Kentish Fire

Kentish Fire are a new indie-disco band from Camden producing highly charged, synth driven music.

I’ll admit it, I initially thought this wouldn’t be my kind of music. I don’t look at Pete Doherty and think, “wow, he looks like my kind of guy,” nor do I dream of a Communist revolution or buy women’s jeans because “I like the way they fit.” Ultimately, I don’t particularly see myself as an indie crusader but I’m pretty pleased I opened my ears to the rock infused, disco sound of Kentish Fire.

Spawning from the edgy motherland of Camden, former DJs Warren Gebhardt and Andrew ‘Snakes’ Louis joined forces with frontman Michael ‘Inky’ Inkpen and promoter/songwriter Anna Gregson. From this emerged the birth of the fast-paced, staccato disco-rock sound so prevalent on tracks such as ‘Don’t Bore Us’ and ‘In Our Band’. Many people may have heard their first, and only single to have been released so far, ‘So Unpredictable’ without even knowing, when it featured on Channel 4’s Fresh Meat last year. The frantic, fast-paced foot stomper of a beat, with its chilling-groove organ riff would be the perfect musical accompaniment to a Zombie graveyard disco. Failing to find one of these, you could just play it at a normal party and it would still go down a treat.

Immediate criticism, if any, would be that their recipe of high pitched vocals and heavy bass lines, combined with plucky guitar riffs and stop-start rhythms, is perhaps a little too overused. On the flip side, it’s always good in the early days to produce a sound that everyone can identify as Kentish Fire’s own brand. Gaining notoriety as one of The Student Radio Association’s ‘Emerging Icons’, as well as appearing on other mainstream radio stations suggests it won’t be long until you find yourself jigging along to Kentish Fire’s infectious sound. With frontman Inky’s roots in the North East, it looks like Kentish Fire could be crossing the Tyne sometime soon.

In one line, Kentish Fire are not going to be the first thing I put on in the morning, but catch you in the right mood and they’ll reduce anyone, regardless of genre allegiance into a thing possessed. Someone had better call the fire brigade because it won’t be long until we see Kentish Fire spreading across the nation.

Check out their website where you can listen to and download more of their tracks, including remixes, for free: www.kentishfire.co.uk
- The Courier Online

'Glorious, pumping bass-led track from a set of musicians who clearly know what they're doing and where they're going.' - Unsigned Band Review

Very very catchy. Very catchy indeed. This is repetitive and narrow, frankly it should be a right pain in the arse, but instead it's brilliant. It is anything but unpredictable, repeating the same chorus over and over, with the boy/girl vocals corresponding to the guitar solo which will just go round and round and round and round inside your head. Though there's potential for it to get very annoying relatively quickly, it is impossibly fun and frenetic, taking indie staples and rewriting them for the teenybopping generation as they drink cider in the woods and discover glow sticks. - 405

'So Unpredictable' featured on Channel 4's comedy Series "Fresh Meat". - Channel 4

I'm always going to like a track where there's a strong buzzing bass line up in the mix. Utilizing boy/girl harmonies to great effect Kentish Fire have that perfect indie pop sound, with a disco underbelly, that can lift a song to it's full potential.

The Camden band have produced a cracking debut single with this. So Unpredictable together with the track In My Band is available for free download from the Kentish Fire website - New Singles Review

Camden based indie dance group Kentish Fire present all the usual slices of angular guitars, synths and thumping drum beats and will have you tapping your feet along to their songs in no time. More than that however, the infectious lyrics of tracks such as ‘Don’t Bore Us’ and ‘In Our Band’ prove that simple music can brilliantly fuse rock, pop disco and electro into short, sharp songs filled with energy and humour.

This energy is contagious and, with a sound that is in places reminiscent of Franz Ferdinand, LCD Soundsystem and The Klaxons, it is unsurprising that the quintet have started to gain some recent Radio 1, mainstream recognition.

There is great imagery to go with the music as Kentish Fire present themselves as something of a revolutionary sonic militia, adding some intrigue, but ultimately it is the infectious nature of the songs and how this translates in live performances which remains their most appealing aspect.

Their only official release so far has been the single ‘So Unpredicatable’, but an EP summarising much of their work up to this point is available from the group’s Bandcamp.

- Palatinate - Student Newspaper

The plan was ‘not to go to The Wheelbarrow‘ and guess were I ended up? Oh yes The Wheelbarrow. The plan was to go sniff Whiskey in the other end of Camden, with some rockers, but with Tribes ending before 10pm (stupid club nights). I did no such activity. Instead I stumbled across an upbeat indie-synth band. Who without a doubt have the most enthusiastic stage presence I have seen from a new band in a while, the Synth player owned his tiny corner, I don’t remember his name but I do remember Moby. Lead singer and guitarist Michael and bass and vocalists Anna had the sex factor while singing into each other faces, of course they’re no Jamie And Alison of The Kills (no-one will top them, hear me? No-one) all this whilst lead guitarist Andrew shook his dreadlocks like sand snakes being blessed by the grooves.

