Kills - Leadmill, Sheffield, 12/2/2005

  by Helen Tipping

published: 9 / 2 / 2005

intro

At the Sheffield date on the Kills' latest British tour, Helen Tipping becomes totally lost in the music and the intensity of the British/American duo's performance

From their inception The Kills have relied on word of mouth to get their music heard, which was how I ended up dragging several friends to see them at the Carling Festival in Leeds in 2003 following a recommendation.  They were one of the highlights of the festival for me and my friends and I was disappointed to have to wait nearly 2 years to see them again, but it was worth the wait and I have to say that they work better in a small, smokey venue than in a tent in the middle of the afternoon.   Onstage their performance is a love/hate relationship. During each song it's as if a whole scene is playing out. Perhaps it's a sign of the intensity of the working relationship between Hotel (Jamie Hince) and VV (Alison Mosshart) or perhaps it's an act.  If I'm going to make any comparisons, for me it has to be The Velvet Underground, big favourites of mine for some years now.  The thing I loved about this show is that I totally lost myself in the music and the performance, because that's what it is.  The driving guitar sound, the incessant drum machine beat, the sense of some underlying wild passion that could erupt any minute all works together to draw you in.  Go see The Kills soon, before they end up in bigger venues or burn out with the intensity of their feelings. The photos that accompany this article were taken by Bob Stuart and originally appeared on his website www.underexposed.org.uk  

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