Sink Ya Teeth

Maria Uzor and Gemma Cullingford make up Sink Ya Teeth, a hometown act that Norwich is justifiably proud of. As well as touring extensively with the likes of !!! and A Certain Ratio, this year also saw the launch of their critically successful eponymous debut LP. Our Kelly Page met up with the duo for a chat.

How did you come up with the name Sink Ya Teeth?

Maria: We were thinking about a few names while we were at the pub. It just kind of came up and it doesn’t really mean anything as such, its more about the way it sounded.

Gemma: It’s got a bit balls to it! Also, its not used by anyone else, which is quite a big difficulty when trying to think of a band name and then you discover its already taken! I also quite like the way it looks written down.

The album cover is very striking, tell me a bit about the concept and the photoshoot.

G: We did the photoshoot ourselves in Maria’s flat and she designed the entire thing - its quite nice to have complete creative control.

M: The choice to use the primary colours, red, yellow and blue was done so as to reflect the kind of music we make. What we do is really minimal and stripped back and I felt that this use of colour and imagery represented our music really accurately. It is also just quite bold and eye catching which is what we were going for.

Positives and negatives of being in a duo?

G: Us as a duo works really well because originally we were in a band together with three other people and it just became really difficult to coordinate everyone to do gigs and so on. In the end that band split up because the base player went travelling, and so we just decided to go it on our own. Because we get on so well musically as well as friends so it was just easier.

M: I would say the negative side of it would definitely be that there are less of us to carry all the gear around! We’ve got all these ideas about different instruments and equipment to use but then we have to lug it around on and off trains!

How was the experience of taking part in a live BBC Introducing session at the famous Maida Vale studio?

G: It was brilliant to be in such an iconic venue, we felt really lucky to have been there.

M: Steve Lamacq has championed us from the beginning, and had our single as the 'Lamacq Livener' for almost a week, so off the back of that we were able to take part in the recording.

G: It was pretty surreal to hear it on the radio afterwards, just cooking tea at home and then all of a sudden there you are on the radio!

Which is your favourite music venue in Norwich and why?

M: Without a doubt Norwich Art Centre. We absolutely love playing there but also love to go there for gigs too. There is such a great community feel and everyone that works there is really friendly and supportive.

Who was the last band/artist you saw play live in Norwich?

G: Gaz Coombes at Open

M: Starcrawler at Norwich Arts Centre

What does a Sink Ya Teeth crowd look like?

M: We have a fan base largely made up of middle aged men but we do get a bit of a mixture of fans and they are all really supportive and encouraging which is great.

Describe your sound in three words.

M: Doom Disco Pop

G: Dancey Punk Funk

What can Outline readers look forward to from you guys in the next 6 months?

G: We have just started to write some new tunes which will be going on our next album. No idea exactly when that will be out but the process has begun. We also have also got a festival coming up called Indie Tracks.

M: We have a couple of show dates in September but our main tour will be in October, Salford, Leeds, Oxford, Brighton... a Norwich date is yet to be confirmed but we are both really excited about it.

Kelly