Indie rock band founded in Hull, North Humberside, England, by Loz Hardy (b. Lawrence Paul Hardy, 14 September 1970, Manchester, Lancashire, England; vocals/guitar), Myles Howell (b. 23 January 1971, Rugby, Warwickshire, England; bass) and John Andrew (b. John Ricardo Andrew, 27 May 1963, Hull, North Humberside, England; drums). The band was formed by Hardy and Howell during their year off after school, eventually recruiting the significantly older Andrew, an ex-travelling puppeteer, to complete the unit. The band made their debut with The Celebrated Working Man EP, after which they signed to Chrysalis Records for a second EP, Idiots At The Wheel. They were immediately courted by the press, who invented a niche category for the band: New Cool Rock. At one time tipped by many as a potential next big thing, Kingmaker rapidly fell out of favour with the fashionable climate of their genre. Paul Heaton of local stars the Beautiful South went so far as to accuse them of being middle-class pretenders, living in castles on the outskirts of Hull. Nevertheless, Hardy's songwriting prowess seemed to grow in inverse proportion to their stature. The songs on 1992's Sleepwalking, primarily located in Hardy's bitter world view, far surpassed anything on the debut album and the early singles that won them most attention. Tucked away on the b-side to the BRIT Awards-baiting "Armchair Anarchist", "Everything's Changed Since You've Been To London" and "Kissing Under Anaesthetic" stood head and shoulders above many of their peers. The band's lyrical austerity, much ridiculed by some critics, was matched by strong musical craft (particularly Andrew's forceful, accomplished drumming) and an emotive resonance not confined to the young audience the band seemed to attract. In The Best Possible Taste emerged, in 1995, within one month of the death of disc jockey Kenny Everett, who had popularized the phrase, adding an unconscious irony to its use. Tracks such as "One False Move" revealed a shift towards urban rockabilly. The band split up shortly afterwards, with only Hardy remaining in the music business.
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YouTube Videos
Kingmaker - Really Scrape the Sky (04:20)
Early gig from Kingmaker in 1991, where they played the Town and Country Club just after being signed.
Kingmaker - Immediate Music (03:50)
(solo musica) para descargar videos baja el atube catcher http://atube-catcher.programas-gratis.net/
Kingmaker - Queen Jane (music video) (03:33)
90's. See the Gibson ES-295 hollow body guitar. It is Geordie's "heart of Killing Joke sound" guitar model from 50's (1952-1957 I guess). Frank Black from Pixies has this one too. You can see it in Los Angeles music...
Live
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The Velvet Hearts
- Frog and Wicket, Eversley Cross
- Jan 10, 2009
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Animal Collective
- KOKO, London
- Jan 12, 2009
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The News - - Manchester - -
- See Myspace for gigs..., Manchester
- Jan 12, 2009
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Bruno Gallone
- Ducking Stool, Leominster
- Jan 14, 2009
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Soft Toy Emergency
- Carling Academy, Liverpool
- Jan 17, 2009
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Soft Toy Emergency
- Academy, Liverpool
- Jan 17, 2009
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Bruno Gallone
- Railway Hotel, Evesham
- Jan 18, 2009
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All That Remains
- Carling Academy 2, Birmingham
- Jan 19, 2009
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All That Remains
- Academy 2, Birmingham
- Jan 19, 2009
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All That Remains
- Academy, Manchester
- Jan 21, 2009
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Discography
albums.
- Eat Yourself Whole - 1991 (Chrysalis)
- Sleepwalking - 1992 (Chrysalis)
- To Hell With Humdrum - 1993 (Chrysalis)
- In The Best Possible Taste - 1995 (Chrysalis)
