Insane In The Upbrain. The Tuts: Update Your Brain (Album Review)

“Patience is a virtue” goes the saying and if that is true then fans of The Tuts are positively saintly. It’s been nearly four years since they went on their ever first tour supporting Kate Nash, with whom they were near permanent stage buddies in 2013. They’ve quietly been making a name for themselves by touring with the likes of The Selecter and Sonic Boom Six. I say quietly but that’s not really true is it? They’ve thrashed their instruments, shouted at us between songs and hair whipped any last doubts into submission. The Tuts make an impression which has manifested itself in a fan base that ranges from teenage girls seeing future versions of themselves to, rather paradoxically, middle aged men hearing glimmers of their lost youth in the racket emanating from the stage. It’s not been an easy journey to get here, there have been barriers in the way of their bid for world domination and I for one, was starting to have doubts if an album would ever surface at all. Ambition though is a beast that can’t be muted and Nadia Javed (vocals/guitar) Harriet Doveton (bass) and Beverly Ishmael (drums) have it in spades and a lifeline came through the medium of Pledge Music. They have entirely fan funded this debut which feels wholly apt considering how close the relationship between fans and band has always been. “Good things come to those who wait” goes another cliche but so too do fucking awesome things and The Tuts have delivered despite (or maybe because of) the weight of their own expectations.  Update Your Brain feels like their destiny fully realised.

It must have been difficult choosing which of the older material to leave out and songs of the calibre of Beverley and All Too Late have been omitted and will have to remain in their original EP form. So to the classic Tuts tracks that have been included then: Dump Your Boyfriend is a mad old combination of sixties girl group pop and grunge with indie guitar squeals. It’s that age old conundrum of wanting to leave a relationship (“He took my liberty away / he clipped my wings so I stay”) but made to sound shiny and new. Always Hear The Same Shit is damn near perfect with its stop start riffs making way for a verbal assault on the music industry “wha-wha-wha what’s the point in you?” could easily be a tirade against all the acoustic male singers with beards. It’s a beautiful and fun noise that would happily blitz Ed Sheeran if he was recording in the studio next door. But then he’d probably cry. And write a song about it. Album closer Back Up comes from the same place. It is The Tut’s philosophy in one short but glorious diatribe of feedback and chanting. “How do you know if you don’t have a go?” indeed. There’ll be teenagers listening to that thinking “I’ll have a go then”

The only oldie that suffers a bit for me is I Call You Up which lacks the deftness of touch that so suited the original. That is a minor quibble because it is still a power pop wonder and would be even if it was recorded in a swamp. Perhaps the highlight of the classics is Tut Tut Tut a song that has been transformed by an added growl. Bev’s drums sounding more powerful than ever with the funkier bassline and the subtle gear shift in the second verse where Nadia goes proper gangster with “who the fuck are they anyway / by the sixth guitar solo / oh no” I’m already hoping the next album has plenty of Nadia rapping over the rhythm section. I would have been more than happy if both Do I Have To Look For Love and a new version of Worry Warrior had made the track listing but it just goes to show how spoilt for choice they were.

How wonderful it is to report that the production is really loud and not too polished. For the first time on record there’s a feel that’s pretty close to the live experience. I was never expecting the album to feel quite so full on and relentless but it is a joyous surge of adrenaline from the opening seconds. There’s more than catchy as hell tunes at play though. Lyrically there are many themes. The music industry itself is at the sharp end of their knife, most notably on 1982. It’s ridiculous infectiousness doesn’t at all hide the subject matter: a manager in the music industry out of sorts with the times: “I’m respected, well connected, I knew everyone in 1982”. What’s On The Radio takes a swipe at the abundance of male bands, or rather the lack of girl bands given a chance in the industry. “I don’t like it / I wanna fight it / I wanna fight it” and they really are fighting it for all they are worth. A notable mention too for its brilliant middle eight which reminds me of The Bluetones for reasons I’m not quite sure of. But sssh, they were a boy band that used to get played on the radio.

In the political unrest of Give Us Something Worth Voting we hear “Your strategies keep us alienated / we’re demonised just because we’re frustrated” but the catchy ska beat belies the message and when we get to “people power / knock down Tory Towers” we want to smash the system with a smile on our face.  But then toppling the Tories would bring a smile to your face wouldn’t it? While this is a very socially conscious album there is no sense that we are being preached to and no desire to fester in negativity. They’re saying everything they have to say but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time in the process. Come along for the ride, a degree in sociology isn’t necessary. Sexism and the patriarchy is a strong running theme too but it is channelled into a positive anger. Proactive not reactive. There’s no introspection bringing things down. There’s only one song that sounds remotely reflective and that’s the acoustic ode to friendship. You’re So Boring is a floaty lullaby where Nadia  presumably disses her fella “(I’d rather be out with my friends touring”). Bantz over boys, being with the band beats arguing over who’s turn it is to do the washing up.

Update Your Brain draws from its influences and moulds them into something fresh and exciting. It is their declaration of intent, it is all their previous experience and ambition bottled up and spewed out into one near perfect slice of musical youth. It is the embodiment of what all the greatest debut albums are borne from – a need to escape, a will to challenge the norm. Noel Gallagher was once quoted as saying he’d written everything he wanted to say on Definitely Maybe and while it’s likely many artists feel the same about their first material, for The Tuts there’s still plenty of injustices to fight, barriers to surge over (literal and metaphorical), as well as all those glass ceilings to break with excessive hair whipping. 2016 needs The Tuts and the patriarchy will soon know it.  9/10

Lazy journalist style comparisons:

  

Echobelly – ON (1995) Pure power pop perfection

The Libertines – Up The Bracket (2002) Update Your Brain’s more jangly moments have a Libertines vibe.

