1 April 2024
Every Monday I will be bringing you an interview with an independent band, duo or music artist. This week, I caught up with Colchester band KaiserKillers to find out more…
Who is in the band, how did you meet, where are you from and how did you come up with the name?
Johnny and Andy were introduced by their respective girlfriends at the time, who were best mates. Johnny’s girlfriend tuned out to be a bunny-boiling psycho and Andy’s girlfriend left him one day while he was at work, emptying the house of every stick of furniture. Swings and roundabouts… The name KaiserKillers is a play on words of Kaiser Keller, where the Beatles played in Hamburg, a killer set at the Kaiser Keller, geddit?
Who were your musical influences when you were growing up and who are your influences now?
We are big Beatles fans, but growing up there would also have been all the Glam rock influences, T. Rex, Sweet, Slade. Then punk: Buzzcocks, Generation X, The Clash, 999, The Damned. Then The Smiths, Pixies, Stone Roses, Oasis. You can throw in the Byrds and Bob Dylan into the mix too. At the moment, we are enjoying Amyl and the Sniffers, Gustaf and the Bug Club.
How would you describe your sound?
We call it PowerPopPunk! A melodious stream of musical consiousness. Layers of guitars coupled with harmonied vocals. Usually fast and definitely loud.
What is your latest release called and what was the influence behind it?
Our new single is Gun Crazy. Johnny was visiting a girl in Connecticut and he asked whether the close proxity to New York had an effect on crime locally. She said that it was beginning to creep in and that, only the week before, a guy had been found dead in the trunk of his car down by the shopping mall. That’s the first verse right there.
What’s your local music scene like?
Quite vibrant, I think. There are still lots of venues putting on live music and still plenty of musicians putting themselves out there.
What do you have planned for the next 12 months?
We have been kind of quiet for the last 18 months for one reason or another and Gun Crazy is our first release for nearly two years, but we are back with a bang! After Gun Crazy, we plan an EP remix of our first four singles, then a Banger of a tune, Honey (One Day In Atlantic City) to accompany an album with CD and Vinyl offerings. Then we plan live stuff.
Is there anyone you’d love to collaborate with?
Paul Simon has always been a songwriting hero, so that would be cool. We have a lot of time for Nick Lowe too, perhaps he could produce us?
Any funny stories surrounding your live performances?
Tom Jones famously had knickers thrown on stage, we had a chip butty. Johnny slipped on it, twisted his ankle and completed the encore lying on his back. We prefer Tom Jones’ predicament.
What is the one thing that you want readers to know about you?
That we are easily bribed by offers of free guitars, motorcycles and cars. Especially Jensen Interceptors, we like Jensen Interceptors.
You can find out more about KaiserKillers on their website or via Apple Music, Bandcamp, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud, Spotify, Threads, X (Twitter) or YouTube.
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