This is the very first edition of The Art of Longevity “Revisited” and who better to revisit than Turin Brakes, the very first guest to ever do this podcast. We return to business with Ollie Knights and a band building momentum, again.

SEASON 12, EP 3: TURIN BRAKES, THE INDIE FOLK BAND THAT ROCKS!

In the intervening four years since Ollie Knights first joined me, the band has been on something of a creative roll; two fine albums, a successful acoustic tour and something of a collective raising of the game. To my mind, this is how established bands of longevity should operate; to hell with the mainstream and gatekeepers, just do the very best work you can and keep those fans happy. 

The new Turin Brakes album Spacehopper saw the band going back to the start - recording the album at Konk, the recording studio founded by The Kinks in 1973 and where Turin Brakes recorded their classic debut The Optimist. This of course, was in contrast to the homely recording of post-pandemic Wide Eyed Nowhere, still a fine record but very different in character to Spacehopper. This time around too, the lead single from the new album, “The Message”, had some much deserved radio play on BBC Radio 2. But still, no hits to speak of, and the album reached the UK chart for just a fleeting moment. A hit would be nice for this band, but Ollie Knights remains more philosophical than ever:

“You take the wins where you can. Our happiness levels are less influenced by “success” in the mainstream areas. We’ve finally learned after decades of smashing up against the wall. We get over it very quickly if something is disappointing in the mainstream realm. That’s the bit you were not thinking about when you were dreaming about a career in music as a kid”. 

Indeed. For bands of Quiet Legend, still making excellent records and blowing the roof off venues live - it’s time to build your own momentum. There’s a lot to learn from Turin Brakes. To be contrarian for a moment though, this band may still get their moment. When you consider that those early classic hits (remember “Pain Killer” was a top five UK hit in the summer of 2003, whilst the band’s first chart single “The Underdog (Save Me)” has become an evergreen classic) are still relatively understreamed. The band’s biggest song on Spotify remains the 2016 ballad Save You with just over seven million streams. Sooner or later, that is bound to change, but until it does, the band continues to thrive organically, with or without the accolades. Their momentum is such that they are back in a place where it's still exciting after 25 years. 

“There is always something on the workbench. The chemistry between me and Gale and between the four of us - without those relationships, forget it. We look forward to getting together and playing, we’re excited about it. And when people come to see us live it's as if they want to come and watch the relationships happen”. 

Turin Brakes are the indie folk band that rocks. Good luck to them. Spacehopper and Autumn tour tickets can be found at Turin Brakes.com.

THE META VERSE (Afterword)

When I asked Ollie Knights to join me on a podcast in January 2021, he had every right to say “no thanks, because I have no idea who you are mate”. Instead, he said let’s give it a go. Well, in fact Turin Brakes drummer and de facto manager Rob Allum volunteered him. But Ollie did not say no. Instead, he showed up. The following week, there we were, featured in the Guardian Guide (bring back The Guide and MTGGA). Turin Brakes are indeed the foreword to my forthcoming book “Riding The Rollercoaster” (April 2026)...and perhaps a fuller account of the band’s journey is forthcoming. Whatever happens with this band next, it’s exciting. Make Turin Brakes Great Again? They only went and did it.