Routine Check-In: The Mitchell Brothers

Gigwise are at the HQ of Mike Skinner’s label The Beats to catch up with his first signing The Mitchell Brothers, AKA Teddy and Tony. Skinner signed them instantly when Teddy slipped their demo CD into his bag at a cashpoint queue in Brixton.  In no time they were guesting on ‘Fit But You Know It’ and a ‘Blinded By The Light’ remix, and hitching a ride across America on The Streets’ tour bus. Besides their pickpocketing prowess, it’s easy to see what attracted Mike to the Mitchells: that unmistakably British blend of pop sensibility, geezer aesthetic and cheeky raps. To date, they've aimed their white-hot wit at police discrimination (‘Routine Check’), snotty shop assistants (‘Harvey Nicks’) and now, each other. New single ‘Excuse My Brother’, which describes a typically rowdy night on the tiles, is our first real introduction to Ted and Tone’s conflicting personalities. And its chunky beats, chant-able chorus and guest appearance by Mr Skinner himself look set to propel the Mitchells into the mainstream. With a debut album, ‘A Breath Of Fresh Attire’, out later this month and more dates supporting The Streets, these will only cement the deal.

Gigwise:  So, obviously not Phil and Grant Mitchell then?
Teddy:  “Yeah, we just got a bit of a tan.”

G:  And not brothers either?
Tony:  “Nar, cousins. You see the whole thing with the Mitchell Brothers is that we’re cousins, but we’re more like brothers really. We grew up together from young, and growing up as teenagers, we were just doing the same things: playing football, chasing girls, going clubbing, doing music… so that’s why we named ourselves the Mitchell Brothers.”

G:  So when did you start doing music together?
Tony:  “97, 98.”
Teddy:  “It just started out as a hobby really, us going into our friend’s studio in his bedroom in Ilford- a producer called Mikey G. We just used to go there, just messing about. This was a long time ago, he had like an Atari or something, Commodore 64- it was crazy. And then we started making tracks, we started gigging. It wasn’t on a major level, we used to perform in a club called Ten Rooms in the West End, and we used to do that every Tuesday. And that started as us going there on a talent show kind of thing, but the response was really, really good and the people holding the event asked us to be residents every Tuesday.  So, we did that, just kept on doing it…”
Tony:  “ We gradually got noticed and that and became popular.  That’s when the CD was on the roads and was getting noticed,  and that’s when people started liking our music and what we was about. And it just ended up in Mike’s bag, which he [points to Teddy] you know…”
Teddy:  “…Slipped in!”

G:  Good move!
Tony:  “It paid off.  Got lucky really.  It worked for me!”
Teddy:  “Working no more normal jobs!”

G:  Is that the best thing that’s happened since being signed?
Teddy (yawning):  “Yeah man, not having to waking up in the mornings…”
Tony:  “…and go work retail.  That’s the best thing about it really.  And also…”
Teddy:  “…Free clothes!” 
Tony:  “Free clothes, the little perks.  And then just going to see the world.  I mean, last year was my first time on a plane- so that says it all.”

G:  Was that going to America?
Tony:  “Yeah, going to America with The Streets.  And watching his tour, and experiencing that. We went to how many states, around ten was it? Or was it nine?”
Teddy:  “Eight.”
Tony:  “Eight states.  So yeah man, just experiencing that- that’s like the best thing really.  I can’t really ask for more.”

G:  So, America.  Is that where you wrote the album?
Teddy:  “We wrote some of it, not all of it.  We started writing and recording it in March and I think we went to America in about May/June and that was like a learning curve.  Obviously we weren’t gigging so it wasn’t that stressful, but we wrote in the back of the tour bus.”

G:  There’s not much American influence though.  It’s very British.
Tony:  “Yeah man!”
Teddy:  “100%  You have to be.”
Tony:  “That’s one thing, as artists, as British artists, I feel that we should definitely put out there. Because that’s the first thing your audience is going to relate to and embrace. And trying to be something that you’re not, trying to emulate the Americans is just… fake. An illusion. It goes along with talking British, looking British, and that’s what we try to do.”

G:  So you’re into your style?
Tony:  “Yeah man, just looking smart really.  We’ve always liked fashion, it always played a part from the beginning, and…”
Teddy:  “…And now we get free clothes!”

G:  So that’s the ‘Breath of Fresh Attire’- is that what it’s all about?
Tony:  “You know what it is?  That has stood for…”
Teddy:  “…change.”
Tony:  “Yeah, something fresh- not only about clothes, but I think the word ‘attire’ just says everything. Attire. It’s almost like a uniform.  A uniform and a discipline and a language: something fresh that we’re trying to bring to people out there.”

