Interview via: Mark Lacey
When Andrew Knightley, in a different way referred to as AK, departed the London scene in favour of the Chiltern Hills, the top of his tenure with Trident Waters was once inevitable. On the other hand, having bonded with some native musicians in his new house the city, it wasn’t lengthy sooner than AK was once impressed to shape a brand new band, bringing a novel fusion of delta blues, nation, and high-energy hard-edged rock – leaning on his influences of Rival Sons, Ritchie Kotzen and ZZ Best. In spite of simplest being in combination a twinkling of an eye, AK has already launched a brand new EP, and his ambition to convey his track again to the are living circuit displays no barriers. You be a idiot to wager in opposition to AK & The Pink Kites being a family identify in 2025.
MyGlobalMind.com stuck up with AK (Singer / guitarist), Rob Hoey (bass) and Ash Sims (drummer) sooner than their fresh London display.
MGM: You’ll all former London musicians, however now are living within the tranquillity of the nation-state, with scarcely a are living track venue to be observed.
AK: Rob and I are from Buckinghamshire. I was in London, however I migrated all over COVID. I’ve been in the market some time, and Ash is from Northamptonshire.
Ash: There’s a few bits and items right here and there, however not anything such as you’ve were given round Camden. All of us reduce our enamel in and round London.
AK: Transferring out of London was once in point of fact when the entire AK & The Pink Kites factor began anyway. I was in Trident Waters sooner than that.
MGM: Trident Waters was once a band that was once doing moderately just right issues. You probably did an album in 2021, a few EPs, and have been construction some actual momentum.
AK: Yeah, after which COVID came about. We did the album all over COVID, launched it, did some displays. However then the entire transferring clear of London factor simply modified the dynamic. I recorded this new file with a manufacturer up in Barnsley. I simply sought after to head in a quite other course, and paintings with people who have been a little bit bit nearer. As a result of we have been out of London, it was once like a unique vibe. I sought after the band to do one thing contemporary.
MGM: Have you ever guys recognized each and every different some time?
Ash: Form of, yeah. AK moved the world, and we began chatting. We’ve all been in numerous bands previously, and with Buckingham no longer having many venues, you’ve additionally were given to pick out and select the avid gamers you in finding there as neatly. After we began hooking up and chatting about enjoying track, it simply felt like a are compatible as a result of we’d all been in London doing the scene.
AK: We had that Camden connection. We simply met down the pub, and were given pissed. That was once simply the way it began. I used to be like, I desire a bass participant, and I’m searching for a drummer as neatly. We attempted a few drummers, however they weren’t in point of fact operating. Then Ash got here alongside and it was once identical to, that works. That was once it. That was once how we got here in combination. I believe that was once an ad, wasn’t it?
Ash: I’d put an ad out and had a lot of shit responses from bands. However yeah, AK despatched the observe for Satan’s Tom, and once I heard it, I used to be like, I wish to be in that.
MGM: Used to be there a temptation to make this a Trident Waters mk2?
AK: Neatly, apparently, a large number of the track have been accomplished for this EP already, and there was once a valid to it. I believe it’s extra of a song-driven factor. Trident Waters was once all the time badged as London blues rock, while this is a little more of a dynamic rock songwriting pushed project. There are nonetheless guitar solos, however there’s much less of that. It’s extra in regards to the music. Trident Waters was once deemed as an influence trio, however nowadays, while there’s nonetheless 3 people, I don’t essentially deem it an influence trio. I’m no longer pronouncing it’s no longer. However we will be able to get some other guitar participant, we will be able to get a keyboard participant, or we will be able to have two from side to side. We will convey folks out and in. It’s that roughly sound that may be scaled up and down.
MGM: What did you need it to sound like while you first were given in combination?
Rob: I sought after it to be heavy. I believe I introduced some just right low finish to this. I’m no longer used to in point of fact enjoying in a three-piece; there was once simply a large number of filling out to do. After I say heavy, I imply that sonically it needed to be moderately expansive. We’ve been operating on that within the room to get it to the place it must be.
