T hese New Puritans
Numerology-obsessed eccentrics conjure gloomy and glorious post-punk
Iused to get night terrors,” says

These New Puritans’ singer/guitarist

Jack Barnett, backstage before a

show in South London. “I once saw

a ghost—a glowing blue cat in my

room—and these purple and yellow

orb things. It was really scary.”

Welcome to the weird post-post-punk

world of England’s latest art-rock buzz

band, a place where glowing globes

mingle with references to ¹⁶th-century

occultists and numerology. Synthesizer

player Sophie Sleigh-Johnson, 19, chooses

to write notes on a small pad rather than

answer questions verbally, while bassist

Thomas Hein, 21, simply walks away when

approached. The two who do talk, front-

man Jack, 20, and his twin brother, George

(drums), reveal some curious inspirations.

“Making music is like casting spells,”

George offers. “Musician and magician are

similar words. It’s better to take a small

idea, like numerology, and make it mean

something, rather than to take something

like death or love and make it meaningless.”

From the age of seven, the twins have

been conjuring up imaginary bands

and recording on a four-track in their

parents’ shed in the small seaside town

of Southend—a “cultural wasteland,”

according to Jack. Since they formed a

proper band, their rise has been swift. They

signed a record deal after their very first

gig, in July 2005. Two years later, they were

handpicked by designer/photographer

Hedi Slimane to record a 15-minute track

(“Navigate, Navigate”) for last year’s Dior

Homme fashion show. “People got the

wrong impression from that,” says George

testily. “We don’t give a crap what we look

like. We’re not one of those bands that

has blow-dryers backstage.”

Even without the aid of high-profile

benefactors, These New Puritans make

a strong impression. Their full-length

debut, Beat Pyramid (Domino), invokes

post-punk standard-bearers like the Fall

and Wire, as well as the grimmer side

of electronica. The album is all gnashing

guitars, synapse-frying synth drones, and

galloping drums, with the occasional blue-

sky chorus to alleviate the gunmetal gray

mood. “If you listen several times, you’ll

notice little treats,” says Jack, pointing

out that musket blasts and knife clanks

were sampled to create percussion

tracks. Despite the out-there recording

techniques and odd song titles (“MKK³,”

“Infinity ytinifnI”), the Barnett twins insist

that they are interested in traditional rock

hooks, not avant-garde experiments.

“I admire simple music,” says George.

“Anyone can make a load of noise, but not

everyone can make a concise song.”

B Y TIM CHES TER
PHOTOGRAPH BY JOHN LINDQUIST
FAST FACTS

> “We’ve said we’re like

the Oasis brothers as a

joke,” says Jack. “We’ve

since been hounded by

Oasis fans telling us we’re

not like them.”

> Beat Pyramid was

produced by Gareth

Jones, who’s also worked

with Liars and Wire.

> Hein was studying

to be a botanist before

joining the band.

George Barnett, Jack

Barnett, Sophie Sleigh-

Johnson, and Thomas Hein,

photographed for Spin in

London, January 31, 2008