Kenickie

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2007)

Kenickie were a four-piece punk band from Sunderland, UK. The band were formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne (b. Lauren Gofton), drummer Johnny X (real name Pete Gofton, Lauren's brother), lead guitarist and occasional vocalist Marie du Santiago (b. Marie Nixon) and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose (b. Emma Jackson). The band's name comes from their favourite character in the 1970s film Grease.

[edit] History

Kenickie originally worked with Newcastle punk label Slampt before signing to Saint Etienne's EMI subsidiary, EMIDisc. Kenickie registered in the UK singles chart in the high 20s, their highest position being 24 with the single In Your Car, which opened Top of the Pops on the 10 January 1997 edition, and gained cult appeal after a well-received first album At The Club, which charted at 9 in May 1997. In the summer of 1997, Kenickie were scheduled to play Glastonbury but their set was cancelled due to rain.

After meeting them in New York, Courtney Love said:

They're a big bunch of sex, that band Kenickie. They're a big, raw-boned bunch of fucking sex — all three of them and the boy. I hope they get good. I hope we're a good example to them, I hope this record's huge and then the big labels will start sniffing around and then those big fucking raw-boned sexy Newcastle [sic] girls will be huge and have Number Ones and there will be an Amazon planet the way I want it.^{[citation needed]}

The band's second album, Get In appeared in 1998. It was generally less well-received than its predecessor in the music press (although Melody Maker rated it 8/10), and sold less well. The album showcased a change in direction, away from punk pop to a lounge music sound reminiscent of groups like Saint Etienne and Stereolab. Johnny X, who now referred to himself as Pete X, moved to guitar, with the live band augmented by Graham Christie (later of Data Panik) on drums and Dot Allen on keyboards.

Kenickie disbanded on 15 October 1998 after a London Astoria gig, where Lauren closed the night by saying "We were Kenickie ... a bunch of fuckwits".

[edit] After Kenickie

Marie and Emmy-Kate went on to form a new band called Rosita, and released two singles before splitting up. Marie is now a member of The Cornshed Sisters.^[1] Johnny X went on to record under the name J Xaverre. Pete Gofton (Johnny X) is currently touring with Peter Brewis of Field Music's new project 'The Week That Was'. The band's one-time touring keyboard player Tony O'Neill (known in the band as Elvis Wesley) is now an author, living in the United States.

Lauren Laverne released one solo EP and sang on the 2000 Mint Royale single, Don't Falter, which reached no.15 in the charts. Laverne also was an uncredited vocalist on The Divine Comedy's 2004 single Come Home Billy Bird which reached no.25 in the charts. Since then she has presented various radio shows on radio station Xfm, most notably the breakfast show, before quitting in April 2007. She has also moved into television, having impressed with her witty observations as a guest on early episodes of music quiz Never Mind the Buzzcocks. She earned her own weekly spot on Channel 4 music show Planet Pop and became presenter, with Myleene Klass, of ITV music programme cd:uk in 2005, and hosted Channel 4's music show Transmission with Steve Jones in 2006 and 2007. She is currently lead host of BBC 2's The Culture Show and has her own weekly Saturday afternoon radio show on BBC 6 Music, occasionally deputising for holidaying presenters on BBC Radio 2.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

[edit] Other Releases

• Walrus (demo) (on "Signal Vs Noise" compilation - 1994)
• Hey, Punka (on "Laugh Hard at the Absurdly Evil compilation - 1995)
• Rebel Assault (on "Elastic Jet Mission" compilation - 1995)
• Gary II (on The "Camden Crawl" compilation - 1995)
• Come Out 2Nite (live) (on "Phoenix The Album" compilation - 1997)
• It Started With a Kiss (feat. Errol Brown) (on "Come Again" compilation - 1997)

[edit] Miscellaneous Songs

Other songs performed on radio sessions include:

• Un-named Acoustic Song
• Letter To Memphis (Pixies cover)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• BBC radio1/johnpeel kenickie page
• Kenickie Corner
• Planet Kenickie
• Kenickie Fried Chicken