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Sisters Hannah and Collette Thurlow, who perform together in the band 2:54, have crafted one of the darkest and intense albums of 2012 so far. We rang sister Hannah up to try and dicover just what makes 2:54 tick and whether it's really all doom and gloom for the duo.  

Gigwise: So, 2:54 are named after a specific moment in ‘A History Of Bad Men’ by The Melvins - which moment on your album could inspire a new band to form?

Hannah: Ooh, that’s a tough question. I love all the songs equally so it’s be tough to pinpoint one exact moment. Each song on the album has a different flavour but maybe a song like ‘Sugar’, that definitely kicks in and you can feel it.

Aside from the Melvins, which other bands were key to the forming of 2:54?

We grew up listening to a lot of heavy guitar music so everything from The Deftones and Metallica as well as groups like Mastodon. We like experimenting with sounds and not getting too heavy but exploring different ways to get that across.

You have toured with the likes of The xx, The Maccabees and the Big Pink. Which one of them throws the best after party?

We were so lucky to be on those tours and it was such a great experience, they’re all so supportive. All equally as fun to have a drink with!

How does it feel now that your debut album is out in the world?

Well we definitely took our time with it and waited to put it out but it definitely felt like the right time to release the album. We’re so happy to have it out there for people to listen to.



There’s a big grunge and 1990’s influence on the 2:54 album. We were wondering, who between you and your sister is the most prone to a Courtney Love-style bout of crazy?

Haha, I’m not sure either of us are that bad. I don’t really see us like that, it’s just me and Collette.

You mentioned the heavy-metal influence on your music and it’s certainly evident on some songs. Have you spotted any mosh-pits at your gigs yet?

I would love it if that started to happen, I’d love to see that happening from the stage. I spent so much of my youth at rock gigs and got a few bruises along the way. When you’re younger and you really love a band you just go for it, don’t you?

Speaking of the 90’s, if we could theoretically get one of the following pop culture icons of the time to appear in the next 2:54 video, who would you choose?

a) Jordan Catalano and Angela Chase (My So Called Life)
b) Beavis + Butthead
c) Wayne and Garth (Wayne’s World)
d) Clarissa (Clarissa Explains It All)

I was a big fan of Clarissa Explains It All when I was younger but also My So Called Life so that’s a tough decision. Maybe we can get them all involved, that would be a pretty dreamy flashback!

Finally, what does the rest of 2012 hold for 2:54?

We’re heading to America to play a load of shows over there which is very exciting and then back to the UK for festival season. We’re playing Bestival, Beacons, Reading and Leeds - loads. I can’t wait for Reading, At The Drive In and Mastodon are both playing and I’m really looking forward to seeing them both on the same day.

2:54's self-titled debut album is out now via Fiction.