Future Kings Of Spain
Cyprus Avenue
Sun 23 May 2004
Doors: 9:00 pm
€10
Future Kings of Spain are not Spanish and they're not in line for any thrones that they know of. What they are is an incendiary three-piece from Dublin, Ireland, who have almost accidentally carved out a reputation as one of the most explosive rock 'n' roll bands in aeons. Drummer Bryan McMahon and bassist Anton Hegarty have been friends since they were kids. Bryan met singer/guitarist Joey Wilson about 10 years ago through a mutual love of music and started a band. That long-forgotten outfit and many more since have fallen by the wayside, and it wasn't until January 2000 that the trio started to rehearse together in earnest, locking themselves away in an old Georgian house for eight months to hone their sound. When they emerged, they had somehow evolved into Future Kings Of Spain, the perfect vehicle for Joey's songs of love, fear, anger and hope. They played their first gig as support to former Dinosaur Jr mainman J Mascis and The Fog in Dublin's Temple Bar Music Centre in December 2000 and immediately made an impression. Fellow Dubliners Ten Speed Racer happened to be in the audience, and brought the Future Kings to the attention of their record company, London-based independent Red Flag Records. There followed a year or more of dealings and demos with Red Flag before band and label decided they were perfect for each other. During this period, the band continued to gig, cementing their reputation as one of the most exciting new bands on the live scene, including support slots with The Fall and JJ72 as well as a week of dates in Los Angeles. They also recorded demos with Ten Speed Racer's Joe Chester, which eventually ended up as their debut single 'A Place For Everything And Everything In Its Place' in September 2002. Joey's primordial howl may have hit listeners like a slap in the face, but that didn't stop the single being extremely well received by the music press and their growing fanbase, as were B-sides, 'Your Starlight' and a reworking of Todd Rundgren's 'Love Of The Common Man'. Autumn 2003 saw the band relocate to New York to record their debut album, with legendary producer Ted Niceley (Girls Vs Boys, Jawbox, Fugazi) at the controls, along with Eli Janney from Girls Vs Boys, who fell in love with the Future Kings of Spain as soon as he heard them. The first fruits of this intensive recording session saw the light of day in March 2003, when their second single 'Face I Know' erupted from radio stations across the UK and Ireland, picking up a slew of 'Single of the Week' awards into the bargain. They took to the road once more, building up their fanbase across the British Isles, including hugely successful support tours with Idlewild, Biffy Clyro and Cosmic Rough Riders, as well as a UK headline tour of their own. Original b-side 'Your Starlight' was released in June 2003, along with live favourite 'Kick It' and another inspired cover version, this time Janet Jackson's 'Let's Wait A While'. Their three single releases only served as appetisers for the meaty main course, which arrived in August 2003 in the shape of their highly anticipated eponymous debut album, which delivered on the promise of their live shows... and then some. From the sonic bluster of 'Face I Know' to the hook-laden 'Venetian Blinds', the gorgeous 'Hanging Around' to the epic 'Upside Down', Future Kings of Spain had fleshed out their initial promise with a muscular combination of intensity and melody. Reviewers tripped over themselves to shower the band with superlatives, and their subsequent Irish and UK tours saw the trio reaching new and bigger audiences. Since then, word of mouth has spread quickly, as the band's reputation grows apace. Future Kings Of Spain are that rarest of things, a band who are equally as impressive on record as they are mesmerising on stage: as energetic as a box of frogs, as explosive as a Semtex sandwich and as tight!
