Ting Tings wrestle for 'creative control'

Jules De Martino and Katie White from The Ting Tings

"We just had this huge stand-off because our label wanted us to do a certain TV show and we don't want to do it," says The Ting Tings' lead singer Katie White. "It just feels cheap and nasty."

Was it X Factor?

"I'd rather not say," she smiles.

"We just felt like we want to have a career. We don't just want to ride on celebrity and hope people see your face in a magazine and then buy your record. For us it's about the creative side.

"If you have great songs and interesting, innovative stuff then you don't have to whore yourself out."

DIY approach

Right now, Salford's The Ting Tings are in an interesting place. Back in 2007, the pop pairing had more or less given up hope of chiselling a career in music.

As drummer Jules De Martino puts it: "We had nothing to lose.

The Tings Tings will release their second album in January

"There was no intention to be a band commercially or travel the world - those dreams had gone. Our chances over."

But the duo, who were previously dropped in another band, began their last shot at stardom doing everything themselves. They organised their own gigs, sold their own vinyl and shot their own videos.

It's a deep-seated DIY attitude which they still maintain despite being signed to a major record label and having sold over two million copies of their debut album, We Started Nothing.

On the eve of their new album the band are determined to fight for their own creativity, but also sympathetic to the state the music industry finds itself in right now.

"It's really hard for labels at the moment," says De Martino. "There are less and less things for them to channel you into.

"They want to put you on TV but there are not a lot of shows left - the pickings are slim so it gets even more competitive.

"In terms of making decisions, we've always said if we're going to do anything wrong or fail we'd so much rather that be our decision."

White jumps in: "You might sell slightly less records for two weeks but in the long run you have more respect and dignity and you end up selling more albums.

"People realise you're an artist and you're not just trying to jump down their throats."

New album

All of which leads to The Tings Tings preparing for the release of their as yet untitled second album (tentatively scheduled for January) and latest single Hands.

"It was the first track we wrote coming off the 18-month tour. It's about working really hard," says De Martino.

"After we came back to the UK after being around the world for so long a lot of things had changed. A lot of our friends had lost their jobs or were working ridiculous hours."

The impact of the financial downturn appears to have bled into the band's music.

"We were touring through the whole global recession that was going on," adds De Martino. "Every country we visited, we had them talking about them losing their jobs and how things were tough for them.

"Places in Europe like Greece were crazy. Rubbish wasn't being picked up on the street… You just wouldn't think that you'd see that in our life time.

"You think you're going to come home and back in Blighty everything would be fine - but the same thing is happening here. It was a shock."

Shocked, yes. Surprised, yes. But The Tings Tings, understandably, are ploughing on regardless.

Between now and the album release they're planning on putting out another one or two singles that will be accompanied by online "visuals".

The Ting Tings recorded their new album in 'isolated' Berlin

The album's sound has been influenced by everything from Nancy Sinatra to 60s psychedelic pop and 90s girl-group TLC.

It was recorded entirely by the twosome, who set up shop in a deserted Berlin jazz club last winter.

"It was still a very isolated area. We had no internet, no TV… The internet we had was a dongle you stuck in a laptop and then walk down an alleyway to send an email," says De Martino.

"To be creative, we have to come out of the entertainment industry. You get caught up in that and become part of that.

"There was nobody over your shoulder saying 'you sold two million albums last time, if you write this again you'd sell three million'.

"We've got egos like every other musician and pop star, but equally it's important to feel totally free when it comes to recording."

"We're control freaks," giggles White, almost stating the obvious. "You don't want to hit them with a song and then be papped every day. I don't think people get convinced by that."