AK: When there’s simplest 3 of you, it’s important to in point of fact get it sounding giant. It’s a must to paintings on the ones tones and the ones dynamics between the 3 tools. That was once the important thing for the trio. From day one, I used to be going to include some other guitar participant, nevertheless it was once simply operating as a trio, so we left it at that. However the thought of having a few different are living avid gamers in for sure gigs, making it even larger, may just make just a little extra sonically fascinating in puts.
MGM: Your site refers to influences like Rival Sons, and ZZ Best. You’ll indisputably listen that within the guitar tone. And we’ve simply established Rob is a doom-monger.
Rob: I’m a doom-monger. That’s what I’ve been doing up till this level, however this has been a pleasant departure for me, in reality. Entering into this band, I indisputably listen the ones ZZ Best vibes. Possibly the ones references are extra sonically. It’s all guitar tone, particularly with ZZ Best, and getting the ones actual vintage crunch tones.
AK: I believe it sits in that area of interest of blues rock, americana rock, vintage rock, no matter you need to name it. It’s no longer like we wish to sound like those folks, or that I got down to sound like Billy Gibbons. I may just rip Billy Gibbons off if I sought after to, however then I’d simply be ripping Billy Gibbons off. So, what will be the level? However, should you like their stuff, then you might more than likely like our stuff as neatly. I believe each and every music has its personal distinctive persona in this EP, and it’s in reality moderately difficult to position it in a field.
MGM: As a band, I believe you’re manner too younger to have witnessed the ones vintage technology seventies blues rock bands are living?
Ash: It’s in point of fact cool despite the fact that. The proto steel factor, bands like Blue Cheer and Leaf Hound, and the ones in point of fact outdated bands, like Mountain and stuff like that, they’d that mad resurgence. We’re status within the Black Middle in London at the moment, and so they used to play all that stuff right here moderately so much. It in point of fact gave upward push once more to that heavier ’70s blues rock stuff. I believe folks have in point of fact began to catch on.
AK: I’ve all the time long gone backwards. Even if I used to be in school, I used to be being attentive to bands from twenty years sooner than. While everybody else was once into the most recent factor. I went proper again to the Beatles, then rock n roll, after which the Delta stuff. I’m only a guy out of the fallacious time.
MGM: You’re enjoying this night within the Black Middle to advertise your new unmarried. Communicate to me in regards to the new unmarried, and what the brand new EP indicates for you.
AK: ‘More potent’, is the 3rd unmarried from the EP. I believe it’s the most powerful unmarried. We didn’t wish to unlock it too early; we needed to construct issues a little bit bit. We’re more than likely going to position some other unmarried out from the EP. We put it out to check the waters, and it got here out sooner than we’d even performed a gig. We’ve simplest been enjoying in combination since April / Would possibly. We did our first gig in July, then did some other one a few weeks in the past with the Chilly Stares. That is our 3rd gig. No longer a lot has in point of fact been going down but. The EP’s been doing in point of fact neatly numbers-wise on Spotify, so we’re simply going to stay pushing them as a result of they need to be heard.
MGM: It’s moderately a courageous transfer to be headlining in London, in spite of having simplest been in combination as a band the sort of little while. How a lot of the set is new subject matter vs covers or Trident Waters songs
AK: We’ve were given a ten-song set. 8 of them are AK & The Pink Kites. There’s six at the EP. There’s some other two that shall be launched afterward, and we added in a few Trident Waters classics as neatly.
MGM: What’s the ambition past this display and into the long run? The place do you assume you’ll take this?
AK: So far as conceivable, till the wheels fall off. I’d like to visit The usa. I’d love to get it on excursion, get extra stuff picked up via Spotify and heard. The toughest factor is solely getting it heard via a larger target market.
Ash: Extra gigs, and a few fairs subsequent 12 months.
Rob: There are some nice fairs that do that stuff, just like the Black Deer Pageant. We’ll simply chip away at that block and spot the place we finally end up within the subsequent 12 months.
AK: We’d like to fortify Joe Bonamassa, or Rival Sons, or Blackberry Smoke; that’d be nice. We performed with the Chilly Stares, and it’d be just right to do a excursion with them. That’d be a laugh.
For more info about AK & The Pink Kites:
https://www.akandtheredkites.com/
https://www.fb.com/akandtheredkites?locale=en_GB
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