INTERVIEW
MUSIC
KICKIN’ LILIES
DAMIAN ROBINSON TALKS TO THE NORTH EAST ALT. ROCKERS ABOUT RELEASING THEIR DEBUT SINGLE IN EXTRAORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES If punk came out of boredom, frustration and a lack of activity, then just imagine what artists, and in particular the alternative rock crowd, should be able to do with today’s enforced lockdown and the growing sense of anger and resentment. And whilst it seems unfair to apply pressure onto our favourite recording artists, perhaps the very thing we should be doing as music fans is to make demands for greatness; to challenge and support interesting artists to create impactful and meaningful art. Now may well be the time for the alternative crowd to musically define punk’s original theologies of ‘no future’ and ‘year zero’. Though created before COVID-19 arrived fully-formed, Kickin’ Lilies’ debut single All These Bad Dreams certainly aims at greatness; looking to musically soundtrack some of the fear and sense of mortality we surely all face. Angry and fierce, the track uses riff heavy screeching guitars to power a rock/grunge crossover onslaught which faces down nightmares and chases them back into our subconscious; its timely crossover into today’s climate is not lost on the band, who champion a philosophy of personal responsibility. “The song, without going into too much detail, is about how negative energies can affect people's thoughts and behaviour. We believe this is a struggle people come across daily and we hope people listen and interpret the song
THE SONG IS ABOUT HOW NEGATIVE ENERGIES CAN AFFECT PEOPLE’S THOUGHTS AND BEHAVIOUR 22
in their own way and relate.” Formed as a low-key supergroup, with members of Laurens Court, Fracas & Rhythm and Wood & Shapes, Kickin’ Lilies have had their hearts in the North East’s alternative scene for a number of years, enough time to build up individual reputations and to hone their collective alternative skills; something the band are keen to put to effective use immediately and carry on the momentum of their debut release. “The new single is a taster of what is to come, it shows that we can accomplish variation in our sound. From mellow and intimate sounds that can quickly explode into a fiery crash of attitude.” All These Bad Dreams finds Kickin’ Lilies reflecting on their own personal responsibilities; how do you control the uncontrollable and do the very best with what you have. “We did have a show coming up that was planned to promote the single and let people hear the song live to get the full experience, but things happen and everything must continue to progress positively, we have been working on promoting the song online as best we can.” Perhaps reflecting the philosophical differences between punk’s ‘tear it down’ manifesto and grunge’s ‘build a new world’ sensibilities, the rest of the year finds Kickin’ Lilies plug in their guitars and carry on creating, ready for the day when they can get back out and play for like-minded people keen to build rather than destroy. “Obviously it's very frustrating not to be able to play to everyone, but we’re using this time to get ourselves out there and start focusing on other areas of the band.“ Kickin’ Lilies release All These Bad Dreams on 6th July www.facebook.com/kickinlilies
