Two Day Rule - Rocksound Interview

Most bands are lucky if they have one prominent songwriter, not a problem for this band of 20-somethings from the West Country: they have two, and know how to use them. After the demise of their band Panic Button, Neil Murray (vocals/guitar) and Matt Woolman (drums) found Andrea Kenny playing local acoustic nights, immediately enlisting her, and with Craig Smith (bass) completing the line-up, Two Day Rule were ready for business. Two years on and they have a single, 'Had A Good Thing' already released, and a killer debut album - 'When You're Ready' - waiting in the wings. 'Things are really taking off,' explains Andrea, 'it's really exciting.' Their sound is distinctive, combining melody with a full-on double guitar attack, making it fairly difficult to pin down influences. 'We think of it as a combination of No Doubt and Blink 182, but we're pretty unique. I also read we're described as a punk Beautiful South, I liked that!' states Andrea proudly. Using dual male/female vocals does give them an edge, even duetting on several songs, conjuring up those hideously sickly songs by Elton John and Kiki Dee, or Meatloaf and Cher (just ask your parents, folks!). Dangerous ground to wander into you'd think, but Two Day Rule pull it off. 'We were aware of that writing those songs, but we like the tongue-in-cheek foreplay between two singers, plus we have more of a fun element,' reasons Andrea. So does having two lead singers egos in one band cause friction? 'No, we're both strong songwriters. Although we do take the piss out of each other on stage,' she adds. Undoubtedly Two Day Rule will hear the 'ska punk' label repeatedly banded around too as their name spreads, but the quartet are keen to keep their individuality. 'Many of our songs would suit horns, but it's not us. We're strong enough without trumpets blowing all over us,' says Andrea with a snigger, and good for them. 'These days people think they have to fit into a certain slot. Sometimes you have to make your own slots!' So what can you expect from a TDR gig? 'Lots of fun....' concludes Andrea. Sounds good to me. Paul Raggity ROCKSOUND March 2002