Brixton’s TOMMYANDMARY – Not busking it

Eleanor Sharples meets a local band who are going places but, surprisingly, have yet to play The Windmill.

Brixton punk rock duo TOMMYANDMARY
Brixton punk rock duo TOMMYANDMARY

Lost, the latest single by Brixton punk rock duo TOMMYANDMARY, features in the current series of BBC 2 period crime drama Peaky Blinders.

Music producer Antony Genn spotted the couple while they were busking last year and helped them break into the Peaky Blinders scene.

Genn was working on the series at the time and asked if they had any tracks he could listen to. He chose Lost to feature. Mary says: “It was very lucky indeed and we are very thankful for that.”

TOMMYANDMARY are working with Genn on the production of their new album Feelings which they plan to release at the Windmill Brixton in March. “We have never played the Windmill so we are super excited about the show,” says Mary.

It has been a busy and exciting year for the couple who released their third album Authority in January, ably supported by established drummer Gary Wallis who has worked with Pink Floyd and Tom Jones.

They created three videos at Gun Hill Studios. Sponsorship came from Underground UK because Mary always wears their creepers shoes. Radio 6’s Steve Lamacq has also played their music.

In a 2016 Bugle interview Tommy and Mary talked about their marriage, their commitment to making music together and how they work so well together to produce their songs.

Busking might have freed them from the daily grind of work and wages, freeing up their creativity, but they didn’t eat a lot.

After three years busking for a living, performing their own original songs, the pair got day jobs, allowing them to focus on new material, sponsorship and investing in music equipment, photographers and filmmakers.

The duo plan to cut vinyls and hope to play a couple of shows abroad for their fans scattered around the world.

Lost is available for download from iTunes.