| Kitty, Daisy & Lewis | |
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Daisy, Kitty and Lewis (left to right) in 2006 |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | London |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Sunday Best |
Kitty, Daisy & Lewis is a three-piece band comprising the siblings of the Durham family. Their music is influenced heavily by R&B, swing, jump blues, country and Western, blues, Hawaiian and rock 'n' roll. They are all multi-instrumentalists playing guitar, piano, banjo, lapsteel guitar, harmonica, double bass, ukulele, drums, trombone, xylophone and accordion between them.
Kitty Durham is the youngest of the group and primarily sings and plays drums, harmonica, ukulele, banjo, trombone and guitar. Daisy Durham is the eldest of the group, who primarily sings and plays drums, piano, accordion and xylophone. Lewis Durham is the middle child who sings and plays guitar, piano, banjo, lapsteel and drums. He collects and plays/DJ's 78rpm records and has built a home studio for the band to record in. It consists of 1940's and 50's recording equipment such as 8 track tape machines and vintage BBC and RCA microphones. Kitty, Daisy and Lewis do not use computers or any digital format during the recording process.
Kitty, Daisy and Lewis have been performing from a young age, and have therefore built up a fanbase, which Amy Winehouse, Chris Martin, Eagles Of Death Metal, Dustin Hoffman and Ewan McGregor are supposedly part of. They have had worldwide success with sold out tours and have opened for Coldplay, Razorlight, Richard Hawley, Jools Holland among others.
The band are signed to BBC Radio 1 DJ and Bestival curator Rob da Bank's label, Sunday Best, who released their second single "Mean Son Of A Gun", a song originally cut by Johnny Horton in the 50s, with the B-side "Ooo Wee" which they first heard on a 78rpm record sung by Louis Jordan. This was released on 45rpm, CD and a limited edition 78rpm vinyl. The tracks were recorded at home. The vinyl was also cut by Lewis using his own equipment at The Exchange Mastering Studios, which is owned and run by his father Graeme.
On 30 May 2011, Smoking in Heaven is due to be released on CD & vinyl (double LP & 78rpm Album) also on Sunday Best.
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They have supported artists such as Jools Holland, Mika, Billy Bragg, Mark Ronson and Razorlight at London's Earls Court Arena.
They also played the main stage at Bestival in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 as well as playing twice at Glastonbury in 2007 and 2008. They have featured in Vogue and performed on Blue Peter. The band also featured in the 2008 documentary We Dreamed America about the influence of American roots music on British musicians.
When performing live, their parents, Graeme Durham and Ingrid Weiss play guitar and double-bass. Graeme Durham is a founding member and mastering engineer at The Exchange recording studios in London, and Ingrid Weiss is the former drummer of The Raincoats[1] and was encouraged to play the double bass by Kitty Daisy & Lewis.
Kitty Daisy & Lewis were one of the opening acts in North America for Coldplay's Viva La Vida Tour.
They also have featured in the 2009 Primavera Sound in Barcelona, Rock Am Ring & Rock Im Park in Germany and Lowlands in the Netherlands.
In July 2010 they played on Thursday night of Latitude Festival in the Cinema Tent in a Blues Brothers themed night.
In August 2010 they played Belladrum Tartanheart Festival and were loudly applauded for their great performance.
In August 2011 they will open for rock band, "Phish" at The Gorge outside of Seattle, WA.
The band appears in the 2009 film Last Chance Harvey, playing their song "Mean Son of a Gun". They also appear in the German film "Dinosaurier", directed by Leander Haußmann and premiered on Christmas Eve, 2009. This also featured four of their songs from the debut album.
Their 2008 self-titled album received a positive review from The Times, who said "the vibe is irresistible".[1] Their singles "(Baby) Hold Me Tight" and "Buggin' Blues" were released on 15 December 2008. "Goin Up the Country" was also used in the closing credits of Welcome to the Rileys.