Let’s get this out of the way early on. I fucking love Pull Tiger Tail. They are one of my all-time favourite bands. So if you’re reading this hoping for even-handed objectivity and unbiased analysis, well then carry on clicking my friend, because you won’t find those things here. On the other hand, if you’re up for some hyperventilating hyperbole, and want to discover a brilliant band who most of your friends have heard of, read on...
Pull Tiger Tail were (*sobs*) a London-based indie-pop trio. Singer Marcus Ratcliff had the voice of a lion and the mane to match, Jack Hamson was a cheeky drum-playing cherub, while Davo McConville, whose peculiar sartorial combination of red braces and Converse sneakers made him appear part Hoxton hipster and part kid’s TV presenter, played absolutely anything he could get his mitts on.
The NME lumped Pull Tiger Tail in with its short-lived New Rave Revolution scene of 2007, owing to the fact that two of their number used to share a flat with Klaxons. But PTT were no techno-philes: they sounded like a heavier We Are Scientists, or, according to The Guardian, “Weezer meets The Strokes”. Whoever they sounded like, they were absolutely amazing. Here’s why.
Their songs were witty, exciting and totally infectious. Pull Tiger Tail’s synth lines and guitar riffs would burble their way into your brain, while their choruses – of which there was an average of 435 per song – would soar higher than a Dubai skyscraper. They also had fantastic titles: I Call It It, Let’s Lightning and Even Good Kids Make Bad Sports were three of the best.
Their lyrics ranged from the poetically beautiful (“Dark is the night and corrupt is the soul, but we’re safe in his arms when we go” from ...For No One) to the laugh-out-loud hilarious (“Day-in, day-out, I want caffeine, but all I find is Soda Stream” from, erm, Soda Stream).
The videos that accompanied their singles were charming and original – most are still on YouTube. Mr 100 Percent in particular is worth checking out, featuring as it does the most deranged game of Scrabble ever.
Live they were even better. Their gigs were memorable for the band swinging fake tiger tails (what else?) above their heads mid-song, or handing out tiger masks to the audience. The threesome weren’t averse to dressing up themselves, playing an early London show with angel wings strapped to their backs. If Bono were to do that, it would be further evidence of his unnerving messianic tendencies. When PTT did it, it just made them look like wonderful pop nutjobs. The excellent liveroom.tv still has their set from the 2007 Electric Gardens festival available to view – it features their finest-ever performance of It’s About Destruction.
Brilliant songs, charismatic performances, quirky image: Pull Tiger Tail seemingly had all the ingredients needed for a successful musical stew. So where did it all go wrong? Well, specifically, when their record label became utter, utter dicks.
After a falling-out of unspecified nature, B-Unique dropped Pull Tiger Tail. Unfortunately, our heroes had already recorded their album, which was now owned entirely by... B-Unique. After much legal wrangling and expenditure, PTT got the rights to their music back. Unfortunately by then everybody had forgotten about them. All their promotional efforts, their time spent touring the country, the breathless plaudits they had garnered, counted for naught. Pull Tiger Tail were cast onto the musical scrapheap, a victim of today’s “if it isn’t new, it’s old” attitude. They split in 2009.
The album (titled, with smirking inevitability, PAWS) was eventually released as a thank-you to the fans, financed by the band themselves. It remains truly great. The above-mentioned shoulda-been-hits sound fantastic back-to-back, as does a previously unheard song called Air Born which is almost better than all the others put together.
They also released a B-sides album called The Lost World, which contained throbbing electro-grunge anthems, poignant acoustic laments and a song called Pixel Thing, which emits such noisy, bouncy effervescence it should have been a worldwide smash. Instead, it’s likely that less than a thousand people have even heard it.
Since their split, only Hamson has done anything noteworthy: he now plays drums for Noah and the Whale. But as good as NATW are, they will never overshadow the unappreciated greatness of Hamson’s former band. Pull Tiger Tail were tremendously talented, and it’s high time their talent was reappraised. So, I implore you, Google them, YouTube them and most importantly buy their albums from iTunes. At £7.99, they’re the best bargain you’ll ever find. After all, what else will you spend your money on? A snuggie?!
Pull Tiger Tail: they really SHOULDA been huge.
Posted In They Shoulda Been Huge, Feb 27 2011.
Words - Adam Kay