Turn, baby, turn
Indie stalwarts Turn are back with a new album and more thoughtful sound. Will the mainstream finally start paying attention?
Shilpa Ganatra, 02 Nov 2005
Turn have just completed their umpteenth tour of Ireland, but there’s no rest for the wicked. The following morning frontman Ollie Cole is back in band mode, enthusing about their third album, Turn. Such is his excitement, it’s hard to believe he’s performed songs from the record for eight evenings in a row.
“We work hard,” Cole says, nestling in a chair in Dublin’s Library Bar. Some of the album was recorded in Joe Elliott’s studio. The Def Leppard singer was struck by Turn’s work ethic. In fact, he was amazed by it.
“I remember him saying, ‘It’s so weird that I get paid a million times more than you do for doing the same job’. I was like, ‘Cheers for that!’”
Turn represents...well, a turning point for the band. Gone are the angst and screaming of ‘Too Much Make Up’ and 'Another Year Over'. Instead, the record trades in Pimms-on-the-patio melodies that leave you with a smile on your face and a tune in your head.
“It’s melodically strong,” Ollie agrees. “We haven’t relied on the old loud chorus/quiet verse formula. There’s only so many times you can get away with that trick.”
But bad luck has dogged the band since their inception.
“It’s so easy at any time just to quit but you don’t. You keep trying to find ways over obstacles. And I think we’ll continue to do that until the day we die.”
On paper, the most pressing issue would seem to be the band’s lack of a full-time bassist, with incumbent Ciaran Kavanagh also a member of The Rags.
“Actually, we’re all happy with the situation. Ciaran is probably the best bass player we’ve ever worked with .”
That said, Cole drops a hint that Gavin Fox – the original Turn bassist poached by Idlewild – might one day return to the fold.
“We get along better now than when we were in a band. I wouldn’t be surprised if me, Gavin and Ian played music together again."
Most musicians get sniffy if their new record isn't hailed as a masterpiece, but not Turn.
“The people at the gigs really love the record, but I’ve read a few reviews of it and everyone’s firmly on the fence," Ollie reflects. "We knew that'd be the case because it's so different to what we’ve done before and takes some listening to. But it’s what came out of us naturally, and people are coming around to it now.”
Turn's integrity shines through as he explains why the group didn’t opt for a more overtly commercial sound.
“If you start thinking about what other people want you to do, you’ll be fucked. Fucked from the get-go. You have to make music because you love it and you have to do it honestly.”
And you can’t say fairer than that.
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