Meet: Teiger London's New Rock Trio

With a debut album and tour coming later this year, Teiger are bringing their own brand of female-led rock to the UK’s stages. We at Backseat are huge fans and wanted to introduce the rest of you to the world of Teiger.

Give us a potted history of the band

Thank you for having us! We’re a London-based three piece called Teiger (which is pronounced “tiger” – although nothing to do with the big cat), formed in early 2022.

Who inspired you to start making music

Talie here – I’ve been involved in the music scene all my life, but only started writing properly during the winter of Covid early 2021. About half the first album arrived while I was quarantining in a Premier Inn – turns out there’s nothing like a few days in a small box to kickstart a project. Our drummer Jon catalysed the birth of the band by involving Phil on bass, who we relocated (kicking and screaming) down to London.

And the one or maybe two records that inspired you artistically

Phil: Ænima by Tool

Jon: Led Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy

Talie: Das Seelenbrechen by Ihsahn

If you’re trying to explain whom you sound like to someone that’s never heard you, what do you say

Our music has been described as a halfway house between Opeth and PJ Harvey, with elements of a variety of different genres including rock and metal, but also pop. Our overall sound is acoustic-ish, largely due to Talie’s rather unique Kramer guitar, but it has heavier, more progressive influences in spirit.

Tell us about your new track

The Law Of Diminishing Returns, affectionately “DimRetz”, is our latest single. It was recorded at Foel Studio in Wales (Porcupine Tree, Dresden Dolls…), and mastered by David Castillo in Sweden (Opeth, Katatonia, etc). It’s another dark track, but it has a very playful, experimental sound. Recording it was a blast – the guitar was put through a mysterious green HoverCraft amp, the bass was all done in one take (although Phil’s hair got attacked by his strap during the samba section, which explains a lot), and wehad an army of unused floor toms. I think we all went slightly mad.

Where can we get hold of it

It’s live now on all streaming sites, and available to buy at https://teiger.bandcamp.com. Or, you can pick up a limited edition pre-release copy of the album CD at one of our shows!

Tell us how you write

There’s a surprisingly specific system – the lyrics always come first (otherwise it’s a disaster), Talie presents the skeleton of a track, which then gets workshopped with Phil in someone’s kitchen. Dodgy voice notes are sent to Jon, who listens to it about a million times before stunning us all with a masterpiece in the next rehearsal. Things tend to move very quickly, although the process is shifting for the more complex second album – we’re writing increasingly as a trio.

Tell us about your live show What would be your dream gig

Our live show is very intimate, but designed for a big stage. It’s very atmospheric – production will be a big part of it making it more and more immersive as the band grows. The dream stage would be the Roundhouse.

What can we expect from you in the near future

We’re going on tour early autumn, ending at Camden’s Underworld on September 7th. After The Law Of Diminishing Returns, there’s one more quite ambitious video in the works, which will be released along with the debut album right after the tour.

Tell us your favourite records that are rocking your headphones/tour bus/stereo

Talie: Zeal & Ardor by Zeal & Ardor is on repeat in the headphones. Honourable mention to Tears for Fears, and to Sting’s back catalogue.

Check out the bands track Hydra, below: