the uk blog of recycled news, gadget tidbits, new media pipedreams, search engine marketing fluff and record collecting tales.

Thursday, April 28

The Kills - An interview

Watching The Kills perform it's hard not to be consumed by the raw power
and sexual attitude on display. Since I first saw them live in Washington D.C. in 2003 I've been captivated by them, intrigued by what makes them tick. They prefer to keep the media at arms length but when they played in Brighton recently, I managed to persuade them to talk to me. Here are the highlights..

It's been a long time coming...

On the music press....

"I think it’s inevitable that we'll be compared with bands like The White Stripes but I don’t want to be affiliated with anybody really. Media jumps on things so quickly now that things get labelled before they’ve even had a chance for people to hear them. It’s the nature of music press. People always want to hear something new. Music papers seem to want to create a new scene every week” - Hotel

“We were always really paranoid and protective of our band. We felt those things would destroy our band before it could even really start.” - Hotel

On their sense of themselves...

“There’s something at the core of it that’s beyond music. We started off as two introverted people that found each other living parallel lives 4,000 miles away. We were both making short films for no-one to watch, making tapes for no-one to listen to and writing literature for no-one to read. It became a little two-person art group. We were socialising. It was fun.” - Hotel

“When I was a kid I lived in the middle of nowhere and there wasn’t tonnes of hype around bands; it was a struggle to find them and when you found them they were your band and it was your life and you were so happy and inspired. I want to inspire people that way.” VV

On performing.....

“It’s my favourite part. It’s the scariest part. It’s the most interesting part. It’s just a moment you can’t replicate. If you’re there, you’re there and if you miss it...... it’s gone.” - VV

“When we go on stage I always feel like it’s us against the world.” - Hotel

“A good show is being totally honest. You reach that dream state of losing yourself and you can’t remember it.” - VV

On their new album, No Wow....

“We’ve tried to be even more deconstructive, to get to the skin and bones of it.” - VV

“I think it’s just as important what you leave off a record as what you add to it.” - Hotel

“I like music to mean something. I don’t care if I know what it means but I want it to have an impact in people’s hearts and in their heads, not just in their feet and not just intellectually.”
- Hotel

On their relationship....

“We decided that art and music were the most important things to us, in an almost fascistic way. We were prepared to ruin our lives to do it. When two people like that get together you dispose of etiquette, manners and politeness and things like that. It’s totally beyond friendship.” - Hotel

“It’s the creative thing that keeps us together. We’ve become quite volatile with each other and we fight because of that.” - Hotel

“We’re not trying to preserve our friendship, we’re trying to preserve our art.” - Hotel

“She’s like another part of me. When I look at her on stage it’s like looking at another part of me. I can’t ever step out of it. I feel lost.” - Hotel

“The Kills is our life.” - VV

On success....

“We want to leave a mark. We want to change something. Selling loads of records is for someone else.” VV

“You can’t really avoid [the need to sell records] but I’d like it to be a symptom of what we’re doing, not a reason for doing it.” - Hotel



VV (Alison Mosshart) and Hotel (Jamie Hince)

Wednesday, April 27

Kinda a podcast

Well thats a lie in fact it's just a radio show me and Nick did for URF its a request show called uChoose and this week we were a bit rough around the edges but still here it is for your enjoyment.

uChoose 21st March

Brighton has Mobile Clubbing

and we go as you can see below...

Dancin' in the street!

Is it conceptual art? Is it an abstract form of political protest?
Nope. It's just a load of people dancing in a public place. Why? What else are ya gonna do on a beautiful Monday evening in Brighton....


I'd rather dance with you than talk with you..........


Selecta!


Everybody's doin' it.


It's all about the beats...


An arty one (i.e. blurry) of me.


You just gotta dance!

Monday, April 18

Rodeohead - see what they did there...

Well I'm finally back in Brighton and have been re-united with my Mac, I'd say I've missed it but having a keyboard where all the button work is a change I wouldnt mind getting used to, Well I've ordered myself a iPod photo 60 gig which is due soon so I thought I'd have a quick clear up of my music files.

And I found This, technically for some reason its a movie file but it only has music i imagine its some copyright thingymajig, but here in all its glory is a country and western medley of the hits of Radiohead.

Rockists neednt apply...

Sunday, April 17

stop me if you've heard this one before

I always dread telling jokes as more often than not no one finds them funny and/or people have not heard them

But as theres no chance of an arkward silence from a blog

here goes...

A women goes into a gynacologist, and says "Doctor I'm really worried everytime I open my legs I hear 'Is this the way to Amarillo'"

"Don't worry" Replies the Doctor "Every cunts singing it"

And if you need any proof see if you can spot me in this conga to the aforementioned longterm number one.=

Saturday, April 16

D.I.S.C.O.J.A.C.K.W.H.I.T.E

Hey well kinda, just come across a leak of the new White Stripes track Blue Orchid, personally I not sure if I think its good or bad yet, but its definately better than most of Elephant which everyone went bukake over. Elephant only had two decent tracks and one of them was a reworking of an old track.

Still thought I'd let you have a wee listen and feel free to leave your coments in the comment type thing below

Thursday, April 14

Willy meets Flange

Not, as you may have assumed, an in-depth review of my latest rip-roaring sexual conquest. Instead we have a delightful picture of Andrea sharing a tangy snack with the charming alt-country artist Willy Mason who played last night at Concorde2.

Jaffa Cakes!

Interview to come....... as soon as I can be bothered to write the feckin' thing.

Wednesday, April 13

How Kelvin's Should Vote... Quelle Surprise

Who Should You Vote For?

Who should I vote for?

Your expected outcome:

Liberal Democrat


Your actual outcome:



Labour -16
Conservative -38
Liberal Democrat 64
UK Independence Party -3
Green 19


You should vote: Liberal Democrat

The LibDems take a strong stand against tax cuts and a strong one in favour of public services: they would make long-term residential care for the elderly free across the UK, and scrap university tuition fees. They are in favour of a ban on smoking in public places, but would relax laws on cannabis. They propose to change vehicle taxation to be based on usage rather than ownership.

Take the test at Who Should You Vote For

Thursday, April 7

Kelvin's Tips

Well I'm back from a nice adventure to Edinburgh with drunken injuries, marmite stains and a few tracks you might enjoy a bit of a listen to...

First we have a track from Workin Lunch, who are a couple of blokes from my old college, I don't especially have much contact with them anymore,but recently I checked their site and found a new track of theirs. It seems a bit of a departure from the Reel Big Fish-ism of when I knew them, I spose it could be described as Emo-ska but that would possibly be a kind of music that was a punishment worse than death, I spose a little like RX Bandits, which is a very fine compliment

Workin Lunch - It All Comes Round

Next up is a track recommended by a friend of mine from Liverpool called Kev, so far of the tracks I've heard this track Aneroid Barometer is far and away the best and I haven't entirely "got" their other stuff which you can check out here But this track with a guitar part like a dripping cave and vocals like a robot teenager suffering from an arkward voice breaking incident during recording has tickled my fancy.

The Seal Cub Clubbing Club - Aneroid Barometer

And Finally a track to file under prob gonna be big as soon as they get signed whether me or you like them or not. They have an angle (they are actually all Young Offenders)They will sell to people who like Oasis (do they still exist?)and who like Kasabian (who seems to be everyone but me) are like an unironic GLC (which is either genius or not I'm not sure) and they are actually quite entertaining.

The Young Offenders Institute - We're the Young Offenders

oh and check out this for more samples and stuff