Jimmy Mulholland – guitar voice
Ric Omerod – bass
Michael Brown – drums.
THE KBC are purveyors of super charged indie-flavoured rock music. They create dancefloor havoc with a heady fusion of traditional rock ingredients with a love of soul and funk obscurities. This requires a huge injection of dance rhythms and assorted splashes of electronica.
The results are catchy, epic sounding, and unique even in a climate where popular music genres are melted down or welded together as part of the current ‘norm’.
After forming in Preston before relocating to central Manchester, 2006 has been their busiest year yet. Support slots with The Strokes, plus the release of two singles was followed by a Japan-only EP release. Frenetic bursts of touring in Autumn have been punctuated by the sessions for their long-awaited debut album, which High Voltage have scheduled for release in February 2007..
W&H caught up with The KBC, a.k.a James Mulholand, Ric Omerod and Michael Brown as they prepared to headline a HV label showcase at Manchester’s Roadhouse on the fringes of the chaotic In The City music weekend. Finding them relaxed and in fine spirits as they looked back over the year’s events, the lads also pondered their already full-on schedule for 2007, fully aware that the year ahead is likely to see them busier than ever.
Relaxing momentarily following a very professional soundcheck, I asked them first to recall a few definitive milestones from the past 12 months:
Michael: “We went into the BBC and had a quick chat with Steve Lamacq, that was good”
Jimmy: “We did that session with Marc Riley at the BBC in Manchester – that was a good laugh. Bit different”.
“We supported The Strokes at Blackpool Empress ballroom” adds the quietly spoken front man. When I pressed him as to how they got pulled out of the hat for that one, he deflects the question light heartedly as the others laugh along:
“We just got asked to do it…I’m not sure…we just turned up!”
Thoughts turn to the forthcoming album, scheduled for release in February. I’m surprised to learn that the recording is over already. Knowing that there is a plethora of electronic tracks of all kinds created by the trio, I wonder if any of these have made the final cut?
“There are a few electronic tracks on there, but quite a few got left out” Jimmy considers.
“Though a lot of them just weren’t good enough” Ric adds.
High standards? Unanimous murmurs and nods of agreement.
There is undoubtedly a strong electronic element to the KBC’s sound overall, but does the increasing presence of electronica make for more dance-orientated listening on the album?
Jimmy concedes that it is “more electronic”, and references are made by all three to both the influence and evidence of electro and techno in conjunction with the forthcoming record. They giggle over an inability to remember individual tracks by their proper titles – a clear indication that their relationship with the record is being reaffirmed in this state of post-recording, pre release limbo. It’s also a sign of their hectic schedule at present, as one project is shelved mentally by the group in the face of the next.
In the great scheme of all things pop musical then, where do they see themselves?
Jimmy laughs “I don’t know!” (and perhaps he is part flabbergasted by the incredulously huge scale and open ended nature of such a casually asked question. No perhaps about it)!
“Our own thing” states Michael. I think when we first started there were a lot of bands doing the dancey thing…..”
“….but none of them are like us” Jimmy finishes. Softly spoken the front man may be, but this is as firm a statement as you can make in response to any open invitation to ramble on endlessly about the meaning of the Universe!
Michael: “Though Gareth Parton and Damian Taylor are in charge of production, which we’re really pleased about, there’s been a few different producers working on the album, and you can definitely tell which producers have worked on which tracks”
Though tonight is a High Voltage label showcase, it’s almost indistinguishable as such, coinciding with the vast multitude of In The City events taking place in Manchester this weekend. How important does the band see In The City and events like it when it comes to attracting attention from record labels and suchlike?
“Well, it’s great. It was great for us. You’re only allowed to appear at ITC the once, and we played last year. It’s funny because this year I don’t even know a lot of the bands that are playing – they have come from nowhere it seems, whereas last year there was the likes of The Sunshine Underground appearing (appreciative and respectful noises accompany the mention of the admittedly top-notch indie outfit).
Though I’d not really compared last year’s line up to this year’s, I have a quick think about that one, and he’s got a point.
