Every now and then a band comes along who grab you by the throat, demand your attention and send a shiver down your spine all at once.
Ladies and gentlemen, time to meet Kicks.
“For most people day-to-day life is boring, and music is their only means of escape” explains guitarist Mark.
“We write big songs, and we’ve got a big sound to go with it. Most bands can’t compete with it.”
Rock’n’roll has seen it’s fair share of revolutionaries, but few have possessed the sonic armoury of Kicks. Hand assembled in darkest Camberley two years ago, the band (Steve: vocals, Mark; guitar, Adrian; guitar, James; bass, Gaz; drums –it’s strictly first name terms around here) boast the swagger of the Stone Roses, the star-spangled atmospherics of (early) U2 and a streetwise cool traceable to every high street in Britain. If their influences are an ecelectic mix of everyone from The Smiths to Secret Machines, they also - to paraphrase Ian Brown- know where they’re at. No Swiss Finishing Schools or blue-chip backgrounds here.
“We’re all from normal working class backgrounds” explains Mark. “Me, Steve and James met at school, and we’ve all been mates for years.
You can’t fake that sort of thing; it gives you a real sense of purpose.”
Having had their minds blown as teenagers by seeing Oasis at Knebworth (“it was incredible, it showed us how important music can be in uniting people”) the fledging Kicks went through age-old struggles involving dodgy producers, unscrupulous promoters and nerve-jangling debts. “I could be here all day telling you rock’n’roll stories” laughs Mark. “We’ve played gigs supporting cock-rock bands; we’ve driven seven hours in a van to play to ten people, been involved with Merseybeat legends, you name it. The best thing about it is that through those experiences we’ve learned how to be a band. We play every gig as if it’s our last.”
Having attracted the attention of Music Week with a mix of ‘Pounding Hard’ produced by grammy-award winning producer Simon Gogerley, their gigs soon started doubling as A&R conventions. “At one gig there were five MDs there” laughs Mark. “It was a little bit frustrating because we knew we had the songs, and we were keen to show the world exactly what we can do. But we made the right decision and we’re ready for action.”
Exhibit A: debut single ‘Lock Me Up’. A sky-scraping declaration of intent designed for late nights and high times, it’s a full blooded burst of cosmic rock with a sensibility that’s as British as fish’n’chips. If the cocksure attitude is reminiscent of Oasis at their bolshy best, in terms of intensity, only The Enemy –a band favourite- come anywhere close. Future hits ‘Sirens’ (sample lyric: “We need something to fight for”) and stalker-centric tale ‘The Shooter’ suggests their debut album- helmed by uber-producer Youth, will see these sweet and tender hooligans end 2008 staring down the opposition from the top of the pile. “This band means everything to us” says Mark.
“We want to change people’s lives.”
Kicks : soon, you’ll wonder how you coped without them.
Paul Moody, London May 2008.
