MUSIC
PREVIEW
LISTINGS 32
um:- Loz in music
Resisting peer pressure , Kingmaker’s Loz forsook university for a musical career. Fiona Shepherd decides that with the release oftheir new EP, The Killjoy Was Here, academia’s loss is our gain.
It's a tough card to carry, that of spokesmen for your generation. especially when 90 per cent of your generation don’t know ofyour existence and ofthe remainder, half aren‘t prepared to give credence to your testimony. But listen up, because
Kingmaker‘s Loz is convinced that what they have l
to say is important, and after 40 minutes in his pensive company I‘m persuaded it is too. Enshrined from an early stage. and not unreasonably, in popular consciousness as the archetypal thoughtful, angry young man, his philosophy ploughs a furrow that is by turns arrogant — he writes ‘brilliant songs‘. no elaboration or justification offered —doubtful, honest and disillusioned. Whatever area he lights upon, though. it‘s always interesting.
‘It’s very easy to spot flaws and hypocrisy
.within the things I’m singing bout but that’s I
the beauty of it, that none of it makes sense.’
The subtext of all this would probably worry Loz. the fact that he is frequently not viewed in tandem with the other two band members, bassist Myles and drummer John, implying he merits separate consideration. even veneration. ‘I’m a
representative of the band.‘ he protests in defiance
of the notion ofa cult of personality. He refers
specifically to a recent Melody Maker article which 3
deliberately highlighted him at the expense of the rest of the band. He claims it doesn‘t bother him that much, but it‘s clearly been on his mind because he details the circumstances of the interview at length.
Kingmaker fans would tell him to loosen up. They know the power of the unit; they‘ve seen it in action live. spewing vigour. frustration and rootsy
ofour lives with our own rules, and you feel as though you‘ve really proved something to the world and all its inhabitants.
‘Most ofour mates have gone to university and when you meet them again they‘re perhaps completely inebriated and the things that seem to rule their lives are issues like drink and sex, and anyone thinking outside that about politics. social issues and things like that, they‘re sort of “can‘t you just get on with a bit ofdrinking?“ ‘
Phew, the loneliness ofthe long-distance gigger, eh? ‘But everybody thinks about these things. To
actually sing or write about them, people think you
have to be overly motivated but it’s not entirely
indie rock. They could. if they had so desired, have
seen it a total of 160 times last year (about the only figure Loz bandies about with any sense of pride). and any band who can withstand the strain that
individuals who pull their weight equally. So, that‘s that dilemma solved; now forthejuice . . . ‘Three years ago everyone was shouting “university” into our ears, and if you didn’t go then you were a failure, to parents, teachers, everybody, and basically we‘ve rewritten this map
true.’
And neither do you have to be consistent. Kingmaker don‘t flaunt a manifesto — their critics would say that‘s because they’re one-dimensional;
. . they would say it‘s because they’re such a schedule imposes, can only be composed of
multi-dimensional. they could never just back one
; horse. Loz, without warning. drops this little peach into the proceedings: “I‘m not a particularly
i l l
open-minded person, but I like sitting around being open’minded with myself, so my opinions are changing all the time. I think it’s‘the joy of being a hypocrite, really. It‘s very easy to spot
Kingmaker thoughttul, angry young men?
flaws and hypocrisy within the things I’m singing about but that‘s the beauty of it, that none ofit makes sense.’ Quite apart from being a compellingly obtuse view to take (don‘t musicians normally defend themselves against the charge of hypocrisy?), this is a convoluted way ofexpressing the old chestnut ‘our lyrics are open to interpretation‘. The issue is ‘ particularly pertinent in Kingmaker’s case where it’s not unusual to witness a hall full of fans
euphorically chanting the most misanthropic of I lyrics. Ironically, here at last is something which Loz finds positive, and naturally he has worthwhile '. comment to make, the eloquent sod.
‘It’s the whole process of what motivated you to
write the song. You might not have felt very good about yourself and then you go out into a gig situation and everybody’s singing it and it makes that horrible moment just seem glorious and the elation you feel is just the opposite to the emotion that made you write it. It‘s as though you picked this moment in your life up and turned it into 9 something else.‘
l Kingmaker play the Venue, Edinburgh on Thurs4 j and King Tut’s, Glasgow on Fri 5.
ON FOLLOWING PAGES: CAPELLA NOVA O BHEKI MSELUKU O GALLIANO
The List 22 May—4June199225