DiScussion: Who's your favourite duo?
You don't see a duo for ages and then two come along at once. Last week, the once little known indie duo The Kills fizzed, snapped and thumped the television viewing faces of an unassuming British public on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. In the past few days, LA-spawned cult duo No Age also made news headlines for their US TV appearance (below) which cause a political storm. This pair of pairs got us thinking about the power of two ... and off to YouTube we went...
Visually, it's the lack of attention-diluting members which makes these bands special. How can two hands and two feet make such a frenetic sound? The interplay that only a couple can have also adds a extra dimension of myth and magic to the duo, making it a format that just never seems to wear thin.
We wanna know who your favourite duo is but first, here are three to focus your mind and get you started...
No Age
Their debut releases have won hearts, minds and end-of-year plaudits for their raucous swerving between the epic art-rock of Liars, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, hurled along by the primal thud of skate punk and post-hardcore. They're refreshing but all the while it's a bewildering feat that it's only just the two of them (and a little bit of pedal trickery) making this static-riddled wall of noise.
DiS is very excited to have them as the main support on our Shred Yr Face tour (info) which begins this week.
Here's No Age performing 'The Eraser' on The Late Late Show:
The Kills
Performing 'Last Day of Magic' live on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
Blood Red Shoes
Performing 'Say Anything, Say Anything' and 'This Is Not For You' live at the Le Rock Dans Tous Ses États festival.
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Burt Bacharach and Hal David
write better and more successful than all the above
but if i had to choose, No Age
Japanther
since last night
'Eraser' by No Age
Not 'The Eraser' - that's a Thom Yorke song / album :)
Chaka Khan & Rufus
were awesome back in the day.
darkthrone
or maybe no age
Slow club
I have been mightily impressed so far.
i'd say either
DFA 1979 or Helio Sequence.
Two Gallants
or old school Hella.
scratch that, it's crystal castles
<3 alice
two hands and two feet?
is jamie hince secretly a quadruple amputee?
Big Business or Hot Bone for me
Lightning Bolt
The Brians manage to make a bigger racket than most bands
Also Yellow Swans and Tom & Christina Carter
I could go on...
But I guess those are my staple favourites.
PJ & Duncan
They were a duo, a twosome.
The Black Knights
...from Salford...aceness.
Flower - Corsano
Fuck Buttons
Sic Alps
Would've been Quasi...
until they ruined their duo status. I am now favourite duo-less!
Daft Punk
No Age
Digital Mystikz
Kode 9 & The Spaceape
Eric B & Rakim
winnebago
deal
Hall & Oates
Tears For Fears. Not Hue & Cry or Soft Cell.
wildbirds and peacedrums
Matmos!
Nobody's said Arab Strap?
Your all dead to me...
...
a few that have been named and
The Knife
Dresden Dolls
The Like Young
Giant Drag (dont know if they count now as i think annie is carrying on by herself under the name now)
Daryl Hall and John Oates...
...obviously.
oops...
and Tears For Fears.
tsss
big business
dfa 1979
the carps
Sad
that it took this long for Lightning Bolt to get mentioned...
My vote would go for DFA1979 though.
Also
Justice
Actually
do they count? DVNO n'Uffie and that...
The Dodos
Are a trio!
well now that Low have lost Zack
surely they are a duo and therfore they win the thread?
Or Lightning Bolt.
Simon and Garfunkel
or Teagan and Sara!
THE TING TINGS!!11!
SAFETY WINK
Reeves & Mortimer
cool cool conditioned air...
Pet Shop Boys
Actually
kylie and jason
but seriously, flight of the conchords.
current = she & him
all time = gram parsons and emmylou harris
I did an IT A-level
with one of the black knights...
Do very much like
Gay Against You.
KLF
Mu! Mu!
viva voce
are good
Live, yes.
But I'm pretty sure that it's still just Meric Long and Logan Kroeber who class themselves at "The Dodos" on record.
Quasi
featuring birds era
At the moment, BRS.
But its gotta be DFA1979 overall for me. Mainly because of how 2 men can make the noise of 10.
Elton John and Bernie Taupin
Silver Apples
Suicide
The Fiery Furnaces
definately Quasi feat. birds era
shame they went a bit, dare I say rubbish
mobb
deep
Lightning Bolt
Grabba Grabba Tape
Gay Against You
Agaskodo Teliverek (although they've turned into a full band now)
Autechre
Am I predictable?
I think I must be.
The Proclaimers
Is it one man or two? I don't care I'd walk 1000 miles to see them :)
xxx
Matt and Kim, Mates of State, The Rosebuds
and i have been fortunate enough to see all of them.
maybe no age will get in there when i see shred yr face tour in leeds
i tend to really really hate duos
'cept Ben Folds and Rufus Wainwright, and Elton John and George Michael, but I know neither of those really count.
ADULT.
although The Kills' Restaurant Blouse is ace
Well obviously. Boards of Canada.
Can't be bothered to read through all the guff to see if theyve been mentioned before...
Oxide and Neutrino
not! LOL!
my list...
The Black Keys
Massive Attack
Boards of Canada
im about to trump everyone with
the real best duo ever... ladies and gentlemen, i proudly give you:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Vmv--UJ3eJM
aka Wyclef Jean and The Rock
can't believe no one has mentioned
chas & dave
Free Blood
FTW
^^^
x5
david bowie and mick jagger
d-d-d-d-dancin
Dans le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
kythxby
an IT A level?
..which Black Knight was that then???!?!
Floodland-era Sisters Of Mercy
OMD
Chaka Demus and Pliers
ahh
you have two of my favourites (No Age and Blood Red Shoes) but where's Death From Above 1979?
DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979
kthxbai
Fuck this new DiS
it told me it couldn't publish my first :(
^^^
x10
Lightning Bolt
Cath and Phile Tyler
And if I'm allowed, PJ Harvey's work with John Parish
They bloody take ages
to soundcheck. And there's only two of them.


The Kills
Blood Red Shoes
No Age
In Photos: White Lies @ Brixton Academy, London
In Photos: Monotonix @ Hector's House, Brighton
In Photos: The Specials @ Hammersmith Apollo, London
In Photos: Camden Crawl Launch Event @ The Blues Kitchen, London
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