Kangaroo Knife Fight
Kansas City, Missouri, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013 | SELF
Music
Press
"Anthony Avis’ immediately captivating vocals almost eclipses an extraordinary band of craftsmen who supply the backbone to these songs. Thank heavens, the track “It’s You” pops up fairly quickly to put everything into perspective – showcasing the clockwork qualities of drummer Ian O’Connell, the driving basslines of Gus Rechtien and the substantial strumming of guitarist Brandon Skeens. It was then that I realized I was being extremely reductive; Anthony Avis, was not just the best vocalist I had heard this year, nor was “Shattered Head” the best song. The honest truth was that the entire Kangaroo Knife Fight project, without exclusion, was the best damn indie rock experience I have had all year!" - Jamsphere
Kangaroo Knife Fight’s new self-titled EP is a soul-searching romp through deep caverns of reverbed out guitars, gospelesque vocals, and flowing melodies reminiscent of Sly and the Family Stone and Kings of Leon. The opening track, “Hold On” is an airy build into a delightful chant-worthy chorus. With the vocals screaming “I don’t think anybody wants to lose,” it’s hard not to sing along the second time around. The song illustrates difficulties everyone struggles with and the sweaty grip people have while trying to hold everything together in life. The challenging nature of the overwhelming instrumentation leaves you asking, how will they make this bigger? KKF doesn’t disappoint with giant swelling vocals and expanding guitars.
--Matthew Gratton - The Deli - Kansas City
Kansas City quartet Kangaroo Knife Fight are ready for the stadiums. Ready for the arenas. Bring them your festival stages, this band will fill the space with their anthem rock.
The crystal clear rock has a classic quality to it; the strong vocals have just the right amount of gruffness to them. The band bleeds genuine emotion in their pop sound, a sure indicator of a Midwest band (with vocals by way of Australia). This self-titled EP gives us four excellent tracks, ranging from the rollicking “Hold On,” heartbreaker ballad “Lose My Head,” the powerful pop punch of “It’s You,” and bluesy “Shattered Head.”
The lost love of “Lose My Head” hits hard with lyrics “I drink too much/I fall back down” and the chorus exclaiming “With you I can never win.” I love the stellar guitars on “Hold On” and the fight the song puts up in the face of overwhelming odds (“We punch back, nothing moves an inch at all”). They know “nobody wants to lose,” so all you can do is keep your head up. The “whoa-oh-oh” opener on “It’s You” makes it a stellar single with the glimmering guitars and thundering drums. The lead vocals have a bouncing support underneath them that will have you bobbing your head along the whole time. And check out the killer guitar in “Shattered Head.” Once again, it may seem like “the world is crashing in” on you, this band gives you hope. Kangaroo Knife Fight keeps fighting the good fight, no matter what. - I Heart Local Music
"It's You" by Kangaroo Knife Fight off the album Self Titled - Selected by Hannah Copeland, the president of Sonic Posse, a UMKC student music collective. - NPR
Kangaroo Knife Fight's self-titled EP was named as a Best Recording of 2014 by Mark Manning, DJ at KKFI 90.1 FM in Kansas City. - KKFI 90.1 FM
Congratulations to The Deli’s 2014 KC Readers’ Choice artist, Kangaroo Knife Fight! The four-piece rockers recently released its debut self-titled EP. We’ll be featuring them in an upcoming interview very soon. Until then, check out their tunes! - The Deli
Watch Kangaroo Knife Fight Lyric Video for “It’s You” – An Indie Rock band to follow
Kangaroo Knife recently debuted the lyric video or their first single It’s You. The song is taken from their self-titled EP out in November 2014.