Green Day – Uno! (2012)  No holds barred punk fun

TWO YEARS OF TUTTAGE

Almost two years ago, for a Kate Nash show just off Plymouth’s grubby and well.. a bit stabby.. bus station, a force of nature was about to enter my life. I go to quite a few gigs and that means quite a few support bands, a lot of whom can just pass you by. The Tuts are not here to pass anybody by. Ok, I admit it, I am quite partial to a woman in dungarees and here was THREE of them. Instant glamour radiating from this most shabby of surroundings. But it’s much more than that, it’s the things that I’ve grown to love more and more over the past two years.

– The energy and conviction of their show.
– Hair whipping. Seriously, don’t underestimate the power of hair whipping.
– The madness that usually follows them about like a shit crazy bat.
– The image. They not only look like rock stars – THEY ARE ROCK STARS. They’re glamorous AND kick ass. Neither afraid to be too glamorous or “normal” for want of a much better word. A lot of male bands I love have dabbled in femininity (Manics, Mansun, Placebo etc) and I used to myself when I was skinnier!. The Tuts project a “This is us, if you don’t like it sod off” vibe which is refreshing in this climate of mundane fake soul boy singers.
– Their willingness to stand up for what they believe in, be it sexism or hatred of the Tories. YES, FUCK THE TORIES.
– The eye wateringly hilarious interviews. Honestly. Comedy gold.
– The fact that, for all the fun they are deeply ambitious. They want people to hear them. They want to sell records and play to loads of people. Why did that ever become a shameful thing for bands to admit? It is music, it is MEANT for ears.

 The legend himself

The second time I saw them in Gloucester they had a fourth member, Fernando. a blow up doll. He didn’t really add to the dynamic but it was still sad news be told at a later date that he’d passed away before having the opportunity to be sacked. Rest In Peace Fernando, rarely a day goes by when I actually think about you. Sorry. And so, in 2013 I saw them another four or five times, my personal highlight was when they OWNED Shepherd’s Bush Empire. Or they did until a dull man band killed the vibe. What were they called, anyone remember? Now they DID pass me by.

A random drunk man in Exeter. He never became a full-time member

As a result of Tuttage (this is now a real word) I’ve found out more about ‘Dovetown’ and all it represents (the magnificent Colour Me Wednesday) and discovered an exciting DIY scene (Perkie, Block Fort, Ay Carmela!, Martha, Onsind to name some).

Last Saturday I made my way to Bristol in a last minute bid to see them supporting The Selecter. I had no ticket and no way of getting in. Half an hour before The Tuts were due on stage someone on Facebook contacted me with a spare. What with travel, I ended paying £30 to watch them play a 30 minute set. A pound per minute. And you know what, it was worth it. Yes, I may be a twat but I was a happy twat.

After a gig last year, Bev asked me why I liked The Tuts. Now, I’m not the quickest thinker on the block and that mixed with being filmed at the time resulted in a shy,  rubbish “I don’t know” response. I do know. Of course I know. I really should have said “Because they’ve got the tunes and the attitude. 2015 badly needs them – it just doesn’t know it yet”.

So there you go Bev, there’s your answer.

 

The Tuts – Hatchet Inn, Bristol

If you can’t be won over by a band who heckle Boris Johnson by singing “NEVER TRUST A TORY!” to him in a library then you may just have a heart of stone. Wherever The Tuts go things happen. Good things, funny things, crazy things – sometimes all at once. On this, the bands first (literal) invasion of Bristol they tried to break into the nearby O2 academy and blag their way onto the bill for the Jamie T gig. There lies an ambition and fire in them that bursts out much bigger than any library or, in tonight’s case, what feels like a living room above a pub. Which is fitting because if there’s any justice they should one day be playing Academy sized venues themselves as headliners.

The band take to the stage looking spectacular in Halloween themed costumes and as soon as singer Nadia fires up the guitar and crashes into a punky, catchy version of ‘Beverley’ we hear that full on, chaotic intent realised into one three minute pop song. What follows is a powerhouse of what sound like instant hits.’All Too Late’ flows with it’s Liberines-esque earworm melody, ‘Worry Warrior’ is both a call to arms for all the self doubters and a kick in the teeth with it’s “I though you were strong-aah” (officially the best pronunciation of the word stronger in any song ever, and no I haven’t researched it, there’s no need). At one stage a member of the audience is almost beheaded* by Nadia’s flailing guitar. Told you, things happen with these guys. ‘Loving It’ is a joyful but all too short two minutes of riffs and the only flaw tonight is that they didn’t play it twice(!).

Harriet and Bev are a rhythm section having fun, full of smiling glances and gleefully taking their chances to shout things like ‘TUT TUT TUT!” and “ALWAYS HEAR THE SAME SHIT!”, the latter song an assault of punk attitude which though it could be about a person could easily be a tirade against a stale, sexist music industry (“You’ve got no substance, its all just hype”). Closer ‘Back Up’ also has that arrogant streak, a joyful racket preaching “we’re gonna bud and blossom, spread our pollen to the people, make our sound truly ripple” over a frenetic noise and signing out with a truly Tuts-like philosophy “How do you know if you don’t have a go?”. These DIY warriors** are having more than a go and they are getting better and better all the time. Accept defeat, let The Tuts conquer your town too – it’s going to be one hell of a fun time.

 

*Perhaps beheaded was a bit of an exaggeration, more..

** Not these kind of DIY warriors