No one can deny the success Twin Atlantic have achieved over the last year. They’ve smashed their biggest headline gig ever in Glasgow, released a critically acclaimed album and unleashed their new ferocious live show on the world. I caught up with their lead guitarist, Barry McKenna, in Leeds Beckett Student Union to find out what he makes of all this success.
Despite all the success, Barry doesn’t present any inflated ego, instead making you feel at ease. Coming back from the verge of breaking up, Barry admits “we didn’t really have any kind of gauge or expectations [about the tour], it’s been that long since we’ve done headline shows. We were just kinda itching to get back out on the road, and especially to play our new music to people”.
When questioned about his favourite new songs to play live, he explains that ‘Gold Elephant: Cherry Alligator’ and ‘No Sleep’ are the perfect songs to open and close the night. Barry says he just enjoys “bringing a bit of attitude and danger back into guitar music again” and, experiencing their gig after the interview, I can assure you he wasn’t lying.
Twin Atlantic have substituted pop ballads for raw rock anthems. Barry describes how the band previously suppressed the aggressive rock on ‘Great Divide’ in favour of making “perfect pop rock songs”, but they “really didn’t want to do the same thing all over again”. The inspiration behind the change has come from their favourite bands, who “always evolve and do something new every time. It was very important for us to come out of our comfort zone”. With an openness to change, and a burning desire to please fans, Twin Atlantic will have more arena shows to look forward to in the future.
Regardless of being in a successful band with 250’000 monthly listeners on Spotify, the surprise that people will happily pay £20 to see Twin Atlantic’s show hasn’t worn off. He calls it “the biggest compliment someone can pay you”. Keeping down to Earth is clearly important for Barry. Meeting Tom Delonge, whilst supporting Blink 182, has only taught Barry to stay grounded. “He’s such a regular bloke [Tom Delonge] and he was really happy to give us advice. Despite playing to that many people, there was no sense of superstardom or ego. He was just a real guy. I guess we just kinda learnt what we want to achieve. Remember who you are despite any success”.
The rock star lifestyle has always been alluring. When asked about his funniest tour story, he whets my appetite by saying, “s**t man, let me think, there’s so many. I don’t know how many I want to tell you though”. He eventually decides to tell me about a crazy night he had before getting to Leeds. “I had an absolute disaster last night. I DJ when I’m on tour, well we do Twin Atlantic DJ set at indie and rock nights and that. Last night, I got booked onto a hip hop and trap night, and I play in a rock band so I had a whole playlist of indie and rock music lined up. So I started playing and I had all these guys like “what the f**k?” and then the PA kept cutting out so the club kept going silent, and then would kick back in, it was a total disaster. Then this poor woman was spiked and she passed out drunk in the toilet so they had to shut the women’s toilet so I was playing to loads of angry hip hop dudes. So I was playing indie music, the PA wasn’t working and then, in true Phoenix Nights style, the paramedics showed up and the poor woman got taken away during my set”. You can tell the thrill of being on tour with his best mates hasn’t worn off for Barry. He’s still got the ‘ordinary guy’ charm that’s simply captivating.
When I saw Twin Atlantic that night, they blew me away. Both raw and melodic, they’ve achieved what many rock bands strive for. Seeing the regular bloke I met during the day on stage was a bizarre experience, but one that’s only made me love Twin Atlantic more. No d**khead bravado to hate, just energy to captivate the crowds that adore them. It’s safe to say they’re going to be one of my favourite bands for the foreseeable. Many thanks to Barry McKenna for taking time out to do this interview.
Interview by Ben Roberts