The Ting Tings

The Ting Tings are an English duo from Salford, United Kingdom, active since 2007. The group consists of Katie White and Jules De Martino, and its sound spans alternative rock, dance-punk, electropop, indie pop, indie rock and pop rock.

Formation and early work

White and De Martino first work together in 2001, when White is in the all-female punk-pop group TKO and De Martino writes songs for them. They later reunite and form the trio Eskimo Kiss with another friend. After that group disbands, partly because of personnel changes at its label, White and De Martino continue as a duo and work on music at Salford’s The Islington Mill.

The name The Ting Tings comes from a Chinese friend whose name sounds like the Mandarin pronunciation of “bandstand.”

Recordings and releases

The duo signs to the local indie label Switchflicker Records and releases debut single “That’s Not My Name” in 2007. A limited tour-only single, “Fruit Machine,” follows, before the pair signs to Columbia later that year. “Great DJ,” the flipside of the Switchflicker single, is then released as the debut Columbia single in 2008, followed by a reissue of “That’s Not My Name” with a new remix.

The reissued “That’s Not My Name” reaches number one in the UK in 2008. Their debut album, We Started Nothing, appears the same month. It sells more than two million copies worldwide.

Later albums and style

In early 2010, White and De Martino move to Berlin to write for a second album and begin moving towards a darker, more electronic sound, influenced by the city and the cold weather. “Hands,” mixed by Calvin Harris, premieres on BBC Radio 1 in 2010 and is released later that year. Their second album, Sounds from Nowheresville, appears in 2012 after extensive touring and more than eight months of recording in Germany and Spain. The album is inspired in part by the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique.

Their third album, Super Critical, follows in 2014. Its release is preceded by the single “Wrong Club.”

Recognition

We Started Nothing wins the 2009 Ivor Novello Award for Best Album. The Ting Tings also receive a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2009.