The Arcadian Kicks

The Arcadian Kicks were an indie rock band from Kinver in South Staffordshire (near Stourbridge), who formed in 2006.[1] They have described their sound as "Spectoresque, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin... a bit of light shoegaze and Yeah Yeah Yeahs mixed up".[2] They finished recording their debut album, Making Lovers, in 2010.[3]

The Arcadian Kicks
Performing at the 2011 Wychwood Festival
Background information
OriginKinver, Staffordshire
GenresIndie rock
Years active2006 (2006)–
LabelsOne Beat Records
MembersRebecca Wilson (vocals)
Rebekah Pennington (keyboard, saxophone, vocals)
Thomas Holloway (guitar)
Tommy Kelly (bass)
Harry Grainger (drums)

History

The band formed in early 2006 when the bandmates were studying for GCSEs at Edgecliff High School in Kinver.[1] They are co-managed by Ian Light and Jon Brookes, the drummer of The Charlatans. Brookes was a judge at the Surface Unsigned battle of the bands that they took part in, and after watching another of their gigs he offered to manage them.[1][4]

"Making this record was right up there with the best work I've done. Any time you get to work with kids who have their kind of skills, you are reminded on a daily basis of why you got into this business in the first place."

Mike Chapman[3]

In 2009/10, they recorded their self-financed debut album at Vale Studios in Worcestershire in a two-week session; it was produced and mixed by Mike Chapman who produced records for Blondie,[3][5] and who came across their music on MySpace.[6] They plan to record with Chapman again in January 2011.[7] They released their single "19 Days" in August 2010.[8] They write their songs collectively.[7] Wilson and Pennington later broke off from the group and founded Ekkah, producing post-Disco 1980s R&B.[9]

Performances
Rebekah at the Isle of Wight Festival
Thomas at the Isle of Wight Festival

They run and regularly play at the Syndicate Club Night at The Sound Bar in Birmingham (originally at Bash Bar and then the Sunflower Lounge).[2][6] In September 2008 they played at KerrangFest (part of ArtsFest) in Birmingham,[10] and in November 2009 they played live on BBC WM Introducing.[11] In 2010 they performed at T in the Park on the BBC Introducing stage,[5] the Wychwood Festival,[12] Napa Live in Ayia Napa,[2] and made their third appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival.[13] They played KerrangFest again in September 2010.[2][14]

Reception

Artrocker called them "a fairly tradional [sic] angst-pop band, boosted by some unexpected sax solos, ... soulful hollering, [and] some interestingly growly guitars."[15] Reviewing them live in 2008, they said that they "play rattle and roll with a Zeppelin style commitment to excellent musicianship. Many of their tunes start out sounding traditional, morph into a psychedelic middle sections, then come out growling like werewolves at the other end."[16] Glasswerk said of "19 Days" that "the track appears to remain on one level, seemingly lacking any conviction from the musicians who are behind it... other tracks ... far outshine '19 Days'."[17] "19 Days" has been played on BBC Radio 2 by Radcliffe & Maconie and Bob Harris.[18][19] Popped Music said of "Black and White" that "you have a sound that is altogether quite different from your average indie band."[20]

References
  1. Perks, Jon; Alison Jones (11 January 2008). "The ones to watch in 2008". The Birmingham Post. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  2. Chillington, Natalie (10 September 2010). "Interview: The Arcadian Kicks". The Music Quarter. Archived from the original on 13 September 2010. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  3. "Arcadians get big name backing for debut album". Stourbridge News. 17 February 2010. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  4. "Blast From the Past". Surface Unsigned Festival. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  5. "The arcadian kicks". Live at T in the Park. BBC Television. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  6. Lindsey Doyle (24 March 2010). "Arcadian Kicks". BBC Midlands Today. Birmingham. BBC1.
  7. "Exclusive: Arcadian Kicks chat". Daily Record. Scotland. 30 November 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  8. Pale, Jackson (6 August 2010). "Band of the Week: Arcadian Kicks". The Independent. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  9. "Ekkah: New Music". The Daily Telegraph. 20 November 2014.
  10. "Levellers headline Kerrangfest stage". BBC Birmingham. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 20 July 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  11. "BBC WM Introducing – live in session 2009". BBC Birmingham. 14 October 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  12. "Friday line-up". Wychwood Festival. Archived from the original on 27 August 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  13. "The Arcadian Kicks". Isle of Wight Festival. Archived from the original on 16 December 2010. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  14. "The Arcadian Kicks". ArtsFest. 2010. Archived from the original on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2010.
  15. "Shock of the New: Arcadian Kicks". Artrocker. 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  16. Suzuki, Cindy (1 March 2008). "The Arcadian Kicks + The Pressure Drop". Artrocker. Archived from the original on 21 June 2011. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  17. Parry, Lydia (11 August 2010). "Reviews \\ Arcadian Kicks - 19 Days". Glasswerk. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  18. "The Radcliffe & Maconie Show". BBC Radio 2. 29 June 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  19. "Bob Harris". BBC Radio 2. 20 June 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
  20. Elena (22 February 2010). "The Arcadian Kicks - Black and White". Popped Music. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
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