Kid Canaveral was a Scottish alternative pop band that formed in

St Andrews St Andrews ( la, S. Andrea(s); sco, Saunt Aundraes; gd, Cill Rìmhinn) is a town on the east coast of Fife in Scotland, southeast of Dundee and northeast of Edinburgh. St Andrews had a recorded population of 16,800 , making it Fife's fou ...

Fife Fife (, ; gd, Fìobha, ; sco, Fife) is a council area, historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries with Perth and Kinross (i ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

, but are now based in

Edinburgh, Scotland Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

. Since 2007 the band have released a number of well received singles, an E.P. and an album on their own label, Straight to Video Records, and in 2011 they signed with Scottish independent label

Fence Records Fence Records is a Scottish independent record label based in Anstruther and Crail, Fife, Scotland, founded by musician King Creosote. Fence Records released records by James Yorkston, Rozi Plain, Lone Pigeon, U.N.P.O.C., Kid Canaveral, eagleow ...

. The band left Fence Records to join

Johnny Lynch Johnny Lynch (born 28 September 1981) is a Scottish musician who performs under the pseudonym The Pictish Trail. After graduation from the University of St Andrews, Lynch ran Fence Records from 2003 until 2013 and has since been running Lost M ...

on his new label

Lost Map Records Lost Map is a British independent record label set up in 2013 by Johnny Lynch. The label was established following the dissolution of Fence Records Limited in August 2013. History After 10 years of working for and subsequently managing Fence R ...

in August 2013. The band have received praise for their pop hooks and melodies, and their energetic and engaging live performances. Their second record '' Now That You Are a Dancer'' was nominated for the 2014

Scottish Album of the Year Award The Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award is an award given annually for an outstanding album produced by a Scottish artist. The award was launched in 2012 by thScottish Music Industry Association(SMIA) in partnership with Creative Scotland Cre ...

. The group released their third record '' Faulty Inner Dialogue'', via Lost Map Records, on 29 July 2016.

History

Early years

Kid Canaveral formed in

, in 2004. The original line-up consisted of: David MacGregor (originally from

Glasgow, Scotland Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

) on guitar and vocals; Kate Lazda (from

Wokingham, England Wokingham is a market town in Berkshire, England, west of London, southeast of Reading, north of Camberley and west of Bracknell. History Wokingham means 'Wocca's people's home'. Wocca was apparently a Saxon chieftain who may ...

) on guitar and vocals; Rose McConnachie (also from

) on vocals and bass guitar; and Dan Sheehy (from

Bangor, Northern Ireland Bangor ( ; ) is a city and seaside resort in County Down, Northern Ireland, on the southern side of Belfast Lough. It is within the Belfast metropolitan area and is 13 miles (22 km) east of Belfast city centre, to which it is linked ...

) on drums. The band played their first gig supporting

King Creosote Kenny Anderson (born January 1967), known primarily by his stage name King Creosote, is an independent singer-songwriter from Fife, Scotland. To date, Anderson has released over forty albums, with his latest full length, '' Astronaut Meets Apple ...

and

The Pictish Trail Johnny Lynch (born 28 September 1981) is a Scottish musician who performs under the pseudonym The Pictish Trail. After graduation from the University of St Andrews, Lynch ran Fence Records from 2003 until 2013 and has since been running Lost M ...

in St Andrews. The band relocated to Edinburgh in 2006 in order to be able to play a greater number of gigs, and for the opportunity to play to a wider audience. In order to release their own records David and Kate set up Straight to Video Records and between 2007 and 2010 the band put out four 7" singles (''Smash Hits, Couldn't Dance, Second Time Around'' and ''I don't have the heart for this''), two cassette singles (''Left and Right E.P.'' and ''You Only Went Out to Get Drunk Last Night'') and their debut album. Original drummer Dan Sheehy left the band after the release of their fourth single in December 2008, to be replaced by Clarke Geddes (from

Cupar Cupar ( ; gd, Cùbar) is a town, former royal burgh and parish in Fife, Scotland. It lies between Dundee and Glenrothes. According to a 2011 population estimate, Cupar had a population around 9,000, making it the ninth-largest settlement in Fif ...

