British pop-rock duo The Ting Tings met the media at the Backstage Live Restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong yesterday ahead of last night's concert at Kowloon Bay's Hitec Star Hall. The singer-songwriters, Manchester native Katie White and Londoner Jules de Martino, formed the band in 2004 and are now one of the most popular acts in Britain. Local singer Fiona Fung Hei-yu and new band MR performed two songs - Nirvana's Come As You Are and the Carpenters' Close to You - to start the meet-the-press session. Then The Ting Tings mounted the stage and sang their signature tune Great DJ as well as That's Not My Name. Asked if he had any advice for local band hopefuls, De Martino said: 'No advice. Don't take any advice. It's more about being influenced than being advised.' He said that when he and White were in an earlier band, they had taken too much advice from others rather than trusting their instincts. White added: 'We took advice from people and it went wrong, so we now kind of ignore any advice and it seems to work out. It's a strange one and I don't think there is a formula [for success].'