Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince, aka The Kills, arrived at a strange time for grunge/blues rock like lizards wriggling in a tin.. Indie sleaze, or whatever the tastemakers deemed it that week, was becoming passe, and genres were starting to blur, so a duo who came on like Royal Trux playing Beefheart were of course going to be something of an anomaly. But then, that’s cooler than the usual formulaic shit. Where are The Wombats now, eh? Best not go there.
Their debut studio album, ‘Keep On Your Mean Side’, fused Mosshart’s soulful purr with Hince’s spidery, wild shards of guitar. It was sexy, knowing and full of attitude. Their live gigs were something else too, as they twisted around each other like horny newlyweds, Mosshart’s hair often masking her beautiful, heart -shaped face. Hince was like a healthier Rowland S Howard, but no less badass for it. They always insist they’ve never been intimate together, but the jury’s out on that one…
The album, with its declamatory ‘Fuck The People ‘, scuzzy ‘Fried My Little Brains’ and grinding ‘Pull A U’ was swampy and fuzzy, recorded at Toe Rag Studios for that lo-fi sound. And it made small ripples, but never took off like it should. It takes people a while to catch on sometimes.
It didn’t help that neither member was willing to do many interviews at the time. Mosshart in particular had a reputation for being quite prickly, but in reality, her reticence is because she’s rather shy. Not that you would know from the psychotic predator lyrics of ‘Kissy Kissy’: ” I’m gonna stab your kissy, kissy mouth, it’s been a long time comin'”…
This album is wonderful. It’s like getting lost in the darkest corners of ‘Paris, Texas’, then being jolted awake with a tequila shot or six and some chilli fries. Truly, it doth slap. And even after twenty years, it never seems to age. I’m looking forward to the new album immensely. They always stay true to themselves, never compromising. Fuck the peopke, indeed.
Hit The North 