Features

Boy Kill Boy, The Harrisons, Kubichek - Toby's Tips for 2006

Toby Rogers 08/01/2006

Toby Rogers' Tips For 2006.

If 2006 is anything like 2005 then it should be another great year for British bands. After the massive success of Franz Ferdinand, Bloc Party and the Kaiser Chiefs edgy new wave guitars are back in fashion and, with an army of new groups waiting in the wings, the resurgence shows now signs of stopping.

It should be a good year for London four piece Boy Kill Boy. Their debut single on Vertigo Records, Back Again, is released on February 13th and there's a headline tour to celebrate. With a T4 session in the pipeline and plays from Zane Lowe and Steve Lamacq, it looks like Boy Kill Boy's star is definitely on the rise.

If their first couple of releases on Fierce Panda & Fallout Recordings are anything to go by then the hype could well be justified. Sounding like a riotous blend of the Smiths, Suede and New Order, Boy Kill Boy have the songs and the swagger to storm the charts.

Fierce Panda single Suzie is like Morrissey butchering Dreadlock Holiday in some sort of twisted 10cc tribute. Its also a superb slice of pop. A stunning release that showcases the quality running through the core of this band. Flipside Last Of The Great also pays homage to the Smiths, sounding like Clint Boon jamming on keys with Morrissey and Marr.

Civil Sin is an altogether heavier affair, coming on like a UK version of Hot Hot Heat with a youthful Bowie taking vocal duties. Killer is even more manic, stealing keyboard riffs from Prince and mixing them up with heavy doses of Brett Anderson.

Boy Kill Boy have all the makings of a great band. They've already ignited the passions of the crowds at their support slots with Hard-Fi and New Order and their display at the Reading Festival saw both the NME and Guardian pick them out as one of the highlights of the weekend. It's a question of when, not if, they hit the big time.

www.myspace.com/boykillboy

Continuing proof that Yorkshire is the centre of the universe comes from the excellent Harrisons. Playing vital, breakneck rock 'n' roll they sound like the Clash at their best with shades of Bowie, Springsteen and the Stones thrown in. Their second single Blue Note is released on February 13th and is already shaping up to be a classic. Driven by dreams of escape, their desperate nostalgia for better days is utterly compelling. They're currently in the middle of a short UK tour ending with what should be an explosive homecoming at Sheffield's Leadmill on February 4th.
www.harrisonroad.co.uk

While Yorkshire grabs the headlines the North East is quietly becoming the latest hotbed for UK talent. They must be putting something in the water of the Tyne and the Wear. For a region who's most famous musical sons are Sting, Chris Rea and Jimmy Nail, there is suddenly an abundance of upfront guitar bands waiting to break into the mainstream. Grabbing at the coat-tails of the Futureheads, Maximo Park are Kubichek, a superb band of wannabe Geordie rock stars that look destined for great things. Already making quite a name for themselves in Newcastle, it shouldn't be too long before the rest of the country catches on.
www.kubichek.co.uk