Despite being compared to Scottish legends The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Pastels, Kitch remain self-effacing and modest about their unfathomable sound. Kitch were invited by the legendary Tim Burgess to play his Tim Peaks Diner at this years’ Kendal Calling. The band played two live sets to a rowdy crowd including an intoxicated lady sprawled out on the monitors. I met up with guitarist Paul Band and bassist Blair Hoggan to discuss the birth of Kitch and their explorations so far.
Paul Band: “I was reading a book about Pulp and they decided they were going to take up a kitsch aesthetic and I thought that was a good name minus the ‘s’. The singer Dan and I were in the same class at school and we were introduced at a party and realised we had quite a lot of common ground. He was saying ‘I love The Smiths’ so that was good enough for me.”
Beginning as a two piece consisting of Paul Band and singer Dan Johnston, the Morrissey/Marr like partnership rehearsed quietly, conjuring up intoxicating raptures and sprinkled top melodies in Paul’s bedroom. After receiving the surreal message from Tim Burgess, Kitch’s full line-up was born within an hour.
Blair Hoggan: “I met Dan at a party and it was actually Valentine’s Day.” Paul intercepts: “Dead romantic.” (laughs). Blair continues: “We got talking because he had seen Enter Shikari and I really like them. A month later we went to a pub quiz and Dan ran up to me saying Tim Burgess had messaged him on Twitter. He asked me if I played guitar and if I would be able to play bass and I said of course I could.’ He asked me if I knew a drummer so I texted my best mate Blair Fowler and within an hour we had a full band.”
Paul: “If I’m really honest, if Tim Burgess had not messaged us I think we would probably still be a two piece now. It would have gone on forever. I think it was the real beginning of Kitch. For me, it was bizarre getting a message from Tim saying ‘come play my venue’. We thought it was a prank at first, but obviously not.”
The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess asked the band to play his ever-growing Tim Peaks Diner after stumbling upon them on Soundcloud. Tim said: “For the last couple of years we’ve taken Tim Peaks to festivals like Kendal Calling, The Isle of Wight and Festival Number 6. It’s great to have big names like Suzanne Vega, Edwyn Collins and Roddy Frame swing by and play for us but it’s also a great place to give a gig to bands that people won’t have heard of too. I can still remember when The Charlatans were looking for gigs and someone offering us a festival would have blown our minds.
“I was sitting in our studio with a friend and we were having a skim around Soundcloud while we were uploading a new release for our label. We came across Kitch and they reminded us of The Pastels and even elements of The Jesus and Mary Chain – I tweeted the song (Chip Shop) and sent them a direct message asking if they fancied playing at Kendal Calling. They hadn’t played a gig at that stage and it was just two of them rather than a band. Quite rightly they jumped at the chance of playing and ended up doing two gigs at Tim Peaks – they’d brought CDs and worked hard telling their neighbours on the campsite that they had to come and see them. They went down really well – the Tim Peaks staff can be the hardest to please as they’re working and they get to see some brilliant bands and they were all Kitch fans by the end of it.”
Having returned from Kendal Calling Paul and Blair commented on their experience playing two live sets and also experience a one girl stage invasion. Blair said: “It was a surprise because we were only scheduled in for the Saturday afternoon during Newton Faulkner, but it was really cool. Everyone from the campsite came to see us, so it was enjoyable.” Paul added: “It was a good springboard. Now that we’ve been invited to play at a festival-even if it’s just on a relatively small scale- it’s definitely helped us a lot. This wee lassie was grabbing the microphone and lying on the monitors. She had to be escorted off the premises for psychedelic reasons!”
With an array of Scottish bands attempting to emulate the indie folk sound of Meursault and Withered Hand, Kitch stand out like a sore thumb with their quirky epigrams, jaunty melodies and psychedelic colors. With the ability to liquefy your senses and enchant your soul, Kitch are erupting onto the Scottish music scene like a depth charge.
Their newest track ‘The Other Place’ possesses atmospheric bass lines, hypnotic synths and a humorous tale about a man called Eagle who drinks across the road from the pub he owns: ‘You’re sipping on a Tennent’s tin, with your paper in your hand, as you fly across deserted land.’ ‘Chip Chop’ resembles the chirpiness of The Cure’s ‘Friday I’m in Love’ amplifying jangly guitars and punchy drum beats, whilst ‘Stolen Picture’ sails you through a Scottish Arcadia with a wavey harmonica and charismatic vocals.
With a rough EP available to listen to on their Soundcloud, Kitch have gained a growth in following since Kendal Calling. Blair said: “Yeah, the EP is going great. The response has been really receptive.
“Everyone has different musical tastes in the band. That’s what makes the drums really good in the band because Blair (Fowler) listens to heavy-heavy metal. He puts heavy drum beats into the band where you would normally find something light. He’s got a double bass peddler as well which really helps.”
Paul said: “We all hate each other’s musical tastes so the sounds pull in their own directions, but in the best possible way. Personally, I’m more melody driven with what I’m playing.” Blair adds: “It’s much more effective having a melody than just being a powerful band.”
With Tim Burgess’s record label O Genesis preparing for the release of Martin Duffy from Primal Scream’s debut solo album, he added: “Would we release something by Kitch? Never say never but it’s early days for them yet. They need to get out there and play more gigs, write more songs and we’ll keep an eye on them from O Genesis HQ.”
Kitch are set to play Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire on September 6.
Great band!
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