). Clarke parted company with the band to move to Switzerland in June 2009 after the initial sessions for the band's first album. Scott McMaster (from

Girvan Girvan ( gd, Inbhir Gharbhain, "mouth of the River Girvan") is a burgh and harbour town in Carrick, South Ayrshire, Scotland. Girvan is situated on the east coast of the Firth of Clyde, with a population of about 6,450. It lies south of Ayr, ...

) was announced as his replacement shortly afterwards.

''Shouting at Wildlife 2010-2011''

''Shouting at Wildlife Main Article'' Their debut album ''

Shouting At Wildlife A scream is a loud vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream is of ...

'' was released on Monday 5 July 2010 on Straight to Video Records. The band toured the UK extensively and played a number of festivals in support of the album and recorded a live session for

BBC Radio Scotland BBC Radio Scotland is a Scottish radio network owned and operated by BBC Scotland, a division of the BBC. It broadcasts a wide variety of programmes. It replaced the Scottish BBC Radio 4 opt-out service of the same name from 23 November 197 ...

, playing tracks from the album and a cover of the

song 'Missionary' from

Kenny and Beth's Musakal Boat Rides ''Kenny and Beth's Musakal Boat Rides'' is the first album by King Creosote released by Fence Records and Domino Records, however far from his debut release on Fence alone. It was Anderson's first studio album that wasn't distributed on a CD-R ...

. It was announced on 23 February 2011 that the band had been signed to

, and that the label would be re-releasing ''

'' on Vinyl in July 2011. Kid Canaveral completed a short tour of the United States in March including a number of shows at the 2011

SxSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

festival in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...

. As well as their own performances, the band acted as

's backing band for two gigs, one at the Domino Records Showcase at

Emo's Emo's, formerly known as The Back Room, is a music and event venue located in Austin, Texas. Emo's got its start as a Houston punk club in 1989, with the Austin location opening in 1992. The Houston location closed its doors in September 2001 ...

and one at the British Music Embassy in Latitude 30. Kid Canaveral were filmed before and during

as part of a

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

Artworks documentary about the festival. The band made a number of festival appearances in 2011 in the UK, most notably at

T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused ...

(on the

BBC Introducing BBC Music ''Introducing'' is BBC Radio's platform supporting unsigned, undiscovered, and under-the-radar UK music talent. It gives artists the opportunity to be played on Local BBC Radio and nationally on BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra, Radio 2, Radio 3, 6 ...

stage),

The Edge Festival The Edge Festival was an annual music festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland, during August of each year. Formerly known as T on the Fringe, The Edge was part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts fringe festival (to the larg ...

and the

Belladrum Festival The Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is a music and arts festival, held on the Belladrum Estate in Kiltarlity near Inverness, in Scotland. It is normally held at the start of August. Founded in 2004, the festival has rapidly grown in popularity ...

''Now That You Are a Dancer 2012-2015''

''Now That You Are a Dancer Main Article''
Kid Canaveral recorded their second album during a number of sessions in between January and September 2012 at Fourth Street Studios in Glasgow, Scotland. Prior to the album's release the band undertook a tour of the US and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

to test out the new material. They released second album Now That You Are a Dancer on Monday 4 March 2013 on

''Faulty Inner Dialogue 2016-''

''Faulty Inner Dialogue Main Article''

Band Hiatus

After the tour for Faulty Inner Dialogue, Kate Lazda said that she wanted to go on a break from the band. In 2019 David MacGregor announced his new project Broken Chanter.

Critical response

The

Glasgow Herald ''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in ...

magazine praised the band's style, hailing them as their "new favourite Scottish Band" drawing similarities with the

powerpop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (guitars, vocals) and Colin Moulding (bass, vocals), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing in ...

and

The Undertones The Undertones are a rock band formed in Derry, Northern Ireland in 1974. From 1975 to 1983, the Undertones consisted of Feargal Sharkey (vocals), John O'Neill (rhythm guitar, vocals), Damian O'Neill (lead guitar, vocals), Michael Bradley ...

