KIT formed in late 1983 after the split of Send No Flower and established
their line-up as a three-piece, featuring former SNF Lyn Sangster (a.k.a. Lin Sangster, vocals guitars, later Bad Anorak 404 ), and Jake Wakstein (drums), and the new recruit Michelle Brown (bass). Phil Luckin occasionally provided some trumpet. After the song Coast to Coast on the compilation Head over Ears, A Debris Compilation (1987),this line-up worked on the band’s first single later released by the Manchester-based label Play Hard Records run by Dave Haslam and Nathan McGough (as would KIT’s next vinyl releases):
- My Desing (1988, b/w Dangerous + Nothing In This World)
Neal Carr of the hellfire Sermons remembers the first releases by the band as follows:
‘That single (and I think a Peel session) [most probably is referring to the song Coast to Coats, neither a single nor a Peel session, ndr] introduced us to what I would describe as the warm warble of Lin Sangster's voice. She sings with a kind of passionate vibrato, her voice is unmistakably her own. Knowing so little about the history of this, I don't know what happened in the intervening years, so Kit emerged fully formed to me with My Design. That voice was back, and this time it was bedded into a much more suitable sound. The dynamics of a three piece rock setup plus occasional trumpet seemed to fit together perfectly - and to me these songs have not dated. Kit have something in common with early James - the bass is strong, the guitar tends to be light and rhythmic, there is a certain similarity in the drum styles and there is no great attempt to compensate on record for the lack of numbers in the band.’
In 1988 Nat Smith (a.k.a. Tony Smith (?)) substituted Wakstein on drums. This line-up worked on and released their second single:
- Cheatin’ My Heart (1989, plus The Bitter End b/w Trusting My Perception + I Love Her Like Mad)
Neal Carr recalls:
‘Cheatin' My Heart was the second record, and pretty popular it was too, if I remember rightly. Like a lot of Kit songs, it builds on repetition of a simple phrase, subtly rearranging the music as the song progresses. Song structures are not exactly unusual, but if you think about it, there has obviously been a hollistic approach to the development of the songs. Tracks progress. The best songs take you on a path rather than make you feel each bit lives in it's own compartment. You're not too aware of verse-chorus-verse type dynamics: the words, melody and music take you on a journey. To me, this is the antithesis of your average indie music, and well worth aspiring to.’
In 1989 Kenny Manson joined the band (also on guitar). Later the same year KIT released a Peel session while working on their first LP (Unshakeable Faith, 1989), whose release was accompanied by the band’s third single:
- Overshadowing Me (1990, b/w My Design + Dangerous)
Neal Carr:
‘Overshadowing Me, the first song on the Unshakeable Faith LP, is a great example of this [see above]. It's about some deed done that is immediately regretted, no detail of what it was is given, but for once generalising and remaining unspecific do make the theme universal. The regret builds as the song goes on.’
As to the Unshakeable Faith album, Neal X concedes:
‘This whole album is full of this stuff. Skidaddle is next up, and another universal theme (let's get out of this place) is done so well, that if you ever have had a notion of leaving this town (or anything else!) you'll empathise. The melody in the line 'it gets me every time' does get me every time - it's not some incredibly original, clever note sequence, it's just perfect for its moment. So, I don't want to go through the whole thing. Suffice to say that this is a record that I put up there with The Room in my mental secret Liverpool, and now the Hellfires are essentially the same line up, it resonates more. The measure of this album is that there are so many love and longing songs, and even this time later they sound great and touch a chord. And there's a song called Love Sick that does a smash and grab and robs Orange Juice of the best song with that title prize!’
singles a-sides (1988-90)(see also:
http://www.myspace.com/kitliverpoolbandhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/johnpeel/sessions/1980s/1989/Nov28kit/ )
Obscure band which collaborated (consisted of?) such figures as Mike Percy (later Moderates, Dead or Alive), Dave Griffiths, Kevin Marr, Bolly, Mooey, Joe Riley, David Alton, Al Moneypenney, David Mathiesan. The band apparently recorded one only single in August 1981:
