Kyte
By Joseph C SeagerLeeds Music Scene caught up with Nick, the lead singer of Kyte, for a bit of a chinwag.
Hello Nick from Kyte! How's the start of 2009 been for you thus far?
It's been fairly quiet so far, we finished a lot of recording over Christmas and New Year and apart from that have only played one gig which was in London. We start touring again this month (Feb), and also April I think. At the moment we're taking a lot of care in thinking about which of our new songs we'd like to release, we recorded about 26 songs altogether.
I'm a massive fan of your recent EP 'Two Sparks Two Stars'. Has that been well received?
Yeah I think so; most of the reviews I saw were very flattering. We haven't really played much in the UK since we released it; we were pretty busy trying to make an impression in Europe as our mini album came out there. So we're looking forward to playing these new songs more in England. Thanks very much for your support.
I for one love it. Can I use 'Eyes Lose Their Fire' for a trailer I'm making for a new drama series?
Yeah of course. Send us a link when you have it finished. I don't think we have a publisher yet for all the newer songs, that's when these sort of things seem to get complicated and over my head.
Ace. I shall let you know when it's done. Have you heard from Peter Gabriel at all? Is he a fan of your take on Solsbury Hill?
We haven't heard from him, I imagine he's pretty busy most of the time. I read somewhere he's started booking his first tour dates of 2009, which is starting in South America. Maybe if he books some UK dates we can try and support him - that would be amazing.
I played it on my community radio station show and was so pleased to be able to show the people in the 5 mile airwave radius something so brilliant.
Thanks very much!
I ask this question in all my interviews these days: If Kyte was a Jelly Bean, what colour and flavour would you be, and why?
Oh wow, who knows? Something with a good flavour that lasts for a long time. That sounds weird doesn't it?
I first heard you when you remixed The Wombats 'Moving To New York'. I definitely stood up and loved what I heard, even more so now with your own stuff. But if no one has heard of you before, how would you describe yourself and your music?
I'd say it's like electronic pop music; we are 4 people from South Leicestershire who knew each other from school.
Who would you love to perform or record with, past or present?
For me personally, I'd love to perform at some kind of concert with The National, Band Of Horses, Death Cab, Flight Of The Conchords and Sufjan Stevens. With Daft Punk playing directly afterwards! I'm not sure where you could hold that sort of event in Leicester though.
Who are the best bands you've toured with so far and why?
There's been a lot of different bands, all good for different reasons. iLiketrains were amazing, their sound seemed so flawless every night. In Japan we toured with a Japanese band called Llama, who were technically brilliant, and very inspiring. It would be hard to choose one, another band we should mention is Young Galaxy from Canada who we supported for a few gigs. I'm looking forward to when they come back to the UK.
Best venue you've played?
I think the Urbanguild in Kyoto is my favourite; it was probably the best gig I've ever had. Behind the stage is a thin room with thousands of vinyls, which they let bands who play have the opportunity to buy for very low prices. We managed to play De Montfort Hall at Summer Sundae also, that was a big achievement for us. We used to make jokes at school about playing that venue, so it was pretty surreal.
What are you currently listening to on your MP3 player?
I've been listening to Beirut a lot, and The Shins. Apart from that not too much.
Where do you find your influences?
I dunno, I don't think I try and find influences from anywhere. I think we all get influenced by things like touring, seeing other bands, meeting new people. Travelling can also be a good way to feel inspired, culture shocks and language barriers etc.
When's the headline tour happening?
I'm not too sure. We're doing a couple of support tours. We're looking into releasing the new album; we already have a release date for Japan in April. We're really keen to get the newer songs released, as when we play live it's probably more the type of sound we'd like to be heading for.
What do you miss the most when you're on the road?
I think it's easy to miss your own bed and your own house. As sometimes you're not too sure of what the exact sleeping arrangements are, so you often end up in friend's houses and feel bad for putting them out.
Some quick fire questions: Tea or coffee?
Tea, although Tom would be disgusted at this answer. He drinks more coffee than Joey from Friends.
Summer or winter?
I think it's good to have both; I'd get sick of it if either was permanent. I have been hating some of the ice and frozen roads recently though.
Superman or Batman?
Batman.
Clear cut answer that! Possibly the most important question now, Reading or Leeds?
I've done both of these numerous times. The first time I ever went, was Leeds, and that remains to be my favourite time. I like the set up a bit more at Leeds, there's more of a countryside feel to it - rather than Reading which is like a block of people in the middle of Reading. So - Leeds.
And finally, what's next on the agenda for Kyte?
We're going to release our new album at some point, and tour it and continue to do what we do. Some things are getting booked for summer which is looking pretty exciting, we don't like to look too far ahead.
Thank you for your time Nick. Good luck.
Thanks very much.
Kyte's 'Two Sparks, Two Stars' is out now.
