Northumbrian four piece, Kkett, may be the most positive act I’ve ever interviewed; even though it’s a Saturday morning, and even though chief songwriter ‘G’ has been out the night before, there’s still enough waves of optimism and positivity in our discussion to floor a Daily Mail journalist. Hangovers, and sleep deprivation, clearly don’t exist in the Kkett universe.
It’s an interesting universe, the Kkett one, if you’ve never been; their new album ‘Ketterrwaul’ is a testament to that. Diverse, experimental and yet also traditional, ‘Ketterwaul’ throws every genre, and instrument, at a canvass and lets it stick in a sound made up of guitars, synths and serious lyrics with humorous titles (see ‘Bill Oddie Bastard Bitch’). “What we’ve always try to do in the band is to be as inclusive as we can” confirms G “that has a huge influence on our sound and our style as we try to make sure that every person in the band feeds into the final output. I always believe that a really strong band is a one where everyone has a chance to contribute and feel part of the end result”.
A songwriting style born out of jamming, Kkett even seem to manage the conflict well; “we don’t tend to argue as band, even when we are creating something new, as we tend to all agree on what sounds the best, or on which instrument should get the highest mix. We’re really democratic and trust each other”.
Democratic group relationships ending in fine results? There’s a first.
“What we want to achieve with our music, and our live shows, is optimism. Just as it’s important to all of us to contribute to the songs, it’s also important to all of us that the listeners enjoy our music and feel part of the songs. We try to do that in the way we write together and also in the way we approach our live shows”.
Which, of course, brings us on to even more opportunities for optimism…
Released on the 1st July, KKetterwaul, you may call it indie, but you’d have to push it right onto the borders of the indie/dance crossover, comes with its own launch party; a gig at the Cluny on the 6th July, something the band, naturally, are looking forward to.
“It’s so nice to be able to let other people hear our music and to let them feel part of it. We want the music, and the launch party, to be full of community and a real celebration of the North East music scene which we can say as our favourite bands Be Quiet Shout Loud!, Threadbear and Eigengrau are all supporting us; which we can’t believe and couldn’t be more grateful for. Some people in the local scene suggest that it’s a bit stand-offish but we’ve had nothing but help and support from everyone we’ve ever been in contact with and I think it’s important that that message becomes a part of our show which is as much about the album as it is about the importance of music and having a good time”.
Out to have a good time and consciously trying to see the good in things, KKett may be on to something…