Kid Canaveral

Kid Canaveral
Origin	St Andrews, Scotland
Genres	Indie pop Powerpop Post-Pop Alternative
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Straight to Video Records Fence Records
Associated acts	Fence Collective Pencils Come On Gang! King Creosote
Members
David MacGregor Kate Lazda Rose McConnachie Scott McMaster (2009- )
Past members
Dan Sheehy (2004-2008) Clarke Geddes (2008-2009)

Kid Canaveral is an indie pop band that formed in St Andrews in Fife, Scotland, but are now based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Since 2007 the band have released a number of well received singles, an E.P. and an album on their own label, Straight to Video Records, and in 2011 they signed with Scottish independent label Fence Records.^[1] The band have received praise for their pop hooks and melodies, and their energetic and engaging live performances.^[2][3]

History

Kid Canaveral formed in St Andrews, Scotland, in 2004 with the band meeting whilst studying at the University of St Andrews. The original line-up consisted of: David MacGregor (originally from Glasgow, Scotland) on guitar and vocals; Kate Lazda (from Wokingham, England) on guitar and vocals; Rose McConnachie (also from Glasgow, Scotland) on vocals and bass guitar; and Dan Sheehy (from Bangor, Northern Ireland) on drums. The band played their first gig supporting King Creosote and The Pictish Trail in St Andrews. The band relocated to Edinburgh in 2006 in order to be able to play a greater number of gigs, and for the opportunity to play to a wider audience.^[4] In order to release their own records David and Kate set up Straight to Video Records and between 2007 and 2010 the band put out four 7" singles (Smash Hits, Couldn't Dance, Second Time Around and I don't have the heart for this), two cassette singles (Left and Right E.P. and You Only Went Out to Get Drunk Last Night) and their debut album.

Original drummer Dan Sheehy left the band after the release of their fourth single in December 2008, to be replaced by Clarke Geddes (from Cupar, Scotland) after he drunkenly applied for the vacancy. Clarke parted company with the band to move to Switzerland in June 2009 after the initial sessions for the bands first album. Scott McMaster (from Girvan, Scotland) was announced as his replacement shortly afterwards.^[5] Their debut album Shouting At Wildlife was released on Monday 5 July 2010 on Straight to Video Records. The band toured the UK extensively and played a number of festivals in support of the album and recorded a live session for BBC Radio Scotland, playing tracks from the album and a cover of the King Creosote song 'Missionary' from Kenny and Beth's Musakal Boat Rides.

It was announced on 23 February 2011 that the band had been signed to Fence Records, and that the label would be re-releasing Shouting At Wildlife on Vinyl in July 2011. Kid Canaveral completed a short tour of the USA in March including a number of shows at the 2011 SxSW festival in Austin, Texas. As well as their own performances, the band acted as King Creosote's backing band for two gigs, one at the Domino Records Showcase at Emo's and one at the British Music Embassy in Latitude 30.^[6] Kid Canaveral were filmed before and during SxSW as part of a BBC Artworks documentary about the festival. The band made a number of festival appearances in 2011 in the UK, most notably at T in the Park (on the BBC Introducing stage), The Edge Festival and the Belladrum Festival.

Critical response

The Glasgow Herald magazine praised the bands style, hailing them as their "new favourite Scottish Band" drawing similarities with the powerpop of XTC and The Undertones.^[7] The band have received mainly positive coverage from the press, with further praise coming from The Daily Record describing the band as "the best thing to come out of St Andrews since KT Tunstall".^[8] The List described the group as having a “charming playfulness” and “unpretentious style”.^[9] After seeing the band perform at Fête de la Musique as part of Glasgow's West End Festival, Paul Whitelaw described the band in his review of the event in The Scotsman as "Juicy, chewy pop-kids to savour, proving that life still twitches in this indie guitar-pop business".^[10] The Fly deem the band to "showcase a sound too big to be Scotland's secret for much longer"^[11] and have carried a number of positive live reviews.

