- Major breakthrough for Jersey band as single played on national station
- Teddy’s line-up includes two Old Victorians
- Watch the video for the single below
- Check out our interview with the band
A BAND formed by two Jersey musicians– one of them the son of former Bailiff Senator Sir Philip Bailhache – have had their debut single played to millions of listeners on Radio 1.
Tom Falle and Eddy Bailhache’s synth-pop group Teddy had their song Happy Tim played by Alice Levine on her three-hour afternoon show.
The track was selected among a number of major artists, including this year’s Jersey Live headliners The Vaccines and Rudimental and chart toppers David Guetta and Muse.
The two 25-year-old Old Victorians, who have known each other since they were boys and formed their three-piece group in London 2013, said they had ‘absolutely no idea’ that the track was to be played on the station.
Mr Falle said: ‘We didn’t know anything until we received texts from friends saying, you’re on Radio 1!
‘We’ve had some good play on other radio stations, but never anything on the level of Radio 1, so it was quite a shock.
‘We’ve been working really hard trying to get our name on music blogs and websites, and I guess we got lucky and someone noticed us.
‘We’re not just bog-standard pop, so we really didn’t know how we would be received.
‘Alice Levine said some really nice things about us on her show, which was a great help.’
The former Victoria College head boy added: ‘Eddy and I have dreamed of having our music played on Radio 1 because it’s the most commercial radio station in the UK and has listeners around the world.
‘It is significant, but we have a lot more work to do to get where we want to be.’
TOM Falle and Eddy Bailhache have known each other since they were toddlers.
They were in the same house at Victoria College, they acted alongside each other in the same plays and now they are the creative force in the same band, a band named Teddy.
With drummer Alex Glover, the three-piece have undergone a musical renaissance of late – a journey that has taken them to the other side of the world, seen them achieve critical acclaim, DJ at one of London’s most famous museums and be mistaken for One Direction.
Nightlife caught up with the two 25-yearolds to hear Teddy laid bare.
Your recent song Happy Tim was well received by big-dog reviewers like the Guardian and Line of Best Fit. Were you surprised that it went down so well, and is there a follow-up planned?
It’s always a buzz to get good reviews, especially from places that we look to for new music.
We would have been disappointed had it been critically destroyed, or worse, ignored.
People seized upon the political element of the song in the run up to the general election, which was interesting.
We haven’t announced the follow-up yet, but we made a few recordings at the same time we did Happy Tim, so it’s all in the pipeline.
Last time we featured Teddy, you guys were dressed in tuxedos supping tea, now it’s a bit more casual. What’s behind the image change?
That shoot was always a bit tonguein-cheek.
Now we dress a bit more high fashion – we are really into Versace’s Versus collection, and mix it up with a bit of 80s New Romanticism to get what we want.
It’s been over a decade since you started jamming together at Vic College – are you not bored of each other’s company yet?
We never get bored of each other.
We argue quite a lot, but that is normal, and we have developed ways to deal with those artistic disagreements.
When you have known each other for so long (almost since birth), you can get over disputes as quickly as they come.
The Beatles, The Smiths and David Bowie were listed as your previous influences. What are you listening to at the moment that’s inspiring your sound?
We are really enjoying modern electronic pop pioneers like James Blake, FKA Twigs and Grimes. Brandon Flowers’ new album is great too.
It’s almost time to pull on the wellies and get the camping gear out again. Are you guys playing any festivals over the summer?
We’re spending the summer in our crypt studio in north London.
In the last few months we’ve re-shaped Teddy, finding the sound and vision we want to put out there, so we’re holding off on festivals until we have a few more releases to support it.
A couple of weeks ago you DJed at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Sounds kind of surreal. Was it?
That is the best way to describe it.
We spun our discs in the atrium, whilst a live performance inspired by Ed Miliband’s kitchen was occurring in the next room.
It was always going to be strange dancing amongst the nude Rodins and Berninis.
You were in Japan not long ago. What was that all about?
We’ve been fascinated by Japanese culture for a while, especially the fashions of Tokyo.
We got taken around by some friends, bizarrely got mistaken for One Direction a few times and came back with some musical ammo you’ll be hearing in some future tunes.
What do you want to have achieved by this time next year?
We hope to be putting the finishing touches on our debut album.
Are there any triumphant homecoming gigs planned?
Maybe – keep your eyes peeled..
