Culture Clash: CoCo And The Butterfields

Cultural concerns from the highly rated duo...

CoCo And The Butterfields craft finely honed folk-pop nuggets that reach deep down into the soul.

The duo – Tom Twyman and Dulcima Showan – have a hazy, late summer feel, and they're the perfect tonic for those rapidly encroaching dark evenings.

New single 'Puppets' is out now, a gilded delight that emphasises the subtle nuances of their work.

As Tom says: “It’s a reflective song about a romantic relationship many years ago when both parties were younger and more naive. The relationship developed from an already-existing friendship and the song highlights that sometimes romance doesn’t necessarily need to be introduced and things can often be better when a relationship remains platonic. It is ultimately about having a best friend in someone.”

With a number of UK shows incoming, CoCo And The Butterfields sat down with Clash to discuss their cultural obsessions…

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Album…

Tom: 'Silent Alarm' by Bloc Party is in my opinion, the greatest album of all time ever. Not only do I love every song on that record but, as is the case with a lot of people, every time I listen to it I’m full of nostalgia and an age of incredible memories come flooding back. It came out when I first started playing in bands, and the time when, one by one, my friends and I passed our driving tests. Everywhere we drove we would blast that album through tiny car speakers, making the CD skip every time we hit a bump as we’d all cram into a Peugeot 106 or Ford Fiesta.

The one and only time I’ve seen Bloc Party play live was at the Leas Cliff Hall in Folkestone back in 2006 and I was so ready to mosh to Helicopter. As soon as it started one of my crappy old converse fell off and like a fool I tried to pick it up; I was on the floor for the entire song, silly Tom – it’s a memory though, sure. I have to be honest, I haven’t been the biggest fan of Bloc Party’s music in recent times but that doesn’t matter because Dulcima has bought me tickets to see them play the Silent Alarm album, in order at the Ali Pali this October – boom!

Book…

Dulcima: 131⁄2 Lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers is my favourite book, it's both a fantastically imaginative story and has also become a nostalgia hit for me. It follows the life of Bluebear (literally, a bear who is blue) and he documents the entirely surreal events and places he encounters. I loved it as a child because it's a really cool, crazy story but I love it even more having grown up because I realise now that, under all the storyline, it's actually an epic philosophical journal that's been made wonderfully easy to read.

Bluebear is self aware but no one has told him why he is there (in these weird places he ends up) or what his purpose is. As the reader, you listen in on him deducing things in a pretty childlike, but perfectly logical way. If you're not in the mood for a heavy read however, the story itself is funny, well written and frankly a bit mental.

Film…

Tom: Up until 2009 my favourite film was probably Walk the Line, the biopic of Jonny Cash and June Carter. Then in the Autumn of that year something amazing happened; Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl was adapted into an animated feature film! I've always loved making things and this film is set in a world where handmade animal puppets come to life.

It’s shot in that really distinctive right angled style (classic Wes Anderson, favourite director) and the creatures themselves have so much character in the way they move, look and speak. The characters are quirky and slightly obscure unlike a lot of animal based films that often get a bit Disney-fied and cute-looking.

I think this type of animation has appealed to me from a young age because it's always seemed to be an attainable method of film making. You don't need a huge crew or wardrobe department or all the other things other films have, just a lot of materials, time, a fair level of skill and lots and lots of patience! Both the story and the craftsmanship inspire me in so many ways. One day I’ll try to make a film like this myself… one day.

TV Show…

Dulcima: Blackadder. It's another thing I grew up with so I know I'm biased but it's the program I'll always come back to over the years and still enjoy. I'm the kind of person who will only watch TV to be made to laugh so comedy is my go-to genre. I think I'm particularly fond of Blackadder because I love Rowan Atkinson and also the whole progression from season to season.

Rowan Atkinson was not keen on Season 1 and made the decision to opt out of writing for Season 2 as he knew he wasn't as good as Richard Curtis and Ben Elton. As a result, the characters' personalities had a switch around and they created an amazing, timeless dynamic. Although I grew up thinking it was brilliant as it was, I find it almost comforting to know there was a huge amount of work and effort and changes that had gone into making it that way.

Gadget…

Dulcima: My favourite gadget is anything that has been made for a purpose that simply doesn't need a gadget. They are definitely the most intriguing kind. The type that makes you think 'wow, someone really went through all the necessary steps and hurdles to get that designed and sold to the mass market'.

Top three picks in this category are a padded velcro headband that television remote controls can be stuck to, another is a toaster that heats (browns) pictures onto the bread slices put into it in accordance with which photograph you load into it.

Third fave gadget is a pair of small umbrellas you can attach to each shoe.

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'Puppets' is out now.

For tickets to the latest Coco and the Butterfields click HERE.

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