. The band have received mainly positive coverage from the press, with further praise coming from The Daily Record describing the band as "the best thing to come out of St Andrews since KT Tunstall". The List described the group as having a "charming playfulness" and "unpretentious style". After seeing the band perform at

Fête de la Musique The Fête de la Musique, also known in English as Music Day, Make Music Day or World Music Day, is an annual music celebration that takes place on 21 June. On Music Day, citizens and residents are urged to play music outside in their neighborho ...

as part of Glasgow's

West End Festival The West End Festival is an annual festival in the Glasgow#West End, West End of Glasgow, Scotland. History The West End Festival in Glasgow was started in 1996 by Michael Dale as a small local festival centred on Byres Road. It has since be ...

, Paul Whitelaw described the band in his review of the event in

The Scotsman ''The Scotsman'' is a Scottish compact newspaper and daily news website headquartered in Edinburgh. First established as a radical political paper in 1817, it began daily publication in 1855 and remained a broadsheet until August 2004. Its par ...

as "Juicy, chewy pop-kids to savour, proving that life still twitches in this indie guitar-pop business". The Fly deem the band to "showcase a sound too big to be Scotland's secret for much longer" and have carried a number of positive live reviews. The band's debut album received universally positive reviews, with The Skinny describing ''Shouting at Wildlife'' as "a thrilling, uplifting and generally all-round spiffing combination of indie-pop skills, lyrical wit, and choruses sung through smiles" and The List praised the record for being "packed with singalong melodies, frisky jangles and a real sense of purpose. A jubilant and skilful racket." The album was

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, ...

Session in Scotland's Album of the Month for July 2010 and the album featured at, or near, the top of a number of end of year lists and polls. Upon the re-release of ''Shouting at Wildlife'' by

the

described the album as "a Scottish pop classic

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

should be mandatory in every record collection in the country" and

Vic Galloway Michael "Vic" Galloway (born 4 August 1972) is a DJ on BBC Radio Scotland. Galloway presents a self-titled show on Radio Scotland every Monday from 9pm to 11pm and also the BBC Introducing Scotland Thursday evenings/Friday mornings from 11pm to ...

and

Tom Morton Thomas Morton (born 1955) is a Scottish broadcaster, journalist, and author. He lives and works mainly in the Shetland Islands. Life Morton was born in 1955, and moved to Shetland in 1987 three years after his wife Susan who was a General Pract ...

featured it as their 'Album of the Week' on their respective

shows, in its week of release.

Christmas Baubles

The band host an annual Christmas Party in Edinburgh that goes by the name "Kid Canaveral's Christmas Baubles". The inaugural event was held at The Lot in December 2010, and featured performances from

ballboy Ball boys and ball girls, also known as ball kids are individuals, usually human youths but sometimes List of dog sports, dogs, who retrieve and supply balls for players or officials in sports such as association football, American football, ba ...

, Come On Gang!, Cancel the Astronauts, The Last Battle and Gummi Bako as well as Kid Canaveral. The sell out success of the first year encouraged the band to host for a second year, in the larger Summerhall venue, with

Slow Club Slow Club were an English duo formed in Sheffield in 2006. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Charles Watson and Rebecca Lucy Taylor, with Watson contributing piano, Taylor contributing drums, and both performing guitar and vocals. ...

Josie Long Josie Isabel Long (born 17 April 1982) is a British comedian. She started performing as a stand-up at the age of 14 and won the BBC New Comedy Awards at 17. In 2006, Long won the If.comeddies Best Newcomer award at the Edinburgh Festival Frin ...

, eagleowl,

Standard Fare A standard fare is a higher than normal fare issued to passengers caught without a ticket. The system is used by public transport in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Standard Fares are not the same as Penalty Fares which are used on certain Natio ...

Martin John Henry Martin John Henry is a songwriter from Bellshill in Lanarkshire, Scotland. Henry is noted for his success as the frontman of the rock band De Rosa (band), De Rosa, who released several albums, singles and other recordings on Glasgow’s influen ...

, Aidan John Moffat, Kid Canaveral and Sweet Baboo all performing. The second baubles event sold out weeks in advance of the show. Kid Canaveral hosted Christmas Baubles III in The Caves in Edinburgh on Saturday 22 December 2012 and featured performances from

Malcolm Middleton Malcolm Bruce Middleton (born 31 December 1973) is a Scottish musician and member of indie band Arab Strap. He has also released seven solo studio albums and three albums performing under the pseudonym Human Don't Be Angry. Early life Middleto ...