G:  Any plans for a clothing line?
Tony:  “Yeah, we’ve got some ideas and that.  But it’s not a case of us just jumping on the bandwagon of what people do when they get a little bit of stardom, and they want to put out a label.  We want to do it properly.  We might start off something little, got some ideas and that, but nothing that we want to say, for now…”

G:  You know the American Mitchell Brothers are porn producers?  Any Snoop Dogg style porn video coming out?
Tony:  “If there was some money on the table mate, I wouldn’t say no I tell you!”
Teddy:  “Oh, what? To do it? Nar, I don’t think I’d be in a porno…”

G: Just film it?
Teddy:  “Yeah, probably film it- or you know make a video…”
Tony:  “I might.  Just as long as you put a black square round my face, I’d be cool man!”
Teddy:  “I’d probably make a rap video where there’s, you know, ****ing going on.  That I’d be interested in, yeah.”

G:  But for now it’s the album. How was making it?
Tony:  “Stop and start.  Because Mike at the time was doing his album, so it’s a case when it was started, then it would stop…  That’s why it’s taken a whole year to do it.  But it’s been good in that way, cos we’ve had time to reflect on certain tracks, go back to it and just polish things up and that.”

G:  So Teddy, when was the last time Tony got you into a fight?
Tony:  “We haven’t done that in a while though.”
Teddy:  “It’s not like we go out fighting, to be honest…”
Tony:  “We’ll just say that I may be the one to be a little bit loose.  In the sense where I like to enjoy myself, and… things happen!  And he’s a granddad basically.”
Teddy:  “I’m more reserved...”
Tony:  “Reserved, cobwebs...”
Teddy:  “Keeping an eye out basically.”

G:  Keeping him in check?
Teddy:  “Yeah man.”
Tony:  “Routine Check!”

G:  How have you been enjoying touring?
Tony:  “Yeah man.”
Teddy:  “Especially abroad. Cos most the places we’ve performed, we haven’t been there- ever. Never been Sweden, Paris, Denmark or Belgium. And it’s just good to see how they respond, cos you’re going there thinking they’re not going to catch the English for one, or maybe not going to catch the music. But you go there, and even somewhere like Roskilde- some of the tracks we did, by the second verse they’re singing along to the chorus. It’s kind of crazy, cos you wouldn’t expect them to catch it.”

G:  But they get it?
Teddy:  “Yeah man.  They’re even more hype than people here.  They’re more into it.”

G:  So do you find people here, just because you’re English don’t give you the respect you deserve?
Teddy:  “Not necessarily, but to be honest the clubs and that…”
Tony:  “…more the underground clubs are a bit more still-faced.”
Teddy:  “And most of them are still aspiring MCs or singers or rappers anyway, so they feel like they should be onstage, so most of the time they’re just like that [makes screw face].”
Tony:  “Yeah, but with the student crowds…”
Teddy:  “… the music buyers…”
Tony:  “…the indie crowd and stuff, they sing along, they get into it.  And that’s what we enjoy the most.  And to be honest, it’s not a case where we neglect the other scene or the other crowd, cos we’re trying to make that transition where we appeal to both parties.”

G:  What are your influences?
Teddy:  “A wide range really, from hip hop to indie music, jungle, flippin’ reggae, ragga and everything down to jazz.  We’re not ignorant when it comes to music, we’re open minded.  We listen to Coldplay, Outkast…”
Tony:  “…Phil Collins…”
Teddy:  “Flippin’ he likes Elton John sometimes.  I’m not really too keen on that.”
Tony:  “You don’t like his music?  How come you don’t like Elton John’s music?”
Teddy:  “Maybe that Eminem one.”
Tony:  “You’re nuts.  He’s [points at Teddy] just got issues, that’s all.  He likes Gareth Gates though.”
Teddy:  “Not really.  I probably like one of his tracks.  He likes Will Young.  He loves him, he’s got posters and shit!”

G:  So, quite heated in the Mitchell Brothers house when the Pop Idol final rolled around?
Tony:  “Yeah man.”
Teddy:  “I kind of felt sorry for him, because of his stutter.”
Tony:  “It’s horrible but you know…”

G:  So, you know The Beats MC Battle.  Any plans to enter that under an alias?
Teddy:  “Well now that you’ve mentioned it, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.  Do it and win it, say it was me!”

G:  What next then?
Teddy:  “Obviously the album’s coming out, so we’re just going to tour the album.  Also, try to get ideas together for our second album.  Just getting this album out there, making sure it reaches the right ears, so that it makes a mark as ‘A Breath of Fresh Attire’- just like it says…
Tony:  “It’s not even about, ‘Ah yeah, we wanna be this much grand richer’- which obviously would be nice…  But for us, it’s really important that we’re established as the Mitchell Brothers and not Mike’s protégés, not Mike’s ****ing…”
Teddy:  “…flunkies…”
Tony:  “…whatever you want to call it.  The Mitchell Brothers are the Mitchell Brothers.  OK, yeah he does our music, yeah he is affiliated, but we can stand up on our own two feet.  And that’s what we want to be respected for.”