Biography
Kenickie distilled the riot grrrl sensibility into straightforward, sassy demeanor and ranked among the cluster of British adolescent punk-pop acts that surfaced after Supergrass broke through in the middle of the 1990s. Although they leaned more toward indie rock than Supergrass or Ash did and avoided the abrasive, unpolished, and twee qualities of Bis, the group’s output offered no radical departure from convention; its buoyant drive nevertheless secured a devoted audience among British journalists ahead of the 1997 appearance of the band’s first album, At the Club.
While still attending secondary school at age sixteen, classmates Lauren Laverne on vocals and guitar, Marie Du Santiago on guitar, and Emmy-Kate Montroe on bass established the band in August 1994. Laverne’s older brother Johnny X joined on drums, and the quartet took its name from the character played by John Travolta in Grease. Within several months the members had composed material, recorded a demo, and begun performing in indie venues by the close of 1994. Creation Records’ Alan McGee offered a deal in February 1995, yet the group declined, choosing instead to issue independent singles. John Peel aired the demo track “Catsuit City” well before its April 1995 appearance on the Newcastle-based Slampt label. That seven-inch Catsuit City EP generated early attention, but academic commitments and impending “A” level examinations postponed the follow-up single “Come Out 2 Nite” for nearly twelve months. The song anchored the second EP, Skillex, issued on the prominent Fierce Panda imprint in spring 1996. Several months afterward Kenickie signed with Emidisc, the EMI imprint directed by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs.
During the second half of 1996 the band issued the singles “Punka” and “Millionaire Sweeper,” which reached numbers 44 and 60 and broadened their audience. Early the next year “In Your Car” became their initial Top 40 entry at number 24. The full-length debut At the Club followed in April.
While still attending secondary school at age sixteen, classmates Lauren Laverne on vocals and guitar, Marie Du Santiago on guitar, and Emmy-Kate Montroe on bass established the band in August 1994. Laverne’s older brother Johnny X joined on drums, and the quartet took its name from the character played by John Travolta in Grease. Within several months the members had composed material, recorded a demo, and begun performing in indie venues by the close of 1994. Creation Records’ Alan McGee offered a deal in February 1995, yet the group declined, choosing instead to issue independent singles. John Peel aired the demo track “Catsuit City” well before its April 1995 appearance on the Newcastle-based Slampt label. That seven-inch Catsuit City EP generated early attention, but academic commitments and impending “A” level examinations postponed the follow-up single “Come Out 2 Nite” for nearly twelve months. The song anchored the second EP, Skillex, issued on the prominent Fierce Panda imprint in spring 1996. Several months afterward Kenickie signed with Emidisc, the EMI imprint directed by Saint Etienne’s Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs.
During the second half of 1996 the band issued the singles “Punka” and “Millionaire Sweeper,” which reached numbers 44 and 60 and broadened their audience. Early the next year “In Your Car” became their initial Top 40 entry at number 24. The full-length debut At the Club followed in April.
Albums
