Kenickie – Live at T In The Park – 1997 – BBC Radio 1 –
Kenickie as we spiral into Friday. A four piece Pop/Punk band from Sunderland who featured future BBC Radio 6 Dj Lauren Laverne on lead guitar and vocals and a four-year run that yielded two albums, a string of singles and a loyal fanbase.
Only together from 1994-1998, Kenickie managed to cover a lot of ground in a short time. They released their first ep, Catsuit City in 1995 and drew immediate praise from the press and sold well enough to attract the attention of EMI who signed them. They released their debut album, At The Club in May of 1997 and hit the Top 10 in the British album charts.
They were opening act for the final UK appearance of The Ramones in 1997, before a scheduled appearance at Glastonbury, which was cancelled due to rain. They made up for the loss by playing T In The Park in Scotland to an enthusiastic crowd. One of the bands biggest admirers was Courtney Love of Hole, who met the band during a gig in New York that year.
By the time they released their follow-up album Get In in August of 1998, enthusiasm cooled and their audience faded. But more, the press, who were on their side from the get-go had less favorable things to say about this sophomore album. And by 1998 Kenickie decided to call it quits.
Solo careers ensued and lead singer and guitarist Lauren Laverne released one solo ep before joining the BBC to host a daily program on Radio 6. 2nd Lead vocalist Marie du Santiago and bass player Emma-Kate Montrose formed Rosita, releasing two singles before splitting up.
Another short-lived band who had high-expectations and good word-of-mouth, along with support from John Peel and BBC Radio 1 in general. But it wasn’t enough to sustain the band during their downturn and they became another in a long line of bands with potential who, for one reason or another, called it quits perhaps too soon.
In any event, here is a reminder of what they sounded like, if you remember them. And a taste of what the Punk revival scene was up to the late 1990s if you don’t.
