REVIEW BY DICK PORTER, MUDKISS FANZINE
From its Night of The Hunter referencing cover onward, this East London quartet’s debut set bristles with malign intent. There’s no pissing about here, as ‘Kiss’n’Burn’ kicks into high gear and then begins accelerating. As the track unfolds as a garage-a-billy two lane blacktop car wreck that hurtles into a frantic instrumental break, it’s clear we’re in the realm of live-fast-die-young nihilism where guitars serve as deadly weapons. Thee Kick’s twin guitars are, however, scalpels, rather than cutlasses, used with precision and expertise to slice layers of fuzz so fine that one feels them moments before they are heard.
Aside from some truly engorging moments of wildly abandoned rhythm/lead interplay – particularly on the heavy/nasteh ‘Right Here’ – ‘Preacher’ features some truly exceptional soloing, delivered by the band’s chief axe, Max with economy and tension. His minimally crucifying solo is the highlight of the urgent ‘Flipsville Girl’, a cautionary tale of feminine psychosis. Similarly, the rolling bass-driven garagepunk of ‘The Tattoo’ sees Max scar the soul with sound in the same way that the titular illustration is scraped into flesh.
For a band unafraid of taking an unhinged musical path, Thee Kicks evidently believe in keeping their shit firmly together – the group’s wired tightness is a feature of the ten songs. There’s plenty of variety, too – ‘Sleepy Hollow’ sounds like Gallon Drunk in the throes of a breakdown. The track is an early hours kerbcrawl into a place where only madness awaits, the intensity building as sonic voodoo takes hold. ‘Short Time’ sounds as if the Byrds, Sonics and Kinks have been fed into a grindhouse blender, while ‘Come On Over’ is a louché inducement that occupies the same kind of musky bedroom as the Stooges’ classic ‘Real Cool Time’.
Despite its ominous opening ‘Leave Me Now’, expands into a shiny-booted break up saga, where insistent lead lines and backing vocals phase in and out agreeably. However, such lightness is transitory as the full majesty of the truly epic title track uncoils like a self devouring snake. Cinematic and episodic, ‘Preacher’ evokes a nightmare chapel of evil via portentous bass and a rainswept blues howl that ascends to a wah-driven frenzy. After this, the lunatic frug and hi-octane Peter Gunn-ery of ‘She Said/You Want My Lovin’’ are easy to unfairly overlook. But you’ll just have to go back and ride the ‘Preacher’ rollercoaster again. Yes, you will.

Kiss 'n' Burn

Flipsville Girl

REVIEW BY DICK PORTER, MUDKISS FANZINE
From its Night of The Hunter referencing cover onward, this East London quartet’s debut set bristles with malign intent. There’s no pissing about here, as ‘Kiss’n’Burn’ kicks into high gear and then begins accelerating. As the track unfolds as a garage-a-billy two lane blacktop car wreck that hurtles into a frantic instrumental break, it’s clear we’re in the realm of live-fast-die-young nihilism where guitars serve as deadly weapons. Thee Kick’s twin guitars are, however, scalpels, rather than cutlasses, used with precision and expertise to slice layers of fuzz so fine that one feels them moments before they are heard.
Aside from some truly engorging moments of wildly abandoned rhythm/lead interplay – particularly on the heavy/nasteh ‘Right Here’ – ‘Preacher’ features some truly exceptional soloing, delivered by the band’s chief axe, Max with economy and tension. His minimally crucifying solo is the highlight of the urgent ‘Flipsville Girl’, a cautionary tale of feminine psychosis. Similarly, the rolling bass-driven garagepunk of ‘The Tattoo’ sees Max scar the soul with sound in the same way that the titular illustration is scraped into flesh.
For a band unafraid of taking an unhinged musical path, Thee Kicks evidently believe in keeping their shit firmly together – the group’s wired tightness is a feature of the ten songs. There’s plenty of variety, too – ‘Sleepy Hollow’ sounds like Gallon Drunk in the throes of a breakdown. The track is an early hours kerbcrawl into a place where only madness awaits, the intensity building as sonic voodoo takes hold. ‘Short Time’ sounds as if the Byrds, Sonics and Kinks have been fed into a grindhouse blender, while ‘Come On Over’ is a louché inducement that occupies the same kind of musky bedroom as the Stooges’ classic ‘Real Cool Time’.
Despite its ominous opening ‘Leave Me Now’, expands into a shiny-booted break up saga, where insistent lead lines and backing vocals phase in and out agreeably. However, such lightness is transitory as the full majesty of the truly epic title track uncoils like a self devouring snake. Cinematic and episodic, ‘Preacher’ evokes a nightmare chapel of evil via portentous bass and a rainswept blues howl that ascends to a wah-driven frenzy. After this, the lunatic frug and hi-octane Peter Gunn-ery of ‘She Said/You Want My Lovin’’ are easy to unfairly overlook. But you’ll just have to go back and ride the ‘Preacher’ rollercoaster again. Yes, you will.

03 Sleepy Hollow

04 Short Time

05 Right Here

06 Come On Over

The Tattoo

Leave Me Now

Preacher

She Said/If You Want My Lovin'

THEE SAVAGE KICKS have been tearing it up in London venues since 2009 with their fire-brand of melodic garage punk rock 'n' blues. In 2010 UK label Dirty Water Records made the Kicks' tune 'Flipsville Girl' their single of the week and went on to release a 3-track sampler. The group went on to hatch their debut album, 'Preacher', late in 2010. It has garnered radio play in Europe and Canada and is available on iTunes for download. Go see them live if you're in London, although in 2011 they are planning to bring their searing sonic delights over to Europe. KICK IT!

Thee Savage Kicks

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