TRIBUTE
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Here is a collection of fan reactions that have appeared throughout the media since Kenickie's decision to split: Date: 17.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext "I was devastated to hear Kenickie have split. Who else will add such glitter and attitude to our music? They'll always hold a special memory for me as my (now) husband proposed to me while watching them play at Reading '97. Come out 2Nite and Punka are modern-day classics. Kenickie, I salute you. [Emma McAllister, email] Date: 20.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext So it seems that the fantastic, misunderstood and underrated Kenickie have split up. Naturally, I'm gutted. Cheers, EMI. [Tiny Tears, email] Date: 20.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext I hate injustice. I love Kenickie.[Scott W, email] Date: 20.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext Although I'm incredibly sad that Kenickie have decided to give up the ghost, I'd like to thank them for all the great glittery tunes that they've given us over the past few years. And at least they went out with a bang! [Carly Simons, by fax] Date: 20.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext I'd like to say how sad I am at the news of Kenickie's split on Oct 15. Their last gig was fantastic. They were a band like no other who should have gone on for years. But instead, record companies spend all their money on signing Billie clones. EMI should be severely guilty about what they did to Britain's best band. They produced music which touched its listeners. They understood, and they will be sorely missed.[Greased Lightning, by email] Date: 20.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext So Kenickie have announced that they have broken up, but what will the band memebers do now? Here are my suggestions:- Lauren can replace Richard Bacon on Blue Peter (well she's renowned for her healthy lifestyle and stay-at-home primness), while Emmy-Kate can become a dinner lady at a school for unruly boys. Marie will work as an oversize model and steal all of Sophie Dahl's jobs, and Johnny should audition for a role in Grange Hill. [Princess Pam, by email] Date: 22.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext Q. How many members of Kenickie does it take to change a lightbulb? A. All four. But, while they're fitting the bulb, their record label will take away the stool they're standing on. [JP, West Bromwich] Date: 27.10.98 Source: Channel Four/Teletext The demise of Kenickie is a loss not only to fans but also to the UK music industry. If All Saints split, the only loss would be to the combat trouser industry. [Helena Jacobs, Islington] Date: 31.10.98 Source: Melody Maker Quote of the week about the glam/glitter phenomenon, however, must go to Marie Du Santiago. Talking about Seventies glam fashions and how they sprung up at a time of recession, she told Radio 1: "It was like people would say, 'I may be miserable, but I don't care, because I've got these shoes and this hat.'" This is what we'll miss in the absence of Kenickie - they always had a gem of a quote. Whatever else happens post-Kenickie, I hope they don't all vanish from public life, because you were always guaranteed a good story from Kenickie. I'm sure this is part of the reason behind all the distraught e-mails we received at the Session, following news of their split. Kenickie were an inspiring band for a lot of people (in many cases their fans' first major pop crush - the one that always leaves you with the most vivid memories). If the group ever get bored they could just go back and film their adventures again for a movie: the tour where their van was decked out with Christmas decorations; the night they drank Wolverhampton dry because their hotel night porter wanted their autograph, the misery of the wiped-out Glastonbury appearance and the ecstasy of the lost Reading weekend (where Lauren was last spotted wielding a lime cordial bottle, half full of vodka). They were bright, witty, giddy, and dangerous company. My fondest memory is the night they played a Radio 1 gig in Cemden and I tried to leap into the audience, only to hit my head on a low beam and promptly fall over. Mind you, if ever there was a band who were good to fall over to, it was Kenickie. [Steve Lamacq] Date: 31.10.98 Source: Melody Maker Since I saw Kenickie in Leeds just over a week ago, I've been going on about them to anyone who would listen. I heard the news today (oh boy) and I had to say something. No other band have made me feel like Kenickie have. No other band had the ability to make this depressed teenage girl so unbelievably happy. I'm shocked at their decision to split, but as they weren't getting the success they deserved, then perhaps it is understandable. I just want to say thank you to them, for making my life that little bit more interesting, sparkly and bearable. [Angel M, Pontefract] Source: Melody Maker I just heard that Kenickie broke up. I live in the States and I was happy to get hold of The Maker a few weeks ago with them on the cover. No one in the US where I live knows them. I suppose I would like to thank your publication for at least giving me the joy of seeing Kenickie in the fine stores that stock Melody Maker. I have never seen them live and now it seems I never will, because at least I have their records. They should have been stars. [Julie, USA] Source: NME I'm left dazed/confused/shocked/bruised at the devastating news of Kenickie's split due to crappy sales, ie. being ignored by all you lot out there. What the fuck is wrong with you, which causes you to leave Kenickie's albums on the shelves, to decide to attend a night of nodding at a Belle & Sebastian 'gig' instead of experiencing a real night out with Kenickie? God knows we need Kenickie in '98. Boring, grey, unimaginative, dull, uninspired and crap have all been the features of most of this year's releases. Kenickie injected the much-needed good songs into the year, but they couldn't be ignored forever. I don't blame them for abandoning us - they deserved so much better than apathy. But to anyone who ever passed over 'Get In!' and favoured piss-poor efforts from the Manics and co. with their £15, I hope you're satisfied, YOU BASTARDS. I hope you dance on the shit of your choice. [Bitter, twisted, and crying glitter tears] Source: NME I am writing to add my voice to the tribute to the sadly disbanded Kenickie. I first heard Kenickie back in February 1997, and for the past 20 months they have been a very important part of my life, and the lives of many others. Kenickie have accompanied us fans through, in many cases, an important part of our lives with songs that have given us optimism, outlook and joy. Their songs seemed to have relevance to my life, and the lives of people I know. Thanks to NME for its support. [Gideon Thomas] Source: MELODY MAKER Maybe I should wait until my late teens or early 20s before I start listening to young and exciting bands. That way, after a couple of years, when the band have grown up and don't want to carry on, I will have grown up too and won't feel so upset when they split up. Instead, I started listening to Kenickie when I was 13 and, two years on, I am left feeling down by a band who I once thought were invincible. One listen to "Come Out 2Nite" or "Punka" was enough to make me want to start a band and wear glitter night and day. Kenickie were everything I wanted to be: funny, talented and the proud owners of the best make-up collection ever. How many more great bands do we have to lose before people realise what they're missing out on? [A, South Wales] Source: NME Shock has prevented me from writing sooner. Kenickie have split! What a catastophe! I could have let Kenickie slip through my fingers were it not for their endearing ambition. I felt every emotion towards them: hate, jealousy - but Kenickie earned a place in my heart and in my reocrd collection. They were brutally honest and, with the catchiest tunes, made my life ever so slightly easier. 'Punka' offered their 'us against them' attitude to us on a plate. They weren't just empty pop, they identified with us. They knew that life was a bitch. They were our saviours. Kurt Cobain, Richey Edwards and Kenickie. All our heroes die young. [Jo, Ireland] |
