I want to bring to light a New York based sound that’s been around for a while; Kids Of Survival. I was wondering the other day what they were up to… so got in contact with them and found out what just what’s been going on with them. If you haven’t heard them before check them out, they are a strong four piece powerpop-indie rock infusion with a strong debut album under their belts… I found out some info from Dylan, Kid Of Survivals drummer…

Lets start with the basics.. Why the band name Kids Of Survival?
Well we used to be called Stiffler then we ran in to some legal issues with that name and decided upon Kids of Survival because we really liked where it came from. Its from a youth group in the Bronx ( a borough of NYC)who created art as a way to stay off the streets and they called them selves the kids of survival. We liked that it was kids who came from nothing and made something out of their art (which is hanging in the modern museum of art and in museums around the country).

Are you still the original line up?
Well this is the original line up for Kids of Survival, however when we were Stiffler before we had vin and frank we had two different guitar players.

What are you guys up to right now?
Well we are are on tour right now, we have been out for the last 8 months. We recently parted ways with our record label Chamberlain Records. Once we get home from this tour we will be taking the rest of the year off to finish writing our follow up to our debut record Good Til Your Heart Pops.

Are you coming to the UK any time soon?
We would love to come to the UK as soon as possible. Although we have nothing in the works thus far.

Who are your inspirations?
A variety of bands including The get up kids, Jimmy eat world, Relient K, Lagwagon, Blink-182, ect.

Have you ever played a festival before?
Nope, have never played a festival before.

So now that you have dropped the record deal, what now? Thought about going independent?
I think we will be remaining independent unless a good deal comes by from a good indie or a decent major.

Hows the second album coming along?
We have a bunch of acoustic songs written which will be transfered into full band as soon as we get home. Its been so long since we released new music that we dont know what our current fans will think of our new record. We are confident it will be amazing however, its not going to be what kids expect I’m sure of that!

Any producers we should know about?
We can’t really discuss that until we lock one down we have a few great ones we are talking to, that we would be thrilled to work with.

How about an album title? Song titles?
As for album titles and songs no real titles just dumb ones to help us remember the song

MP3: Kids Of Survival – My Addiction (MP3 has now expired)

These guys are awesome. Check out track above or go onto their myspace and listen to ‘Disgraced By The Ages’ or ‘Come To Your Window’.. Just click on their image above… They are currently touring so check our their tour dates too! Get on over there, they are worth it kids.

-Luu

Check out the video interview here.

Also check out the videos of their performance of the songs Knock Me Out and Crime.

The night kicked off with Mpho Skeef, a girl with some serious soul and one amazing voice. She woke the crowd up and didn’t let them go until her last breath.. I hadn’t heard her before, which I now know to have been a serious crime on my part. Her set consisted of just three things; a bass guitar, hand drums and her voice. Despite being a very small set, it was by no means a small sound. I was definitely blown away.

The second memorable sound was to come from A.Human, an electro-rock fueled six piece band with an energetic vibe and addictive beat. There wasn’t an area on the stage the vocalist didn’t cover, he was by all accounts all over the place, even taking the time to jump off the stage at one point and smother his sweaty hands affectionately over my friends face. Who needs makeup removing face wipes, eh?Thirdly, was the unique electro-acoustic vibrations of The Shortwave Set a delightfully twisted echo, that really brought a mood to the room. Throughout the night I was repeatedly recommended to look out for these guys by a certain someone and I was in no way disappointed. They pushed the limit on their set time and delivered some seriously intricate tunes, using instruments I couldn’t even name. Click on their name to visit their myspace and check out the song ‘Harmonia’.

Then… The almighty Infadels. They were everything I expected and more… choosing to do an acoustic set they certainly did the stage justice. We had the opportunity to ask the front man and vocalist Bnann Watts some questions before they went on stage…

Luu: Bimey, where did all the money come from?

Bnann: Our own pockets!

Luu: Really! That’s pretty generous!

Bnann: Yeah, well it was kind of reverse busking.. we played then we gave THEM money. (chuckles)

Luu: Did you film it?

Bnann: Yeah.. If you look it up on Youtube there’s a video, we filmed it all!

Luu: Your single is called ‘Free Things For Poor People’ was it ever going to be something that would be more charitable, for a cause or registered charity?

Bnann: It was never going to be a charity single no.. it was always just about what’s going on at the moment, I mean everyones worried about money and the credit crunch.. it was just highlighting that really as a bit of a piss take.. we are all facing the same problem..

Luu: Yeah.. That makes sense… How do you feel people have reacted to the new album? Has the feedback been positive?
Bnann: Definately positive, yeah. I mean I was really surprised, we have done a few gigs since it’s release and already people know the songs and are singing along, so yeah, a completely positive response really..

Luu: Sounds great! So does this mean you are looking forward to Glastonbury? How do you feel about playing? Excited?

Bnann: Excited definitely but I’m looking forward to it. I am a bit nervous but I am looking forward to it, it should be a great weekend.

Luu: Well we won’t keep you any longer, thank you for your time.. and good luck with tonight and tomorrow.

Bnann: Thanks, thanks very much.

Once on stage they gave it all. I certianly bopped around a bit and I think a lot of others did too. Lots of people sang along and for me it was by far the best set of the night, followed by Mpho and The Shortwave Set.. The night went on with lots more fun including a rather interesting set from Marc Almond and awesome sets from DJ Pierre and Propellerheads. I have only highlighted just a few of the amazing sounds.. Hidden Depths certianly began with a bang and pushed all the right buttons. Congrats goes out to Mark Jones, founder of Wall Of Sound for showcasing some fit sounds and really pushing the night to an amazing level. The rest of the night was a beautiful mix of dancing and free San Miguel.. Oh! and one last and rather special thanks goes out to Rupert Runewitsch and co. at DBM Pulse for a totally brilliant night. ^_^

- Luu xx

The band are currently playing the Warped tour in the states as well as a few other dates between. We featured them back in April before we moved the blog on to its own domain…

‘Drive A – I am amazed, quite frankly. Just listen to them.. even if they aren’t your thing, I am almost certain you will be shocked. These guys write all their own music and have supported some really big names. They are ‘up and coming’, in every sense of those three little words. I am pretty sure they will blow McFly out of the water.. If McFly are still in the water? check out their myspace: here.’

CHECK OUT OUR EXCLUSIVE VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH DRIVE A HERE!!

We have a signed copy of their single that we are adding to the growing pile of goodies for the eyemaylisten competition (more details soon)

Luu xxx