Take What You Can, Eat Off The Man

I’ve been thinking about Kenickie a lot this week, mainly due to a post on No Rock ‘n’ Roll Fun which has an article by Emmy-Kate Montrose (which includes the discovery that her real name is Emma Jackson), discussing the fun of being in a band that the record company didn’t fully understand. I remember seeing them play at the end of ‘Fully Booked’ one Sunday, Lauren’s face screaming “why are we here?!” as she mimed to “I Would Fix You”. And then the Chris Moyles interview, which is the source of my long-held dislike for him. Marie and Emmy-Kate did their best, but he obviously didn’t want them there, leading to a few pointed exchanges (and as a tenth-rate clone of Chris Evans, it’s not hard to imagine who came off worse). I do remember enjoying most of their print interviews, though, especially the ones where Lauren proclaimed her love for Dennis Skinner, MP. I do wonder if it’s more of a UK problem. While Sleater-Kinney, for example, have had their share of “ooh! look! girls playing guitars! how extraordinary!” interviews and articles, it doesn’t seem to have affected them as much, perhaps because their record label wasn’t trying to make them something they’re not (it also helps that the US can support independent record labels; the UK indie scene flourished in the late 70s and early 80s, but died out as the 90s progressed).

Anyway, there's a bigger discussion to be had about Kenickie at a later point this year (after all, it is the tenth anniversary of Catsuit City!), but for now, I'll leave you with a track from one of their sadly-not-available-on-CD Mark Radcliffe sessions, a cover of The Pixies Letter To Memphis. And, in a stroke of luck, some kind soul has put it up on the Internet, so download and enjoy!

Kenickie — Letter To Memphis

currently playing: The Avalanches – Since I Left You