Chikinki were an English

electropop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a re ...

band from

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, England.

History

The band formed at

Hiatt Baker Hall Halls of residence at the University of Bristol are generally located within three distinct areas of Bristol, the City Centre, Clifton and Stoke Bishop. Clifton halls Goldney Hall Goldney Hall is a self-catered hall situated in Clifton. Th ...

at the

University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

in 1996. Originally there were six members: Rupert Browne (

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

), Ed East (

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

), Steve Bond (

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

), Simon (Boris) Exton (

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

), Luke Sherwood (

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

) and Trevor Wensley (

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

). Originally called "Rupert & The Beards", the band have been playing together for over 15 years. After Sherwood left the band, Wensley became a second keyboard/synth player. As there was no bass player the two keyboards shared rhythm, bass and melody duties. All five members write the songs. An early EP, ''Telephone Heroes'', was followed by their debut album, ''Experiment with Mother''. Recorded at home, it was released by Bristol Label Sink and Stove Records along with the single "Like It or Leave It". Having gigged regularly for many years around Bristol, they began to play further a-field. This led to them acquiring management and subsequently signing a deal with

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, anoth ...

. The band recorded the album ''Lick Your Ticket'' in 2003 with producer Steve Osborne at Realworld Studios. They released a number of singles from it and toured extensively, playing with bands such as

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and occasional vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff, and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karlof ...

(other than in Southampton), the

Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who formed in 2000 as Parva, releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their current name that same year. Since their formation the band h ...

and The Charlatans as well as at

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbury ...

and V festivals. However, they were unable to sell enough records to make a sufficient return on the large investment Island had made in them and their contract was not extended to another album. Whilst working in Berlin with dance producers Tiefschwarz they were seen performing by Kitty-Yo Records who signed the album up for release in GAS. Their next album, ''Brace, Brace'' was licensed by Weekender among other labels. Produced by Bruno Ellingham this album featured the single, "You Said" which enjoyed airplay and allowed the band to play a large number of gigs across Europe. Their most recent album, ''Bitten'' (2011), was written and recorded at Studio East in Berlin; a studio run by their guitarist East. Funded by BMG Rights and distributed by Rough Trade it featured the single "Bitte Bitte".

Discography

Albums

*''Experiment with Mother'' (2001), Sink and Stove Records *''Lick Your Ticket'', (2004), Kitty-Yo/Universal, UK #184 *''The Balloon Factory'' (2006), Urban Cow Records *''Brace, Brace'' (2007), Weekender Records *''Bitten'' (2011), Urban Cow

Singles and EPs

*"Telephone Heroes" (Urban Cow Records) - July 2000 *"Like It Or Leave It" (Sink and Stove Records) - March 2002 *"Time" (

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 ...

) - March 2003, UK #194 *"Hate TV" (

) - August 2003, UK #97 *"Assassinator 13" (Island Records) - November 2003, UK #72 *"Like It Or Leave It" (Island Records) - March 2004, UK #65 *"Ether Radio" (Island Records) - June 2004, UK #50 *"All Eyes" (Island Records) - October 2004, UK #74 *"You Said" (Urban Cow Records) - May 2006 *"Bitte Bitte" (Urban Cow Records) - March 2011

References

External links

* * {{Authority control English pop music groups Kitty-Yo artists Musical groups from Bristol Musical groups established in 1996