Model Behaviour

After a burst of major label interest from the UK six years ago the four-piece (formerly The Riffs) boldly opted to back away from the bright lights and do things at their own pace.

“It all happened too fast for us and just didn’t feel right,” recalls singer/guitarist Thom O’Keeffe. "We’d only been together six months and were doing a showcase in London for record labels. We were thrown in at the deep end and it all seemed a bit ridiculous."
The decision to pull back the reins and wait till they were good and ready is now proving the right one for O'Keefe, his brother Alan and fellow bandmates Bertie Kelly and Denny Dunworth.
Following a three-year absence from the live scene, Supermodel Twins recently returned for a show in Limerick attended by one of the biggest crowds this hack has seen for a local band on home turf.
The foursome have spent the past year quietly writing, rehearsing and demoing material for their debut album. The Twins’ first single ‘Footprints’, to be released as a download on May 2, was recorded in Grouse Lodge with REM, Snow Patrol and Flogging Molly man Owen Lewis. It combines an infectious melody with wicked harmonies, crunchy guitar-crescendos Weezer would give their eye-teeth for and intelligent lyrics about lonely hearts worthy of the insightful penmanship of Randy Newman. If you don't believe us, check out the demo version on their MySpace, which also features other hits-in-the-making 'Love On Its Own' and 'You're Not What I Need'.
“‘Footprints’ has a great melody and some I-don’t-give-a-shit guitars underneath,” O’Keeffe reflects. “I want our album to sound like one long song, kind of like a pop-opera. When you listen to it over and over it’ll start to distinguish itself in different keys. It’s going to be a concept album without a concept. We want to make happy-go-lucky music that makes people dance.”
The second single, ‘This Time Next Summer’, to be released in, you guessed it, the summer is already in the can and the Twins are also busy recording their first album.
“I don’t know how this’ll be perceived by people but we don’t want that whole Irish buzz," says Thom. "We’re ambitious and want to do things on a global scale. We’d love to go to the States as we're always being told we have an American sound. We want as many people as possible to hear our music. Supermodel Twins is four best mates having a laugh. The fact we love making music together is a bonus. We always decided not to jump into this before we were good and ready, but now it's, 'World here we come!'"
Supermodel Twins play Cyprus Avenue, Cork (March 28 + Stanley Super 800); Dolan’s, Limerick (April 4 + Hope Is Noise); Auntie Annie's, Belfast (8); Roundy Room, Cork (17 + Ian Whitty); and Roisin Dubh, Galway (24 + Giveamanakick).