Aussie Indies With Rock Pedigree by George Ziemann — October 13, 2010 People turn me on to indie bands all the time. Once in a while, something special shows up. The Kicks are one of the special ones. I've definitely got a weakness for women that rock. The Kicks fit that bill, fronted by two Neige and O Koppes, two beauties that play bass and guitar, respectively. Rounding out the band are Aaron Ronaldson (guitar) and Zac Hodgkinson (drums), throwing some testosterone into the mix and adding a male counterpoint to what otherwise might be written off as a "chick band" if the Australian act was starting off their careers in the U.S. Of course, just because the band is fronted by girls, that doesn't mean they're singing about puppies and butterflies. Quite the opposite, in fact. Haven't heard any sugar-coated love songs from The Kicks. Every song that I've heard rocks and could just as easily have come from a male-fronted band. It just happens to be a female singing. And, unlike a lot of the new music I hear, I could actually relate to their lyrics. Neige handles most of the vocals and has been known to keep the show moving even after having a cowbell bounced off of her head. "Fortunately, the bell hit her forehead and made a clear, resonant sound." The Kicks' MySpace page lists their genres as "Rock, Pop, Psychedelic." To me, they sound more like a punk band and the female vocals turn it a little more toward power pop. The first song I heard was a remix of what is posted at MySpace as "Too Late." The version I heard came titled as "Better Without You," and started out with the guitar hook, which gave the tune a definite AC/DC feel to it. Instead of being the lead-in to the song, the bass line came in a few seconds later to underline the riff and the way it came off in the remixed version instantly reminded me of an old Foghat song ("I Just Want to Make Love"). There are five songs on their MySpace page. The Kicks are a young band and still have room to grow musically, but what I'm seeing as the strength of their music is that, to me anyway, their tunes are catchy enough to grab you the first time around, and the more I listen to them, the more I like them. With every listen, I hear another influence that I missed before. They're brash, edgy, Neige has a good, strong rock voice and the band kicks ass. There's also a YouTube video which seems to be from the same performance as the photos at right. The video gives an idea of their stage show, but it suffers from a distorted audio track. Frankly, I'm not hearing the psychedelic part, but that doesn't mean it's not there. I'd be amazed if it doesn't show up from time to time in their live set, though, since psychedelic rock is in the girls' genes. The Koppes sisters are the daughters of Peter Koppes, guitarist from The Church, an Australian band that was popular in the 80s, although their U.S. airplay seems to have been limited to "Across the Milky Way," which made it to #24 on the pop charts here. The current version of that act is now known as The Church Band, certainly the result of their former record label retaining the rights to their name. Having been a music fan since before The Beatles appeared, I know that having a rock-and-roll pedigree can be a blessing and a curse. The down side is that it can create a higher level of expectation, especially if you are trying to emulate your parent and adopt the same style. We've seen a lot of those come and go. I think The Kicks may be relatively safe from that threat. They are not a re-think of their dad's band. They have their own vision that actually seems to be centered on a style of music that is more akin to early rock stylings. Some are comparing them to 80s Brit-pop, but it sounds even earlier influenced to me. It's more raw, a back-to-basics sound without effects and none of the phony plastic sheen of so many mainstream acts of the last couple of decades. The advantages of having a parent from the music world are that it gives you a level of understanding of how the music business works, and you are used to seeing and experiencing how the professional level operates that the average up-and-coming young band might imagine but doesn't really know until they get there. The music business is not all fun and games. There can be a lot of hidden pressures involved. For some acts, finding out about the reality comes a little too late. Another, more obvious, benefit of coming from a rock family is the simple fact that you get a few extra opportunities. The Kicks have been playing Melbourne gigs opening for The Church Band, so that can't hurt, either. From what I've heard so far, it seems as if The Kicks certainly have enough going for them to make it on their own. And I'm certainly not the only one that thinks so. "Musically they aren’t the down cast psychedelic shoegaze band I was expecting from the night. Sure there are slight psychedelic undertones but they carry a more upbeat sensibility that ties them ...closer to the pop punk of britpopers Elastica... In fact bass player and singer Neige Koppes voice bears a definite similarity to Justine Frischmann. Neige and sister O, on guitar, lead the band in an energetic, happy and take no shit way that reminds of other strong female leads PJ Harvey and Brody Dalle. Together with Aaron Ronaldson on second guitar and Zac Hodgkinson on drums, the girls lead the audience through a fun filled romp... "Everything about the night reminds me of the stories of early nineties Britpop clubs, emanating a vibe of creativity and innovation in a pastiche of the past. It’s fantastic to experience the growth of a scene before explodes into the mainstream, which after this night I have no doubt it will." Faster Louder — November 30th 2009

Neige Koppes O Koppes Aaron Ronaldson Zac Hodgkinson "Photos By Carbie © www.carbiewarbie.com"