The Arcadian Kicks - a Brummy Indie-Pop/Rock five-piece outfit - have been making music together for around five years, with some recognition at a local level for their sounds. Having been friends at upper-school, four of the band members began making music together with drummer Harry Grainger joining the Birmingham band later. After gigging locally for a good few years, the band developed a light Pop sound that featured pianist and back-up vocalist Rebekah Pennington on saxophone, giving them a stand-out and often Jazzy sound...
There has been growing momentum behind the band locally and it was only a matter of time before they got picked up by One Beat Records, led by The Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes. This quickly led The Arcadian Kicks to break onto some big stages including several sets with BBC Introducing and numerous festival appearances at everywhere from Isle of Wight Festival to T In The Park. One Beat Records conveniently also runs the This Feeling club nights in London, which have inadvertently allowed them to expose bands such as The Arcadian Kicks to a loyal group of City-hipster listeners.
There has been growing momentum behind the band locally and it was only a matter of time before they got picked up by One Beat Records, led by The Charlatans drummer Jon Brookes. This quickly led The Arcadian Kicks to break onto some big stages including several sets with BBC Introducing and numerous festival appearances at everywhere from Isle of Wight Festival to T In The Park. One Beat Records conveniently also runs the This Feeling club nights in London, which have inadvertently allowed them to expose bands such as The Arcadian Kicks to a loyal group of City-hipster listeners.
With a few of their songs causing a stir already on the national scene including both "19 Days" and "Standing In The Road", the five-piece decided to take a break last year from gigging to get back into the studio and discover and develop a new and innovative sound in order to move forward with their music. The result is a deep and dark sound that is both haunting and lightly beautiful as it is commercial and accessible. With a sound inspired by the likes of Sonic Youth, My Bloody Valentine and The Naked and Famous topped with driving lyrics from the female lead singer, they recently attracted the ears of Blondie's ex-producer Mike Chapman, who has since gone on to produce their new material.
Pianist and supporting vocalist Rebekah Pennington has also dropped the saxophone from the line-up, taking the lighter edge of their music away and concentrating on the darker side. The screaming lead vocals of Rebecca Wilson give The Arcadian Kicks an energy during their live performances whilst guitarist Tom Holloway feeds off of this energy delivering some huge sounds.
The first release from this new material is a track called "You Play The Girl" which was released in late 2011. The song begins with an echoing Horrors-esque guitar riff before driving into the powerful vocals and bumping bass. It was released as part of a GAP Clothing compilation and is available as a free download on the band's Facebook page. Listen below:
After picking up national radio airplay for the track and beginning to gig again locally, The Arcadian Kicks have just dropped their second track titled "I Wanna Take You Home" from their forthcoming debut album.
It continues to push the listener towards the dark depths of a youth in revolt. The lyrics weave the inner workings of a sex-addicted young society filled with one-night-stands. Its echoing tone and screaming vocals shows the rawest edge of indie music, and the memorable hook, "I wanna take you home…" still makes the track accessible to the commercial mainstream.
"I Wanna Take You Home" is paired with a black and white music video which seems to reflect the binging city culture of Birmingham, filled with alcohol abuse, sex and cigarettes. In fact, the band barely feature in the video, but it's a slick feature nevertheless.
The track has just been play-listed on Kerrang Radio and has also been featured in NME Magazine, marking the start of what could be a ground-breaking year for The Arcadian Kicks as they head off on tour across the UK in March.
Tim Osbourne
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