The band's debut album received universally positive reviews, with The Skinny describing Shouting at Wildlife as "a thrilling, uplifting and generally all-round spiffing combination of indie-pop skills, lyrical wit, and choruses sung through smiles"^[12] and The List praised the record for being "packed with singalong melodies, frisky jangles and a real sense of purpose. A jubilant and skilful racket."^[13] The album was BBC Radio 1 Session in Scotland's Album of the Month for July 2010 and the album featured at, or near the top of a number of end of year lists and polls.^[14]

Upon the re-release of Shouting at Wildlife by Fence Records the Glasgow Herald descirbed the album as “a Scottish pop classic [that] should be mandatory in every record collection in the country”^[15] and Vic Galloway and Tom Morton featured it as their 'Album of the Week' on their resepctive BBC Radio Scotland shows, in it's week of release.

Discography

Albums

• "Shouting At Wildlife" (Digipak CD and Digital Download, 5 July 2010, Straight to Video Records STV-008 / 12" Vinyl LP, 25 July 2011, Fence Records FNC 811)

Singles

• Smash Hits (7" Single and Digital Download, 5 March 2007. STV-001)
• Couldn't Dance (7" Single and Digital Download, 22 June 2008. STV-002)
• Second Time Around (7" Single and Digital Download, 27 October 2008. STV-003)
• I don't have the heart for this (7" Single and Digital Download, 15 December 2008. STV-004) Split single with Come On Gang!
• You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night (Cassette and Digital Download, 31 May 2010. STV-007)^[16]
• And Another Thing!! b/w Missionary feat. King Creosote (Cassette Single, 25 July 2011. Straight to Video Records/Fence Records. STV-009/FNC-CT1) Cassette very limited and only available with Shouting at Wildlife Vinyl.
• And Another Thing!! (Digital Download, 11 July 2011. Straight to Video Records/Fence Records. STV-010)
• Homerun and a Vow (As King Creosote and Kid Canaveral)/Nowhere Near Half Done (7" Single and T-Shirt with Digital Download, 31st October 2011. Fence Records. FNC-SECRET7-011)

Extended Players

• "Left and Right" (Cassette and Digital Download, 19 October 2009. STV-005)

Compilations

• "Limbo Live Volume 01" (Ltd. CD and Digital Download, 23 April 2009. MGM-001) - Contains a live version of the track "Second Time Around". Recorded live at The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Scotland on the 13th December 2008.
• "The Inside Track" (Digital Download, 4 August 2010) Charity album for Waverley Care featuring "Stretching The Line"

Other

• "Good Morning" (Free Christmas Digital Download, 24th Dec 2009. STV-006)

References

1. ^ The List Exposure: Kid Canaveral. 3rd June 2009, http://www.list.co.uk/article/18193-exposure-kid-canaveral/
2. ^ Is This Music? Magazine. Issue 25. Page 12. March 2007
3. ^ Live Review, The Scotsman Page 27. 25th April 2011
4. ^ "Edinburgh music scene lures Kid Canaveral" Gary Flockhart. Edinburgh Evening News. 16th March 2006. Accessed 15th June 2009.http://living.scotsman.com/features/Edinburgh-music-scene-lures-Kid.2759137.jp
5. ^ The List Magazine Exposure Article. http://www.list.co.uk/article/18193-exposure-kid-canaveral"
6. ^ Fence Records Press Release. Accessed 24th February 2011. http://www.fencerecords.com/news/kid-canaveral-sign-to-fence-records/
7. ^ Page 4. The Herald Magazine. Glasgow Herald, Saturday 8th March 2008.
8. ^ Daily Record, Page 27 Thursday 13th September 2007
9. ^ The List Magazine. Page 69 Issue 606. 3–17 July 2008
10. ^ "La Fete De La Musique" The Scotsman, June 22nd 2006.
11. ^ The Fly Magazine. Page 56. February 2011
12. ^ http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/99535-kid-canaveral-shouting-at-wildlife
13. ^ http://www.list.co.uk/article/26395-kid-canaveral-shouting-at-wildlife/
14. ^ http://songbytoad.com/2010/12/the-scottish-blogger-and-music-sites-award-the-scottish-bams-2010/
15. ^ http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/music-reviews/kid-canaveral-shouting-at-wildlife-fence-1.1113687
16. ^ Discography at Fence Records. Accessed 15th june 2009 http://www.fencerecords.com/artists.php?id=58

External links

• Kid Canaveral at Fence Records