The Sit Down with Two Ways Home
In April, Two Ways Home released their independent new album Patience To Play. Ewan sat down with Anglo-Austrian duo Two Ways Home at their dining room table. As we started to chat, it took me a minute to realise that I wasn’t actually recording yet, a testament to the duo and how easily they put you at ease in their home.
Lewis: “Now you’ve hit record, I need to get my recording voice on. Isi puts on her Austrian accent - she’s not actually Austrian.”
Two Ways Home are the songwriters, the performers and Lewis is even the producer. Festival performances and radio plays across the country, the band have become a mainstay of the UK country & folk scene. The band met at a house party at University.
Lewis: I won’t go into too much detail about that encounter because that never needs to see the light of day, but it was a pretty wild house party. A few days later, the person who introduced Isi said, “Oh, she actually needs a guitarist for a band.” So we joined up and played a load of rock covers - Pink, Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson. Once University finished, all the other bandmates kind of left when they realised being in the music industry was hard ahaha!
Isi: Then Lewis and I were the only ones left in London! We thought maybe we should try and write some songs and we had an American teacher who said, “you guys sound a little bit like music from Nashville”. So in 2012, we actually went to Nashville, checked it out, really liked it and made a lot of friends over there.
It’s been quite the journey for the duo, who opened a packed-out Country 2 Country and were the first performers ever at The Barn Stage, in the festival’s newest area, The Yellowstone Yard, in partnership with Paramount+. Lewis’ first time on stage was at just eleven years old in his Dad’s band, playing the guitar on a cover of Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger while Isi grew up singing with her Granny and jumping from dance class to singing lessons to musical theatre.
The band recently released their first album in six years, “Patience to Play,” comprising standalone singles from the last few years as well as brand-new tracks for fans. What was your favourite song from the album and how did you go about writing them?
Lewis: We aren’t great at regularly writing honestly - we really have to schedule it. We actually booked a holiday to Tenerife and wrote some songs. Yesterday we were speaking to one of the Directors of Abbey Road who was showing off these incredible speakers in the new Polestar car (#ad), and he suggested we play one of our songs. The first one that I thought to play was the title track, Patience to Play. For me, the song just sounds full and great, so from a production point of view and a journey point of view, I think our voices gel really nicely together. I also think I played all the guitars on the tune and it just sort of feels like the song that makes us us.
Isi: I think one of my favourites is Feet on the Asphalt, just because it’s so much fun to play live. And there’s a fun music video, probably the best we have ever made. We actually got custom socks as merch for the track and then decided to make sock puppets with them that feature in said music video!
Lewis: I think to reframe your question, one that was really well received both off the album and in the studio is Colder Water, which for us was a song that we struggled to get right. We re-recorded it sort of three times; it changed key and singers and was brand new for the album. It’s also later on the album, more of a deep cut, but we’ve had loads of people messaging going, this is my new favourite song, I really like this one.
Lewis: “Now you’ve hit record, I need to get my recording voice on. Isi puts on her Austrian accent - she’s not actually Austrian.”
Two Ways Home are the songwriters, the performers and Lewis is even the producer. Festival performances and radio plays across the country, the band have become a mainstay of the UK country & folk scene. The band met at a house party at University.
Lewis: I won’t go into too much detail about that encounter because that never needs to see the light of day, but it was a pretty wild house party. A few days later, the person who introduced Isi said, “Oh, she actually needs a guitarist for a band.” So we joined up and played a load of rock covers - Pink, Michael Jackson, Kelly Clarkson. Once University finished, all the other bandmates kind of left when they realised being in the music industry was hard ahaha!
Isi: Then Lewis and I were the only ones left in London! We thought maybe we should try and write some songs and we had an American teacher who said, “you guys sound a little bit like music from Nashville”. So in 2012, we actually went to Nashville, checked it out, really liked it and made a lot of friends over there.
It’s been quite the journey for the duo, who opened a packed-out Country 2 Country and were the first performers ever at The Barn Stage, in the festival’s newest area, The Yellowstone Yard, in partnership with Paramount+. Lewis’ first time on stage was at just eleven years old in his Dad’s band, playing the guitar on a cover of Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger while Isi grew up singing with her Granny and jumping from dance class to singing lessons to musical theatre.
The band recently released their first album in six years, “Patience to Play,” comprising standalone singles from the last few years as well as brand-new tracks for fans. What was your favourite song from the album and how did you go about writing them?
Lewis: We aren’t great at regularly writing honestly - we really have to schedule it. We actually booked a holiday to Tenerife and wrote some songs. Yesterday we were speaking to one of the Directors of Abbey Road who was showing off these incredible speakers in the new Polestar car (#ad), and he suggested we play one of our songs. The first one that I thought to play was the title track, Patience to Play. For me, the song just sounds full and great, so from a production point of view and a journey point of view, I think our voices gel really nicely together. I also think I played all the guitars on the tune and it just sort of feels like the song that makes us us.
