| Kid British | |
|---|---|
James Mayer at Swindon Oasis, when Kid British were The Enemy's supporting act. |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Manchester, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Ska, Pop, Hip Hop |
| Years active | 2007 – present |
| Labels | Modern English |
| Website | www.iamkidbritish.com |
| Members | |
| Adio Marchant James Mayer Dominick Allen Mykey Wilson Matt Herod Sean Mbaya Simeon McLean |
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Kid British, often stylised as KiD BRiTiSH, are a British band from Manchester, United Kingdom. The band is composed of Adio Marchant, James Mayer, Sean Mbaya, Simeon McLean, Dominick Allen, Mykey Wilson and Matt Herod.
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Kid British came into existence when Sean Mbaya from Prestwich (who worked as a producer under the name Kid British) worked with a band called Action Manky - made up of schoolmates Adio Marchant from Chorlton and Simeon McLean and James Mayer from Withington - all joined forces last year to form the band, initially known as Kid British & the Action Manky, but soon shortened to simply Kid British.[1][2] The band signed to Mercury Records in May 2008,[3] signed a long-term publishing deal with EMI Music Publishing in June,[4] and released their first single "Elizabeth" (7" vinyl only) on the 'Another Music Another Kitchen' label in the October of that same year.[5] Their first Mercury release followed in the form of the Leave London EP featuring the tracks "She Will Leave", "Lost in London" and "Elizabeth", which was promoted by ten "guerilla gigs" in one day at various London tube stations, which led to the band playing an impromptu version of one of the tracks from the EP in front of Mayor Boris Johnson when they found themselves in the same train carriage.[6][7] The four core members were joined in the band by musicians Tom Peek (bass guitar), Domonick Allen (rhythm guitar), and Mikey Wilson (drums).[8]
The band received regular airplay from BBC Radio One's Chris Moyles and also played support slots with The Enemy and The Specials.[2][9][10]
Recording of their proposed first album continued during this period. An array of high profile producers were sporadically employed on this long protracted project including Stephen Street.[11]
The band released the single "Our House Is Dadless", which samples the Madness track "Our House" on 7 July 2009,[10] peaking at number 63 in the UK Singles Chart in its first week of release.[12] The band's It Was This Or Football First Half EP reached number 67 in the UK in its first week of release, dropping out of the top 75 entirely the following week.[12] The mooted Second Half, originally advertised within the liner notes of the 'First Half' as being due for release in September 2009,[13] remains unreleased, and the full twelve-track album that combined the two was not commercially released, although promotional copies were issued.[14] In February 2010, the band announced that they were recording new tracks for the album and that it was now planned to be released in Summer 2010.[15]
The band released the single "Winner" on 28 June, less than 12 hours after the England football team's 4-1 defeat to Germany in the World Cup which resulted in their elimination from the competition. It was their first release since being dropped by Mercury Records. It failed to reach the top 100 of the singles chart.
On the 17th September they have been confirmed to play at the Ramsbottom Festival.
The band combine indie rock, ska and hip hop, and were described by the Daily Mail as "think Blur or The Specials crossed with OutKast and De La Soul".[11] Arwa Haider of Metro described their sound as "a very modern mishmash of styles – indie rock, r'n'b, rap, ska revival – and bring a cuddly blokeishness to their jaunty tunes".[13]