Absent Kid are a
British indie rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band.
History
Brothers Martin and Richard Williams and bassist Mark Butters grew up in the small coastal town of
West Mersea. The name Absent Kid was inspired by a character in the cartoon
South Park
''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boys Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand th ...
.
They debuted in front of a paying audience, performing at a
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
venue, "Twist". The band developed as performers during a series of live performances, and gained a degree of prominence after opening for the now disbanded group
Ikara Colt.
This led to the band's first significant radio play, on
XFM London
Radio X is a British National commercial radio station focused on alternative rock, alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global Media & Entertainment, Global. Radio X launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station, a licensed Lon ...
.
In 2004, Absent Kid won the
Diesel-U-Music award for Best Rock.
An awards ceremony, held at nightclub
Fabric
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
, was broadcast on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
. Absent Kid were awarded their trophy by
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
DJ Edith Bowman. This brought some attention from the national press, including the influential
New Musical Express
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
.
Absent Kid were afterwards signed by
Fierce Panda Records
Fierce Panda Records is a London-based independent record label, with its first release in February 1994. It also produced a small number of releases that year by now famous artists such as Ash, The Bluetones, Baby Bird and Supergrass. Fierc ...
, who had previously released records by, amongst others,
Coldplay,
Idlewild and
Keane.
The band's debut mini-album, ''I Burnt Down the Family Business'', was released with Fierce Panda on 25 April 2005 to critical acclaim.
Their double A-side debut single, ''Shame On Us All/Quiet Playground'', was released on 6 February 2006.
The band gained less notoriety in the following year. They released their first full-length album in July 2007. While their previous works drew comparisons to
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...
, the new album was hailed as more upbeat and made for the dancefloor.
In December 2009 the band announced a return after a year long hiatus with a new line-up with guitarist Kerri-Ann Butcher (formerly from Stand Still Kid) replacing Dominic Harrison.
April 2010 saw Absent Kid record a version of
Up the U's "Up the U's" is a football chant regularly sung by fans of the English League Two football team Colchester United and is generally considered to be the club's anthem. It has also been recorded twice by local punk band and fans of the club, Special D ...
for local football club
Colchester United which is now played at home games at the club's
Weston Homes Community Stadium.
Discography
*''Scatter Photos and Relive Bloodloss'' (EP)
*''I Burnt Down the Family Business'' (25 April 2005)
*''Shame On Us All / Quiet Playground'' (6 February 2006)
*''Misadventure'' (July 2007)
References
External links
Absent Kid Official Site
{{Authority control
English indie rock groups
Musical groups established in 2002
2002 establishments in the United Kingdom
Fierce Panda Records artists
Musical groups from Essex