Cosmic Crush

The Cosmic Girls are convinced they have been put on this world for a reason – to give us a vision of the future of pop and to do it in style.

For identical twins Stephanie and Charlotte, it’s not what you do, it’s the way you do it… and that means standing out. So it is ironic then, that it’s so hard to tell them apart.

“We have always wanted to be different to everyone else, but, yes, people do get us mixed up,” laughs Charlotte. Or is it Stephanie? Not only do they look alike, but with their lilting North East accents, they also sound the same.

“Being twins is a lot of fun, though,” she goes on. “And people seem fascinated by the idea. They always ask if we play jokes on our boyfriends, or whether they get confused, but thankfully that hasn’t happened. I suppose we could swap though…”

Making their name performing as backing singers for Duffy, the Walker sisters have toured the world, performing everywhere from the Sydney Opera House to Top of the Pops, Strictly Come Dancing and Jools Holland’s Hootenanny.

But the girls, now 24, really made it when they began performing as a duo, giving a sexy spin to hard-edged electro pop reminiscent of Goldfrapp, Hot Chip, Friendly Fires and Klaxons.

And they also play their own instruments and write and produce their own material.

“We play edgy pop with sprinkles of electronica and dance,” says Stephanie. “We love catchy melodies and delicious harmonies – the kind you only really get from being twins.”

The twins’ story started in humble surroundings – at their home in the small village of Lanchester, County Durham, where they had an impressive musical upbringing, mastering trumpet, clarinet, piano, keyboards, drums and guitar. “We have played and sung together since an early age,” says Stephanie (I think). “We started in our bedroom and went on to perform at charity events and then began writing our own songs.”

“It has always been music for us,” says Charlotte. “We couldn’t see us doing anything else. We don’t see ourselves as a girl band because we play our own instruments.

“We like that retro thing but love cutting edge music. We were in a rock-soul band for a bit and have played trip-hop, but now we are really into electro; we find it so exciting.”

There are lots of myths surrounding identical twins, but that doesn’t stop me itching to find out just how close they are. Does one feel pain if the other is hurt, I ask, or do they share some spooky psychic connection?

The girls laugh. “If one of us is ill, or gets an allergic reaction, the other will get a bad feeling,” says… well, one of them (at this stage I’m convinced they are trying to confuse me).

Of course, it is their singular look which has got a jaded music scene very excited – and which has made them a fashionista favourite.

“We’ve always loved fashion,” says Charlotte. “And we’ve always tried to look different.

“We try to be quite edgy so don’t wear everyday clothes; we like to be more experimental. We are strong and independent – our look and sound go together.

“We have had some fashion disasters,” laughs Charlotte. “When we were touring with Duffy we would wear really high heels – and Stephanie fell over once on stage after tripping over some heels. Then there was the time it got so hot our shoes melted to our feet!”

Their striking appearance made them the obvious favourite to celebrate the close of Oxford Fashion Week. They play an Ethical Fashion gig at O3 gallery, at Oxford Castle tonight, wearing ethical garments by Feng Ho.

* The Cosmic Girls play the O3 gallery, at Oxford Castle tonight, joined by DJ NuMethod. Tickets are £4 from gigantic.com Their single The One is out now.