Isi: I think one of my favourites is Feet on the Asphalt, just because it’s so much fun to play live. And there’s a fun music video, probably the best we have ever made. We actually got custom socks as merch for the track and then decided to make sock puppets with them that feature in said music video!
Lewis: I think to reframe your question, one that was really well received both off the album and in the studio is Colder Water, which for us was a song that we struggled to get right. We re-recorded it sort of three times; it changed key and singers and was brand new for the album. It’s also later on the album, more of a deep cut, but we’ve had loads of people messaging going, this is my new favourite song, I really like this one.
The album was partnered with a launch show in London that sold out incredibly fast, as well as a tour to Switzerland and Austria. And while the duo are playing a smattering of festivals across the country in the Summer, it is their co-headline tour with fellow UK artist Katy Hurt that they are most excited about.
Isi: In October we’re doing the biggest venues we’ve ever played, and we are doing it as a full band. We are doing six dates, and we decided to team up with Katy Hurt. We thought it’d be nice to team up with someone we really like; we love her music, and we’ve known her for nearly 10 years. We’ve written two songs with her as well, and it's a bit of an exclusive, but we are thinking of releasing an EP together just before that tour.
What can fans expect from the show?
Isi: I want to call it more of a cabaret, but it’s not really. We are gonna be together on stage at the beginning, doing some acoustic songs, then both of us will do separate full band shows before we come back together for a grand finale. In a way we are being the support acts for ourselves as well! It’s just something we really wanted to do for a long time.
Selling tickets can be a challenge, and as many of you may have seen, musician Billy Lockett has been playing on this spoof in TikTok and Instagram videos, getting his mum to reveal how many tickets he has sold each week. Two Ways Home supported Billy on his latest tour in Southampton, winning a competition on Instagram. I’ve seen you’ve been posting a lot on social media recently? Is that to help grow your audience ahead of these shows?
Isi: I think it’s just because the album came out and nowadays the only way you get people to hear about your music is to harness the power of social media - get it to people’s ears and eyes! We’ve filmed us miming to the songs, but we just feel a little bit stupid - we call it “pushing past the peinlich” (a German phrase). You’ve sort of just got to push past the awkwardness and get the success.
Lewis: I find it really hard because all I want to do is just make music and then go out and perform that music. Social media, however, is an incredible way to reach a massive fan base.
Isi: In October we’re doing the biggest venues we’ve ever played, and we are doing it as a full band. We are doing six dates, and we decided to team up with Katy Hurt. We thought it’d be nice to team up with someone we really like; we love her music, and we’ve known her for nearly 10 years. We’ve written two songs with her as well, and it's a bit of an exclusive, but we are thinking of releasing an EP together just before that tour.
What can fans expect from the show?
Isi: I want to call it more of a cabaret, but it’s not really. We are gonna be together on stage at the beginning, doing some acoustic songs, then both of us will do separate full band shows before we come back together for a grand finale. In a way we are being the support acts for ourselves as well! It’s just something we really wanted to do for a long time.
Selling tickets can be a challenge, and as many of you may have seen, musician Billy Lockett has been playing on this spoof in TikTok and Instagram videos, getting his mum to reveal how many tickets he has sold each week. Two Ways Home supported Billy on his latest tour in Southampton, winning a competition on Instagram. I’ve seen you’ve been posting a lot on social media recently? Is that to help grow your audience ahead of these shows?
Isi: I think it’s just because the album came out and nowadays the only way you get people to hear about your music is to harness the power of social media - get it to people’s ears and eyes! We’ve filmed us miming to the songs, but we just feel a little bit stupid - we call it “pushing past the peinlich” (a German phrase). You’ve sort of just got to push past the awkwardness and get the success.
Lewis: I find it really hard because all I want to do is just make music and then go out and perform that music. Social media, however, is an incredible way to reach a massive fan base.
My final question is one I’m asking all my interview guests this year – I’m getting married in December so I want to know what song from your catalogue I should add to the wedding playlist?
Lewis and Isi: We’ve got a song called “Best Part of Me” - it’s a wedding banger for the party time. It was actually used as a first dance by some friends - they also used our song when they walked down the aisle which was a cool moment.
You can catch Two Ways Home on tour with Katy Hurt later this year as they play in Sheffield, Birkenhead, London, Bath, Cheltenham and Newport or listen to their newest album Patience to Play wherever you get your music.
Lewis and Isi: We’ve got a song called “Best Part of Me” - it’s a wedding banger for the party time. It was actually used as a first dance by some friends - they also used our song when they walked down the aisle which was a cool moment.
You can catch Two Ways Home on tour with Katy Hurt later this year as they play in Sheffield, Birkenhead, London, Bath, Cheltenham and Newport or listen to their newest album Patience to Play wherever you get your music.