 April 2020 at the Wayback Machine
13. "The Ting Tings release new single..." NME. 28 September 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
14. Pollock, David (15 November 2007). "The Ting Tings". The List. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
15. "Sound of 2008: The Ting Tings". BBC News Online. 2 January 2008. Retrieved 26 April 2009.
16. "NME Awards Tour". 24 December 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007.
17. Changi Airport Media Changi Airport Media- 15 April 2009 ^{[dead link‍]}
18. "The Ting Tings beim Isle of Wight Festival". 15 June 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2010.^{[dead link‍]}
19. Hasty, Katie (8 May 2008). "Leona Lewis Holds Onto Hot 100 No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
20. "set to write second album in Paris". NME. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2009.
21. "Ting Tings to do 'Berlin album'". BBC. 1 July 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
22. Murray, Robin (5 November 2010). "Ting Tings Talk Album No.2". Clash. Retrieved 20 November 2010 – via clashmusic.com.
23. Smirke, Richard (25 October 2010). "The Ting Tings: 'We've had loads of surreal moments'". The Big Issue in the North. Retrieved 20 November 2010 – via streetnewsservice.org.
24. Welsh, April (5 November 2010). "In The Works - The Ting Tings: Album progress report". Clash. Retrieved 20 November 2010 – via clashmusic.com.
25. Reilly, Dan (3 November 2010). "Ting Tings Bring 'Playlist' Feel to New Album – Exclusive Video". spinnermusic.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
26. "Ting Tings team up with Calvin Harris for comeback single". NME. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
27. "The Ting Tings", Billboard.com, retrieved 2010-11-20
28. Copsey, Robert (31 January 2012). "The Ting Tings: 'Scrapped album was s*** Euro-pop'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
29. "The Ting Tings -Silence/Hang it Up/Hit Me Down Sonny : Dcode Festival, Madrid 2011". 13 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2013 – via YouTube.
30. Grishkoff, Jason (9 February 2012). "Ting Tings - Soul Killing :: Indie Shuffle Music Blog". Indieshuffle.com. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
31. @TheTingTings (29 June 2012). "Soul Killing video... Mexicana Soul Killing video... Mexicana v's Club tropicana!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved 16 September 2012 – via Twitter.
32. "Ting Tings to Release "Sounds From Nowheresville" in February". Artistdirect.com. Archived from the original on 23 November 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
33. "Twitter / thetings: we have set up our studio in". Twitter.com. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
34. "Facebook/". Facebook.com. Retrieved 8 February 2014.
35. "The Ting Tings - Wrong Club (Club Mix by The Super Criticals)". SoundCloud. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
36. Thomas, Fred. "Super Critical – The Ting Tings". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 1 May 2016.
37. Lipshuts, Jason (17 June 2015). "The Ting Tings Cancel U.S. Tour Due to Singer's Hand Injury". Billboard. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
38. "Meet the artists of Wanderland 2017". cnnphilippines.com. 2 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 December 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
39. "Oktoberfest Returns to Bogotá for 2017". thebogotapost.com. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
40. "Instagram / TheTingTings: album released". Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
41. "A new clip from our new song Dreaming..." Facebook. 20 November 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
42. Aubrey, Elizabeth (31 March 2024). "Now The Ting Tings have gone country too on new song 'Danced On The Wire'". nme.com. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
43. Youngs, Ian (26 February 2022). "That's Not My Name: The Ting Tings discuss song's 'amazing' TikTok revival". BBC. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
44. "Ting Tings Inspired By The Spice Girls, Might Record Country Album". MTV. Paramount Media Networks. 17 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2024. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
45. "Down / Danced On The Wire 7 inch single". thetingtings.com. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
46. "The Ting Tings 'Danced On The Wire' To Announce New Album". 24 November 2024. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
47. Cook, Sydney (24 November 2024). "The Ting Tings Announce New Album Home For February 2025 Release and Share New Singles "Danced On The Wire" and "Down"". Retrieved 3 December 2024.
48. Denning, Reagan (24 November 2024). "The Ting Tings are set to release their upcoming album 'Home' on Feb. 28". Retrieved 3 December 2024.
49. Craig Mclean (5 October 2008). "Tings can only get better: Why sudden pop success has not been easy on the Ting Tings". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 20 June 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2009.
50. "Katie enjoys the fame game – Leigh Today". Leighreporter.co.uk. Archived from the original on 27 August 2008. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
51. "December 2008 Newsletter". digitalbrain.com. Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
52. "Lottery Millionaire's Wife Dies After Stroke". The Bolton News. 24 October 1997. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
53. "Teen band member in quit shock". Lancashire Telegraph. 2 November 2000. Archived from the original on 29 July 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2009.
54. "Jules de Martino bio". The Ting Tings. wetpaint. Archived from the original on 27 August 2009. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
55. "The Band". Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 13 March 2009.

External links

• The Ting Tings at IMDb

Interviews and reviews

• The Ting Tings interview Archived 8 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine in Coed magazine from 17 June 2008.
• Students interview The Ting Tings, directly after their Glastonbury 2008 performance for Radiowaves.co.uk.