This article was originally published on InsideIreland.ie in July 2011.
In our exclusive interview with Twist & Pulse, we talk to the duo about their overnight stardom thanks to Britain’s Got Talent, as well as their upcoming tour with Jedward.
Glen Murphy and Ashley Glazebrook danced their way into our hearts after appearing on the 2010 series of Britain’s Got Talent (BGT) with their unique ‘Streetomedy’ act.
Since then, the loveable duo, affectionately known as ‘Twist & Pulse’, have gone from strength to strength, performing to thousands of fans across Ireland and the UK.
The duo are currently in Ireland as they prepare to join Jedward on their ‘Carnival’ tour, and aside from performing their popular BGT routines, Glen and Ashley will also have the chance to showcase their new single, ‘Jump’.
“We’re really excited about the tour,” Ashley gushes. “We’ve met Jedward a few times before, but this will be our first opportunity to spend some time with them and get to know them.”
“It will also be more personal as it’s just Jedward and ourselves on this tour,” Glen adds. “We’ve been working so hard since the show, so hopefully people will see that in our performances.”
Glen and Ashley, AKA Twist & Pulse, are getting ready to support Jedward on their upcoming ‘Carnival’ tour.
Jedward shot to fame on The X Factor and, despite not winning the talent show, the identical twins went on to sign a large music contract and experience more success than their fellow contestants. Known for their large, blonde quiffs, as well as their never-ending enthusiasm, Jedward are just back from spreading the ‘Jedward mania’ to the rest of Europe.
The tour will see the boys take to the stage alongside fire, pyrotechnics, bouncy castles, roller skaters, acrobats and dancers, amid amazing lighting effects in a lavish carnival-themed and energetic show.
And Twist & Pulse admit they are prepared for the enthusiasm their touring partners will bring with them.
“They are full of energy,” Ashley laughs. “It’s a great thing though as they know how to have fun and are able to have a laugh. Most of the time they are very energetic and enthusiastic, but when they just sit down to chat to you, they are really nice, normal guys.”
Having spent the last year constantly touring around Ireland and the UK, do the guys have a favourite venue or festival?
“Yeah, we actually performed in a club in Cookstown [Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland], called Sense, which was amazing! It’s probably one of my top shows so far,” Ashley admits.
“It’s great touring around. Our fans [in Ireland] are really supportive and they are always following us on our Twitter and Facebook accounts, and checking out our videos on YouTube. It really is amazing, the amount of support we have,” Glen humbly adds.
The London duo have been labelled as ‘cheeky yet loveable’ by some, and as I spoke to the duo I quickly realised I was talking to two friendly guys, with very infectious personalities. It was these personalities, alongside their incredible dance moves, which saw them soar into the final of BGT.
The double act came second in the show, finishing just behind gymnastic troupe Spelbound, but Ashley insists it only encouraged them to make it even further in the industry.
“The result made us more determined to make it. It’s strange as we never entered the show to win. We just went on it to see how far we would get and to be honest, we didn’t really think we would get past the first audition as we didn’t know how people would take our act. So, after our first audition, we just sort of… made our way to the final and came second,” he laughs.
“We had done a few shows in London before, like stand-up and open mic nights, where we would open up the whole thing and just get the crowd going. People would come up to us and say, ‘You guys should do Britain’s Got Talent – you’d be really good for it’,” Glen remembers.
“We were watching videos on YouTube one evening after rehearsing, and a pop-up appeared for Britain’s Got Talent. It said, ‘Apply online now’, so we asked each other if we should do it. We clicked on, and the rest is history.”
“Obviously though when we reached the semi-finals we were like, ‘Oh wow, we’re actually doing quite well,’ and then we made it into the final.
“Being in the top ten of Britain’s Got Talent, you think, ‘Oh my. We’re going to do the tour! We’ve got so much to do, things like that, but once we reached the top three; we just stood there going ‘No!’ – We couldn’t believe it. It was incredible,” Ashley admits.
Even though they were runners-up, the fan base they have only grows stronger. So, are they surprised by the amount of support they have received since appearing on Britain’s Got Talent?
Ashley jumps in with the answer: “Definitely; because we didn’t know how anyone was going to react to our act. When the series began, we can remember a lot of people talking about our initial audition.
“Specifically, it was the interview beforehand. People would come up to us and say they thought it was going to be really bad, but once we started dancing, everyone said it was amazing and totally different to anything they had seen before, which is nice.”
Having practiced the word ‘Streetomedy’ all morning, I decided it was time to ask the duo where they came up with their ideas – as well as checking the pronunciation of ‘Streetomedy’.
My attempt is greeted with laughs from both Ashley and Glen, but they unanimously agree that I said it perfectly!
“We’ve known each other for three years now,” Glen begins. “It was all through college. I attended the BRIT School [of Performing Arts and Technology], and Ashley joined the year after.”
“We actually both took dancing up quite late, when we were about 15,” Ashley adds. “Because we were both dancing, it was only natural really that we met up and immediately we knew we were into the same sort of things. We’d just start making up routines as normal but we’d maybe listen to a song on our iPods or think of something funny and we’d just throw it in,” Glen continues. “Or I’d maybe fall over, or Ashley would trip, or we’d bump into each other and think, ‘Oh, we’ll just leave it in there!’
“We named it ‘Streetomedy’ as it’s made up of street dance and comedy. It makes it unique to us as well as you know no-one else has done it before. It’s fresh… It’s Twist & Pulse!” Glen concludes.
Aside from the Cheeky Girls and the theme tune to EastEnders, I decide to ask the talented duo who they view as their musical inspirations.
“Michael Jackson,” Ashley immediately responds. “We listen to loads of his music and watch all his videos. He’s amazing.”
“I like the Cheeky Girls,” Glen laughs. “We do like a lot of the stuff that’s out now, like Chris Brown, Tinie Tempah, Jessie J, artists like that. Michael Jackson is a huge inspiration to us too. When we aren’t dancing though, we listen to a lot of ‘calm’ music, like Boyz II Men.”
To find out more about Twist & Pulse, visit their official website. Or, check them out on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.