, FOUND,

, Eleanor Morton,

RM Hubbert RM Hubbert (Robert McArthur Hubbert, born 12 May 1974 in Glasgow, Scotland), commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish guitarist and singer. Best known for his solo work as RM Hubbert and as a member of Scottish post rock band El Hombre Trajeado, ...

Meursault Meursault () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department and region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Etymology The oldest attested form of the toponym Meursault dates from 1094, as ''Murassalt'' and ''Mussalt'', in a charter by the ...

, Randolph's Leap, Elaine Malcolmson, OnTheFly and Kid Canaveral. Like the two Baubles before it, the event sold out weeks in advance. Christmas Baubles IV was held at

Portobello Town Hall Portobello Town Hall is a municipal structure in Portobello High Street, Portobello, Edinburgh, Portobello, Scotland. The building, which is expected to open under community management, is a Category B listed building. History Following signif ...

and featured performances from

Edwyn Collins Edwyn Stephen Collins (born 23 August 1959) is a Scottish musician, producer and record label owner from Edinburgh, Scotland. Collins was the lead singer for the 1980s post-punk band Orange Juice, which he co-founded. After the group split in ...

, Pictish Trail,

Rozi Plain Rozi Plain is a London-based musician originally from Winchester, England. Biography Rozi Plain was born Rosalind Leyden in Winchester, England, in 1986. In 2006 she moved to Bristol to study art, and she participated in the Cleaner Records gro ...

, Siobhan Wilson, De Rosa and Tuff Love. 2014 saw

Ibibio Sound Machine Ibibio Sound Machine is an English electronic afro-funk band from London. Formed in 2013, the band currently consists of vocalist Eno Williams, guitarist Alfred Kari Bannerman, percussionist Afla Sackey , drummer Joseph Amoako, bassist Philip PK ...

Paws A paw is the soft foot-like part of a mammal, generally a quadruped, that has claws. Common characteristics The paw is characterised by thin, pigmented, keratinised, hairless epidermis covering subcutaneous collagenous and adipose tissue ...

, Randolph's Leap,

Sweet Baboo Stephen Black, better known by his stage name Sweet Baboo, is a Welsh musician. Before becoming a solo artist, he played with the band JT MOuse. Alongside his solo work, he has also played with many other artists, including Gruff Rhys, Cate Le B ...

and the Pictish Trail, and

Hector Bizerk Hector Bizerk were an experimental hip-hop group from Glasgow, Scotland, featuring drummer Audrey Tait and rapper Louie. Formed in 2011, they were initially a duo. However later recordings saw them add Jennifer Muir (Synth, Percussion, Vocals ...

appear at Christmas Baubles V at Portobello Town Hall. Baubles moved to Pilrig Hall in Leith for its sixth outing in 2015. Bossy Love,

Kathryn Joseph Kathryn Joseph (born Kathryn Emma Sawers) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. Her debut album ''Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I've Spilled'' won the 2015 Scottish Album of the Year Award. In 2016, Joseph appeared on RM Hubbert's c ...

, De Rosa, Ultras and Prehistoric Friends all took to the stage. Following selling out for the seventh year in a row, this time in a record 13 hours, Pilrig Hall was the venue again for Christmas Baubles VII, with live sets from Firestations,

James Yorkston James Yorkston (born James Patrick Yorkston Wright; 21 December 1971) is a Scottish folk musician, singer-songwriter and author from the village of Kingsbarns, Fife. He has been releasing music since 2001. As well as recording as a solo artist, ...

Withered Hand Dan Willson (born 23 July 1974), also known by his stage name Withered Hand, is an Edinburgh-based indie rock musician. He lived in Bishops Stortford during the 1990s and played guitar for local band Tin Foil Circus. His first studio album, ' ...

, Pictish Trail, Martha Ffion, Breakfast Muff, digitalanalogue, and Randolph's Leap.

Discography

* ''

Shouting at Wildlife A scream is a loud vocalization in which air is passed through the vocal cords with greater force than is used in regular or close-distance vocalisation. This can be performed by any creature possessing lungs, including humans. A scream is of ...

'' (2010) * '' Now That You Are a Dancer'' (2013) * '' Faulty Inner Dialogue'' (2016)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Kid Canaveral at Fence Records
{{Authority control Scottish indie rock groups Scottish alternative rock groups Musical groups established in 2005