Tooth: The Age of Innocence

Photo by Maeve W

Tooth are a four-piece alternative rock band consisting of Tom Pollock, Ben Ashley, Roy Lowe, and Charlie Arnison. They formed across different corners of London, bound together by instinct, friendship, and a love of playing live. What started as three schoolmates writing songs for fun quickly became something more permanent when drummer Roy joined, locking the band into place. Since then, Tooth have built their identity from the stage up, shaping songs in pubs and small rooms long before taking them into the studio.

With months of shows under their belt, including support slots for Tough Cookie, Man/Woman/Chainsaw, and Dust, Tooth have grown into a band defined by movement, connection, and momentum. Their debut single, ‘The Age of Innocence,’ marks the first official release from a project that has been lived in for years, capturing the uncertainty of growing up and the early moments where everything starts to feel real. As they step into 2026 with sold-out shows, self-made physical releases, and their first music video behind them, Tooth are laying foundations built to last.

For people hearing about Tooth for the first time, how would you introduce the band and what you’re trying to do together?

Photo by Maeve W

We’re a band from different parts of London making alternative rock music for anyone who’s willing to listen. Tooth started purely because it was fun. Three of us met at school, and when Roy joined on drums it immediately clicked. We knew we had to lock him in before anyone else did.

At the beginning, we weren’t thinking about an audience at all. It was just about loving the writing process and enjoying being together, and that’s still the foundation of the band. If people connect with it, they’re more than welcome to come along for the ride.

Naturally, our audience tends to be people who love alternative and emo-leaning rock, bands like Dinosaur Jr. and American emo stuff, but we try not to overthink it.

You’ve been playing a lot of shows around the UK. How has being a live band shaped who Tooth are at this early stage?

It’s completely integral. Tooth doesn’t exist without the live shows. We’ve spent far more time playing gigs than being in the studio, and we write with the live room in mind, especially the pubs and venues we’ve grown up playing in. That’s where we really hone the songs.

Touring and travelling together has also brought us closer as people. You learn so much about each other on stage, how everyone moves, reacts, and communicates in that space. Over the past six months, as we’ve played more shows around the country, we’ve grown tighter as a band simply by spending so much time together.

Your debut single, ‘The Age of Innocence,’ just came out today. What does this song represent for the band as a starting point?

It really is the starting point. It’s the oldest song we have and the first one we wrote together as Tooth, just over two years ago, when we were still at school. It’s taken us to a place where people stand at the front and buy a t-shirt, which feels huge.

The song reflects that shift from adolescence into something more grown-up, and it marked the moment Tooth started to feel real. We’ve lived with it for so long that it’s become a benchmark for our progress. It’s been nice growing alongside the song and feeling like we’re still living inside it in different ways.

You’ve supported bands like Tough Cookie, Man/Woman/Chainsaw and recently opened for Dust on their UK tour. What have you learned from sharing stages with other bands in the scene? 

Photo by Maeve W

Seeing other bands live is a massive learning tool for us. We’ll often go to shows together and watch how bands move as a unit on stage, not to copy them, but to absorb that sense of confidence and presence.

There’s no handbook for playing live well. You just figure it out by doing it, and being around bands who are really good at it helps you understand what works, both musically and physically. It’s as much about energy and connection as it is about the songs.

Instead of putting your music straight online, you sent out CDs of your live Omeara set to 500 email subscribers. What drew you to that more tactile way of sharing music? 

We’re really proud of it. Physical releases aren’t done that often now, so when you do it properly, people really take notice. The messages we got from people who received the CDs were lovely.

We like having tangible things that represent the band, whether it’s CDs or zines. They become

a paper trail of where we were at that moment. In five years, we’ll probably look back and laugh at them, but that’s part of the point.

A lot of the design comes directly from our lives too, like the dogs on the CDs and t-shirts, which is Roy’s whippet called Larry. Those little personal details naturally filter into what we put out.

With a sold-out Future Karma show and your first music video already under your belt, how does this moment feel for Tooth, and what are you most excited to build next? 

It feels really rewarding to see the hard work start to pay off. But more than anything, it’s made us even more excited to write. That’s where our ambitions really lie – in the creative process.

Live-wise, we’re excited to start doing more of our own shows rather than just support slots, and to keep spending time together. That’s the best part of it. The more opportunities we get, the more time we can share as a band.

Long-term, we’d love to headline around the UK and eventually play further afield, places like Paris, Argentina, Tokyo, and Australia.

Listen to their new album here, and follow them on Instagram to keep up to date with all things Tooth. 

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Edited by Zarah Hashim, Sex and Relationships Editor