Kid Canaveral are a two-boy/two-girl group from Edinburgh. They write indiepop tunes you can move around & flail your limbs to. In true indie spirit, they have self-released four 7″ singles and their debut album, on their own label, Straight To Video Records.
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Formed in 2005 in St Andrews, Fife whilst the band were at university, this Scottish four-piece have been steadily growing in confidence over the past few years, attracting a loyal fan-base with consistently engaging live performances up and down the UK. They have completed 4 successful UK tours, as well a number of high profile support slots for artists such as Camera Obscura, James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem), KT Tunstall, Frightened Rabbit, Glasvegas, King Creosote and The Phantom Band. Kid Canaveral have been ever present performers at the critically acclaimed Fence Records Home and Away Game Festivals; sharing the bill with amongst others Hot Chip, Four Tet, British Sea Power and Malcolm Middleton. In 2010 their song, Her Hair Hangs Down, was featured in a short Away Game film by esteemed Glasgow film company, Forest Of Black (Belle & Sebastian, Franz Ferdinand).
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While lesser bands have been content to pedal free downloads of terrible rehearsal-room recordings, songwriters David MacGregor and Kate Lazda, along with rhythm section Rose McConnachie (bass) and Scott McMaster (drums) have recorded in various Glasgow studios (including Chem19, home of celebrated Scottish indie label Chemikal Underground), and pressed a series of intensely addictive 7″ singles and cassette-tapes on their own label, Straight To Video Records.
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Kid Canaveral released their long awaited debut album, Shouting at Wildife in July 2010. Across twelve tracks, the band showcase the breadth of their indie-rock and DIY-pop songwriting skills. The album has been met with wide critical acclaim from both the national press and the online blogosphere – with universal 4* reviews from the major Scottish music press, it has also featured in numerous end of year polls, including number 5 in the Scottish BAMS, a poll of over 40 influential UK bloggers’ favourite albums of 2010. It was Avalanche Records’ (Scotland’s premier independent record store) been selling album of 2010, and as such has twice featured in the Observer newspaper’s Culture Map of Britain feature. The band have also completed sell out shows in Edinburgh, Glasgow and London plus a successful UK tour to support the album.
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Over the past 5 years Kid Canaveral have also received significant national and international airplay and exposure. In 2006 a video for debut single Smash Hits was featured on BBC 2’s The Music Show. Their singles have received plays from BBC Radio 1’s Rob Da Bank and Steve Lamacq, and legendary DJ and producer Andrew Weatherall featured the band in his 6Mix for BBC 6Music. XFM made the band X-posure Artist of the Week, and BBC Radio 1’s Scotland Introducing made Shouting at Wildlife it’s album of the month – featuring a track every week for 5 weeks. In September 2010 Kid Canaveral performed a live session for Vic Galloway’s BBC Scotland show.
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So far in 2011, Kid Canaveral have played a number of shows in New York, and in Austin, Texas at the SxSW festival, appeared on the BBC Introducing stage at T in the Park (not to mention feature in the BBC Artworks documentary ‘Scotland Rocks at SxSW’ on BBC2), ‘popped’ the socks off of goNorth, headlined the Seedlings stage at Belladrum, and played some rather special shows at the Homegame, Haarfest and EDge festivals.
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The Canaverals formalised their relationship with Fence Records in March 2011 and their debut album ‘Shouting at Wildlife’ was re-released on beautiful 12″ Vinyl, becoming again, the best selling album in Avalanche Records and being featured as ”Album of the Week” on Vic Galloway and Tom Morton’s respective BBC Radio Scotland shows.
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New single ‘And Another Thing!!’ has received much national airplay in the hands of Huw Stephens, Gideon Coe and Josie Long and Andrew Collins on BBC Radio 1 and BBC 6Music.
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Kid Canaveral are splitting the rest of the year between touring and recording with a split 7″ single with King Creosote due for release in October to coincide with a UK tour. >
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They are (L-R) David MacGregor, Scott McMaster, Rose McConnachie and Kate Lazda.
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- Paul Whitelaw, The Scotsman > “Super-infectious melodies The Magic Numbers would give their bushy beards for” – Daily Record > “Shouting At Wildlife is a thrilling, uplifting and generally all-round spiffing combination of indie-pop skills, lyrical wit, and choruses sung through smiles.” – The Skinny **** (4 stars) > “This debut is packed with singalong melodies, frisky jangles and a real sense of purpose. A jubilant and skilful racket.” – The List **** (4 stars) > “Guitars so choppy you shouldn’t put them near wood, and melodies so lush you could sell them as soap…Recent internet only single ‘Good Morning’ suggests July’s album ‘Shouting At Wildlife’ will be a storming affirmation of genius.” – The Metro > “Kid Canaveral are rightly loved for their ebullient melodies, and upbeat favourites like ‘Couldn’t Dance’ and ‘Good Morning’ enjoyed a further celebratory resonance in a week that saw the band announce their record deal with Fence Records. Fence will no doubt be equally jubilant: they’ve bagged a major talent in David MacGregor. His soaring vocals and knack for a ballad would give any number of independent stadium rockers a run for their money: jaw-dropping opener ‘Her Hair Hangs Down’ was beautiful; and ‘Stretching the Line’ provided an equally hair-raising chorale.” – The List (Live Review) > “Certain bands make very difficult things look very easy…[Kid Canaveral] clearly have that one skill which eludes so many other bands: the knack of writing incredibly infectious and memorable songs.” – Song, By Toad > “in a London basement in March, Kid Canaveral played as if they were headlining Wembley. This Scottish four piece bring the same enthusiasm to their records – fusillades of pop-punk tunes that recall both the Buzzcocks’ peerless run of singles and the goofy thrills of The Undertones when they were obsessed with chocolate and girls.”
- Fire Escape Talking > “Superb…Kid Canaveral threatened to upstage the headliners – and possibly did in the eyes of many people.” – Artrocker Magazine > “up-tempo indie pop which echoes the Delgados at their most playful.” – The Skinny > “Picking out the best songs is a bit like trying to pick your favourite child: impossible.” – Daily Record