These two are off teletext
Ver Knixters return with a slightly more "mature" single (what a horrid phrase!) That lacks the "yeah yeah" shoutiness of yore, but proves to be a real groover. Give us a snog Lauren!
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Swoon along to this floaty, summery single from the queens (and king) of indie Glitpop. The punky edge is gone, but the lyrics, as ever are as positive as a shedful of self-help books.
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Andy and Michael from Therapy? review the singles in the Melody Maker.
MELODIC, emotive, subtle, harmonic...what's happened to the shrieking indie vixens we knew? They've become the pop stars they dreamed of and written a big summer hit.
Andy: (All dreamy looking) "I really love that. I think it's amazing. It's kind of C86-y in sound but the melody is really inventive. That's a really goose-pimply record for me, I haven't heard anything like that in a long time. There's some brilliant bits there that take a real dive down, unexpectedly. You're right, it's the best thing they've ever done. It's fantastic."
Micheal: "When I first heard it, I couldn't belive it was Kenickie. i've always associated them as complete screaming rockers but it's a f***ing great song."
A: "It's always the modest underlings that manage to produce stuff like that rather than all those 'songwriters'."
M: "We're sold."
"Kenickie, somewhat inevitably, display a new 'mature' direction with their first release in ages. Gone is the shoutalong rowdiness of 'Punka', replaced by a more melancholic sound with close affinities to Belle and sebastian - acoustic guitars, poignant lyrics ("I'm in pieces/Can no one see it?") and a glockenspiel finale. As delightfullytuneful as anything they've done to date, and it's encouraging to hear that they haven't abandoned the 'la la la' backing vocals even if they have to pretend to be grown-ups now.
SELECT.
Lawrie Hallet (Xfm), Ben Myres (Melody Maker) and Lawrence Bell (Domino Records) on X-Rated.
Lawrie Hallet - Are they from your part of the world Ben?
Ben Myres - Yeah, I was gonna say, I've got a lot of time for Kenickie being of a North East persuasion. I used to see them all the time sort of waltzing around Newcastle and Sunderland in their high heels and their feather boas acting like pop stars before they were famous.,br>LH - And getting incredibly cold. I went up to a party in Newcatle and it was like, I think it was the second week of January and I'm there in my big coat etc etc, I can't belive the minimal clothes people get away with up there. They're hard up there.
BM - You see more fleah than I don't know, in Duhurst Butchers.
LH - But what do you think of that as a single?
BM - I think it's great actually, they've definatly gone for the 50's 60's girl group thing y'know the Ronettes and bands like that, and the thing about Kenickie for me is sort of the first time you hear this song you think ar thats all right, but thats the second time I've heard it and I was sort of singing along in my head, there never like instant but after a couple of listens their like proper pop songs.
LH - Yeah they can sort of make reference back to, as you say, the girl groups of the 60's and what have you without sounding really twee and old-fashioned, can't they Lawrence?
Lawrence Bell - Yeah, well I'm sure they're not twee and old-fashioned girls. Or at least from everything I've read about them they seem pretty kind...
LH - Your cup of tea?
LB - ...racous. Erm I've always wanted to like them but haven't ever been to impressed and I found the lyrics a bit banile and it's y'know it's a little forgetable but hopefully it will come back on me on the second or third listen, it'll get inside my head if the radio's on and they keep playing it. I did find the lyrics pretty poor, y'know times, rhymes, rhymes, rhymes. Y'know it just seemed a bit wet to me.
LH - Sometimes thats a nessecary evil for a pop song though isn't it?
LB - Can be, it can but but well...
LH - Have you seen them live then Ben?
BM - Yeah. I've seen them a few times yeah.
LH - And how do they come across generally?
BM - Erm they're always entertaining. The first sort of time I saw them, I haven't seen them for a while, but they couldn't really play but it was entertaining, theres always sort of good onstage banter and er yeah it'd kinda like going to see a show or something cos theres like this endless stream of oneliners and erm a few songs inbetween. But yeah they're great.
LH - It's one of those things about bands like that where your really going for, your going to make a pop song with out making it to mainstream and the trick is to enjoy it and not take it quite to seriously don't you think?
BM - Yeah. I'd like to see them now cos earlt on it was all these two minute punk songs or these slightly riot girlish songs and lots of shouting and lots of slagging of the audience and stuff which was really good but I think they seem to be going for the mature approach.
LH - Perhaps they've grown up a bit, I mean they can't be that old now can they? Cos they were very young when they started.
BM - They're about 20, 21 now.
LH - Yeah well it keeps them off the streets. Brings them down to London every now and again.
BM - Gives the kids something to do.
LH - If you want to see them in London they're playing at the Electric Ballroom on June the third...