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preview
SOULPOP LSK,
’The interviews he's been getting with the London based media are like; “what’s your favourite colour?” and “who’s harder, Robbie or Liam?”, it’s pathetic.’ LSK’s manager Stephen Mulhaire is baffled by the populist treatment of his client. You see, Leigh Stephen Kenny has just broken big in Japan — ’It’s that old saying isn’t it; you're big in Japan but you are fuck all here son,’ laughs Kenny. He’s nothing if not down to earth. ’Over there you walk into a record company and they give you a standing ovation and all you want is the floor to open beneath you.’
His album LSK features soul, reggae and pop tunes in equal measure. Leigh is fundamentally a very strong songwriter — his lyrics U, contain the anger of Mayfield, the evasiveness of Callier and the -' ill confusion of late Lennon. With a voice that can shift from Barrington Levy to David Gray. The summery and eclectic nature of his debut album hides a mess of tortured madness a la early Beach Boys albums — no wonder the Japanese love him.
Kenny’s story is pure rags to riches and is bound to be regurgitated by every sweaty tabloid in the land when the inevitable happens and he goes supersonic, so I will spare you, but it includes early relations with members of Nightmares On Wax and LFO, a hip hop record at seventeen, immersion into drugs, heartbreak and mental breakdown at 22, bedsitter days followed by the good fortune to have a demo tape on him at the right time and before he knew it Sony and Chrysalis were knocking on his door. To say this ex—builder was nonplussed by it all would be an understatement, so how would he describe his own music to the uninitiated? ’It's the same old shit; different smell.’
LSK are bound to manifest into something even bigger
Schizophrenic and self destructive may be ways of describing Kenny’s way of dealing with image consultants (he recently shaved all his hair off after being told to keep it long to fit in with a poster campaign; ’I felt like a criminal on a wanted poster’) but the lad certainly has something that makes these considerations negligiable, not many new artists can say that luminaries like Adrian Sherwood and Skip MacDonald wanted to work on remixes of his times.
At the end of the interview Kenny tries to clear up any uncertainties: ’To any struggling musicians out there I’d like to say it’s fuckin’ pop time right now; accept it, (ll'tll with it, write it, get over it. Quick as it appears. its gonna fuck off; stick at it, ride through it and come out the other side a better artist.’ Like Marvin Gaye bc‘rore him, the man’s even got a manifesto. (Paul Dale)
Really? And how do you know all this? : "
To be Frank, its Stapleton
Exposure
Each week we give you a new musical reason to live. This week: Stapleton
0h guru of all that is unknown yet braw, what’s happening on the music front? " .v '
Named after the 705 football star Frank, presumably? '
Any other chat about them?
Oh Christ, not more angular Slint- esque soundscapes? Scotland’s
drowning in ’em. I blame Mogwai.
m_usic@list.co.uk
Surface noise
Al/ the indignations, liberations and cancellations from the wonderful world of music
lleE lS ARE NOW on sale for this ‘yeais (‘eltit Connections. For full line up aii.l mfo see next issue.
PRiMAl SLREAM HAVE cancelled their slam at the Corn Exchange on 29 l)e(t‘l|ll;r'l. Rumours that it took them three days to recover from their last Ediiibuigh show in March and management were nervous they might not make it back for their Ally Pally date on Hogmanay remain iiiitoiifiiiiied.
EVER lAllLlED TURNING a keen kiiot'1ledgeiiito a full blown qualification? The University Of Glasgow are offering an evening class qualification in popular music commencing on 9 January. Covering topics as diverse as censorship, The Beatles, the 1960s and Punk, anyone inteiested should call 0141 330 4394 for more information or e-mail Martin (looiian on M.Cloonancceduc.gla.co.uk.
JUSTANNOUNCED
Webb Brothers m . King Adora Aiii Difr'anco Goldfrapp My Vitriol Drugstore Texas Ray Davies I" -' Lowgold Llama Farmers Fun Lovin’ Ci'iiiiir‘ials H
Deftones Hothouse Flowers Tom Jones Robbie Williams
THE LIST 49