There’s always somethin’ good though isn’t there…” Jimmy adds as a considered afterthought.
2006 has indeed been your busiest year to date, but will 2007 be even more hectic?
“Next year’s gonna be pretty busy……pretty mental” Jimmy adds (and all three minds seem half-blown at the prospect). “If we can sell a few records, then that’d be nice as well” he laughs:
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“We have an eight track EP released in Japan. We’re releasing the album out there as well, so hopefully……there might be a chance to go there”. They all look excited about this prospect, bless ‘em, and rightly so!
Asked how the already collectable EP came to be earmarked for release in Japan, Jimmy explains: “Someone got in touch with us via Myspace…there was a label..actually there were a couple of labels interested. We’ve sold loads of records over there” he muses: “More than we have here”!
The Roadhouse, as always during the ITC weekend, is a manic packed out throng of swaying bodies. Opening act BUREAU are grinding to a crazed conclusion with their current single providing a finale to their set.
Leicester’s RED CARS GO FASTER followed up with their reverb/feedback tinged sound, talking all justice and respect, then launched into ‘I Am The Storm’, the B-side of their current HV released single. It was a weighted down surge of House Of Love atmospherics until the percussion’s breakbeat mashed up their sound under a tidal wave of guitar distortion and squealing feedback. Nodding heads underlined the gravitational power of their sound.
There were more synth driven grooves from SNOWFIGHT IN THE CITY CENTRE, who played a comparatively more chilled set, soothed along by the keys, resulting in the classic ‘indie’ sound, characterised by bursts of fire from the guitars, and studded with gentle lead melodies. Tracks like current single ‘Listen’ and the sliding freefall ‘No Light Left’ celebrated human differences as they skittered in and out of focus amidst the dry ice.
THE KBC, bathed in electric blue lighting, ripped into their show like seasoned traffic-stoppers accustomed to bigger stages than this one. Beginning with the powerful assault on the lobes that is ‘Test The Water’, my ears were soon awash with full-on beats, the echoing guitar paranoia slashing open the track like a permanent crescendo that shatters indifference and grips the soul where fear takes hold.
Their runaway grooves feed off their own swiftly gathering momentum. Warped and distorted looping breaks and synth noises are evidence of a single minded approach from a band that seem to know exactly what they want in terms of sound The guitar and the bass loop, echoing the synthesiser before unleashing the melodies and then building them up in the darkened image of chaotic trance/techno cuts in full surrender to the beat. Disturbing techno sounds emitted from the synthesised frequency changes and the spaced-out half-click of an mp3 player as the trio imposed their dancefloor confusion on the night in an instant, whilst still presenting themselves visually very much in the more traditional rock/indie mould.
It all combined to keep me guessing, and further intrigued. A multitude of styles crossed over and over, rewriting and reworking as the music positively emitted from the speakers. The boom made the Roadhouse walls shudder in time as the atmosphere threatened to become tangible in the form of full audience freakout. Enough heads nodded as captivated stares and tapping feet mingled with the enthusiastic or respectful response generated from the front to the back of the club. Only painful inhibition prevented all out rave-era moves from busting out all over the floor (If the KBC can end this B-cool, can’t dance mentality from being prolonged any further in this city, then they’ll be straight into my contemporary top 10, no hesitation)!
Current single ‘Not Anymore’ sounded huge wrapped around the threaded click-track of mp3 that holds it together, or what is left of it after several sonic explosions blow the track and most of the heads in the room into fragments. The machine-driven elements sound like early 80’s top 40 smashes, but the wall of guitar is reminiscent of deepened and distorted shoegazer-style indie.
It’s a delicate blend of winning ingredients. And tonight has been a winner, whether you’re part of the High Voltage stable, out for a good evening’s entertainment or simply in the right place at the right time. T’was an excellent night!!
http://www.myspace.com/bureauband
http://www.myspace.com/redcarsgofaster
http://www.myspace.com/snowfightinthecitycentre
http://www.myspace.com/shoutkbc
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