Flower powered

Tall Poppies twins, Susan and Catherine

Once described as ‘Tanya Donelly crossed with Barbara Dickson’, Susan and Catherine are twin sisters and have been writing songs since they were nine. Originally from Perth, Australia they came to London armed with only a bass, a guitar, and a broken PC. After playing in various venues across the city they scored a residency at a pub in Islington and began playing there on a regular basis.

The stage name ‘Tall Poppies’ was created during that period, because people couldn’t tell the identical-appearing twins apart.

Susan and Catherine’s reasons for settling in London are based around deep-rooted family connections: their grandfather used to play piano at the Hackney Empire and they hoped to continue the family tradition. They also have high opinions of the local music scene, which they applaud it because “people are open to hearing original music that’s a bit different or edgy”.

The Poppies have played alongside well-known musicians such as Boy George and Mark Morrison (Bluetones). At the end of 2010 there was a change to the two-piece lineup, with drummer Mark and Violist Diarmuid joining the band. 2011 will see the release of their second album, which they recorded with Brian O’Shaugnessy (Primal Scream).

The album release date has yet to be confirmed, but you can listen to snippets of the tracks from All the Rave.