You could see the fire in their eyes, it was burning. Or maybe the band banner is making me think those thoughts? ‘Unpredictable‘ went down a treat had everybody moving their feet (even with a heavily annoying drunk women swarming around)

If you are a fan of LCD Soundsystem, or even a little bit of Metronomy, Kentish Fire will serve their purpose well. Lead singer and guitarist Michael always happened to have curly hair, this always seems to be the main talking part. Hair. Hair and lots of curly strands.

Is also nice to go watch a band, without being pestered to do so before hand. I forgot how much I enjoy the stumbling into venues with bands I don’t even know. Win, win.
Check out their Bampcamp page and music video for ’Unpredictable‘ you know you fancy it.

By Simone

- Strictly Reading and Leeds Festivals

Amazing Radio - "Don't Bore Us" -download of the week.
Kentish Fire was the featured band and clip includes an interview with lead singer Michael. - Amazing Radio

LMTV interview of Inky and Anna from Kentish Fire - LMTV

PDF of our press pack - Kentish Fire

“This is just so very good!” Andy Von Pip (Von Pip Musical Express) - Von Pip Musical Express

A peculiar yet charming hybrid of live music and burlesque cabaret, The Greatest Show in the Universe is by no means a modest title. The event, held at the art deco, subterranean venue Madame Jojo's in Soho, featured live sets from Will and the People and Kentish Fire. These two up-and-coming London bands held their own against a backdrop of risqué showmanship from Miss Bettsie Bonbon. The transatlantic host Go Go Harder, a camp circus ringmaster meets glittery-eyed Lady Gaga, served as master of ceremonies. He introduced such ukulele-playing acts as the member of Duran Duran who never was, Jack the Stripper and the slightly elderly Mr Ukulele Eric, whose cheekily homoerotic homage to George Formby's 'Little Stick of Blackpool Rock' was thoroughly memorable.

The self-titled 'indie disco militia', Kentish Fire comprise of a veritable melange of members all in their mid-twenties. If you were to squint a bit, you could easily be forgiven for thinking that Moby and Newton Faulkner had decided to give up their solo careers to join the band, as dreadlocked lead guitarist Andrew (aka Snakes) and smoothy smooth-headed synth player and vocalist Warren lead us to believe. Perhaps this is just an ingenious marketing ploy? Though with Kentish Fire's energetic performance style and punchy, staccato tunes, I'd say that there's no need to cash in on anybody else's fame.

Their synchronised, percussive clapping only adds to the insistently infectious sound, and the on-stage frolicking complete with uninhibited dancing implies that Kentish Fire are an act who don't take themselves too seriously. This is surely a trait which makes them more rewarding to watch, because particularly in such an intimate venue as Madame Jojo's, the audience plays a central part in the performance

Will and the People proved themselves to be a promising act from the moment they walked on stage, yet their appearance is simultaneously casual and unassuming. Fronted by the bohemian progeny of Worzel Gummidge, it is clear to hear the reggae influences in the music of vocalist Will and his people: Jim the keyboardist, Keo the bassist and Charlie the drummer. Despite these clear influences, they happen to be very versatile musicians producing an original, dynamic and intriguing sound. They even managed to keep their composure when confronted with the tempting wiggle of Miss Bettsie Bonbon, who joined them on stage for a ska number.

The unusual contrast of the cabaret performances with the live bands made for a highly varied demographic amongst the audience members. It initially appeared to have largely attracted women in their forties, with the occasional bloke who'd been dragged along. However as the evening progressed, the crowd got younger and younger. The lower seating was cleared to make way for a packed dancefloor, ending with a hip hop DJ set as the venue became less of a cabaret bar and more of a nightclub.

This sort of variety performance catering to a crowd of assorted tastes and ages is definitely a rarity amongst live music events in Britain, and yet it provided such a wonderful evening of entertainment. Whether it lives up to its ambitious title or not is for you to decide, as 'The Greatest Show in the Universe' is on at Madame Jojo's on the last Sunday of every month. With quality live performances from Will and the People as the house band, Camden-based Kentish Fire and humorous cabaret acts like Mr Ukulele Eric, you'd be a fool to miss it.
- 405

“This is just so very good!” Andy Von Pip (Von Pip Musical Express) - Von Pip Musical Express

"I've listened to your music and it's *really* good." - DJ Bynar - http://www.djbynar.com