It’s You was filmed in the far-away land of Macedonia. Simone is an 18 year old girl who grew up in the small corrupt country filled with ethnic inequality. Despite such evils, a fondness grew in her heart and she set out to publicly declare her affection. Through the cold and snow she passed through the crowded streets of the Old Bazaar in Bitola to the Clock Tower where she found him. The beauty in her journey and her effortless determination speak to the motivations that propel us. Hope is the true beauty of humanity. It allows us to strive for those moments where we feel accomplished and fulfilled, where we feel golden. - Evigshed Magazine
From their eponymous début EP that came out in November – the penultimate track of the four – It’s You. Kangaroo Knife Fight is a band from the USA who are establishing a rapidly expanding fan-base. - Emerging Indie Bands: The best new bands from around the world
Kangaroo Knife Fight’s lyric video for “It’s You” has impressive typography, a sweet color palette, and a mood that fits with the epic-leaning pop-rock song. - Independent Clauses
The bold rock and brash stage presence of Kangaroo Knife Fight is better suited to cavernous concert halls than the humble taverns where this Kansas City band most often performs. This week’s edition of Local Listen features “It’s You,” an arena-ready burst of melodic rock. - KCUR 89.3 FM
"Get excited about an all new episode of Bridge TV, airing this Saturday on KCPT at 10pm! This week, Bridge TV will showcase a few of the best sessions of the summer, like Kangaroo Knife Fight and Melissa Etheridge." - PBS/KCPT
Kangaroo Knife Fight wastes no time on its new EP, The Dark. The four-piece band charges through the gate with ready-to-rumble rock that’s meant for arenas and sweltering summer festivals. Despite the band name — a homage to lead singer Anthony Avis’ home country of Australia — there is nothing silly about this band. Kangaroo Knife Fight takes its music seriously. And by the end of The Dark, so will you.
There’s something in lead single “Sky Falls” that recalls mid-aughts Kings of Leon; perhaps it’s the bombast, or the energy that never lets up. But there is nothing stale or derivative about the character Kangaroo Knife Fight infuses into The Dark’s four songs, and Avis — with a tender sort of grit that demonstrates both edge and ability — is the driving force throughout. - The Pitch
Post: "My interview with excellent, soulful KC-based indie rock band Kangaroo Knife Fight." - McClain Johnson writer for Crossroadskc.com
"All four of the EP’s bright, textured tracks are ready for the radio and brandish a level of polish that seems outrageous for a debut effort. The tempos and energy are high throughout, and Avis’ lead vocals are stellar – delivered with a raspy blues tinge that provides a well-placed edge to the EP’s otherwise poppy undercurrent." - FLATLAND KCPT's Digital Magazine
"The passion and drive behind every single bar in every single song is infectious, and before the song is over, you’re singing along." - Under The Gun Review
"Kangaroo Knife Fight . . . draws from a mix of American roots rock . . . and Australian/New Zealand rock, including Crowded House, Paul Kelly and INXS. Their set . . . drew an impressive crowd that submitted to the band’s pop-dance groove." - The Kansas City Star
Discography
Kangaroo Knife Fight - Self Titled EP
Photos
Bio
A few words typed in Australia were found by a singerless band on the other side of the globe. A leap of faith was made. "Kangaroo Knife Fight's ... self-titled EP is a soul-searching romp ... of reverbed out guitars, gospelesque vocals, and flowing melodies reminiscent of Sly and the Family Stone and Kings of Leon." The band's first release on December 6, 2014 was immediately named locally as "the best local music of 2014" (89.3fm) and "best recordings of 2014" (90.1fm). Shortly thereafter, the band was named "Best Emerging Artist - Kansas City" by The Deli Magazine 2015 Readers Poll. The initial success likely lies in the fact that, as Nathan Cardiff commented, "[t]he band bleeds genuine emotion in their pop sound." Genuine emotion in pop music isn't easy. Kangaroo Knife Fight blends Anthony's full blooded Australian soul vocals with hard hitting pop rock. In the band's first year, they earned a respectable position in the Kansas City scene by supporting acts such as KONGOS, David Cook, and J. Roddy Walston and the Business and Mayer Hawthorn at Kansas City's Boulevardia. Jamsphere Magazine declared that "Anthony Avis, was not just the best vocalist I had heard this year, ... the entire Kangaroo Knife Fight project, without exclusion, was the best damn indie rock experience I have heard all year!" Kangaroo Knife Fight's 2nd release, The Dark, was released in April of 2016. The common theme in early reviews is that Kangaroo Knife Fight's rock is "meant for arenas and sweltering summer festivals and [d]espite the band name ... there is nothing silly about this band. Kangaroo Knife Fight takes its music seriously. And by the end of The Dark, so will you."
Matthew Gratton, The Deli (12/4/2014); Nathan Cardiff, I Heart Local Music (12/6/2014); Rick Jamm, Jamsphere December 2014 Issue; Natalie Gallagher, The Pitch (4/12/2016)
Band Members
Links
