Miles Kane

Miles Kane stands out among British performers for his full-bodied singing voice and commanding presence before crowds, pursuing both independent projects and joint ventures while favoring a rock approach rooted in the sounds of the 1960s and 1970s. He first surfaced fronting the short-lived group the Rascals, then reached a broader audience as half of the Baroque pop duo the Last Shadow Puppets with Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner. Their 2008 debut The Age of Understatement brought critical notice and a Mercury Prize nomination. Kane’s own releases—Colour of the Trap in 2011, Don’t Forget Who You Are in 2013, and Coup de Grace in 2018, each entering England’s Top 20—likewise display his enduring admiration for T. Rex’s Marc Bolan, David Bowie, and Paul Weller, filtered through his observant take on contemporary existence. That same richly timeless approach appears on Change the Show in 2022 and One Man Band in 2023, the latter cut with the Coral’s James Skelly.

Born in Merseyside in 1986, Kane was an 18-year-old guitarist when he started his first band, Little Flames, alongside childhood friends vocalist Eva Petersen, guitarist Mat Gregory, bassist Joe Edwards, and drummer Greg Mighall. After Petersen and Gregory departed over creative differences, Kane and the remaining members regrouped as the Rascals, with Kane assuming lead vocals. The group’s 2007 debut EP earned favorable mentions from the NME and greater visibility once they toured alongside Arctic Monkeys. Having become friends, Kane and Turner launched the Last Shadow Puppets and issued their 2008 debut The Age of Understatement. Propelled by the Top Ten title-track single, the album reached number one in Britain and earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination. Kane rejoined the Rascals long enough to complete their 2008 full-length Rascalize before exiting the following year.

His first solo album, Colour of the Trap, arrived in 2011, featuring production from Dan Carey, Dan the Automator, Super Furry Animals’ Gruff Rhys, and additional contributors; the single “Inhaler” entered the U.K. at number 11 and later attained gold status. Two years later came the Ian Broudie-produced sophomore effort Don’t Forget Who You Are, which debuted at number eight on the U.K. charts and incorporated songwriting input from Paul Weller and XTC’s Andy Partridge.

Kane and Turner reconvened for the Last Shadow Puppets’ second album, 2015’s Everything You’ve Come to Expect, which included the single “Bad Habits” and orchestral arrangements by Owen Pallett. The record again topped the British chart and reached the Top 80 of the Billboard 200. After touring with Turner, Kane turned back to solo work and released his third album, the John Congleton-produced Coup de Grace, in 2018; songwriting on the set involved Jamie T., Lana Del Rey, and Mini Mansions. Led by the single “Loaded,” the album became his second Top 10 entry in England.

Change the Show, his fourth solo album, appeared in 2022 and featured a collaboration with Corinne Bailey Rae, landing at number 12 on the U.K. albums chart. The next year he issued One Man Band, tracked in Liverpool with his cousin, producer and the Coral singer James Skelly.