It’s not your typical origin story: Danish punks the Columbian Neckties were touring Brazil a decade ago, supporting local band the Autoramas. In the tour van, Danish drummer Martin Thorsen got talking to Brazilian guitarist Flávia Couri. As she told Shindig! magazine: “We were born 10,000 miles apart, but we both love the same music, 60s culture, space-age designs and art. We got together on the last day of the tour and became boyfriend and girlfriend.”
In 2015, Couri moved to Denmark, she and Thorsen married and the Courettes were born. Since then, their Phil Spector-influenced 60s garage rock, distinctive visual aesthetic and powerful live performances have been steadily growing an audience. But for all of their retro shtick, there’s genuine evolution in their music, and new album The Soul of the Fabulous Courettes feels like a leap forward, with nods to 60s psychedelia and British invasion-era sounds. “The safe bet would have been to record [2021 album] Back in Mono 2,” Thorsen says, “but we think it’s boring to do the same thing over and over… We’re not AC/DC – we don’t make the same record every time.”
It’s on stage that they’re in their element though. “Touring doesn’t make us millionaires,” says Couri, “but we’d rather do it than have day jobs and do this as a side hustle.”
• The Soul of the Fabulous Courettes is out on Damaged Goods on 27 September. Their UK tour starts in Hull on 25 September
