Playing with Kisschasy

Mon 26th Jun, 2006 in Features

Kisschasy’s debut album United Paper People hasn’t even been out for 12 months and yet everyone knows who these kids from the Peninsula block are.

The album spawned four singles, with the most recent being ‘This Bed’, and has already been released in Japan, with a release date to be set for the United States very soon. The film clip to ‘This Bed’ was filmed when the band went overseas for the second time to play sold out shows in Tokyo and Los Angeles, as well as being part of the influential SXSW music festival in Austin. it also afforded them the opportunity to take time out for a “demo trip” to Brooklyn to work with Paul Mahajan (Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Liars).

Straight after their return from overseas, the band completed a national tour with The Living End and they hit the road again last week for their Kisschasy LIVE tour with Californian rockers Limbeck and Trial Kennedy. With a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in Australia, the band have already suggested that while on tour they will continue to write for their highly anticipated follow up album.

The band – Darren Cordeux (vocals/guitar), Sean Thomas (guitar), Joel Vanderuit (bass) and Ammitzboll – are only in their early 20s, but have not let their early success get to them.”The success doesn’t really register for us at the moment,” Ammitzboll said. “We are just doing what we do and you don’t understand until someone says, “Wow, last year you guys did this and the ARIAs and the debut album blah blah blah” and you go, “Wow, really”.

“I guess for a young group of guys from the Peninsula, it’s pretty good for us to be doing this in our early 20s.”

But there is a dark side to their success and the band has been ridiculed for being too commercial and too poppy. “We don’t cop it that much personally, but I know there is someone always saying something about it,” Ammitzboll said.

“Our songs are poppy, we won’t deny that. We love pop music, we love the catchiness of the hooky songs. Pop music is only a derogatory thing if you want it to be. All it is, is popular music of the time, so it is not necessarily a bad thing for us to be associated with pop culture.

“We write our songs to get stuck in people’s head. It is not a bad thing for us, we’re like, ‘Oh yeah they’re poppy, but they rock as well’. We are a little bit of this and a little bit of that. That’s just nitpicking.”

Ammitzboll said they were never ashamed of their brand of music when they began playing in 2002, but they were a little shy about their name. “We were embarrassed by the name when we first started. We couldn’t say it seriously. “What’s the name of your band man?” “Oh, Kisschasy!”. It was something that everyone’s played,”  He laughs, “We have, but not together. We found out that it has different names in each state.

“People come up to us in Sydney and go what’s Kisschasy? We’re like what do you mean what’s Kisschasy? It’s chasing when you kiss. They’re like, “Oh, what ,you mean Kiss and Catch”. Well, I guess if that is what you guys call it. We wouldn’t have called our band name Kiss and Catch though.”

Whether or not it’s the name, the boppy music, or the fact that it involves four strapping young lads – Kisschasy seem to have a large female following. According to Ammitzboll, who is known for drumming half naked, it doesn’t bother them that they have girls hanging around. “We don’t have a problem with girls, but we are trying to get more rock so we can get their boyfriends into our music as well,” he said. ”[So that] When he goes to work the next day, he doesn’t have to be embarrassed to say he went and saw Kisschasy. It would be more like, “I went to Kisschasy, yeah. They were rocking”.

“We are starting to round up our fan base and get a little bit of both genders.”

Unfortunately, all four of the guys have girlfriends (sigh).

The band will be on the road together for 45 days for their current tour, but Ammitzboll said there would be no hassles with that, as they are used to being away from home for so long and being crammed in a tour bus together. “There have been times where you get on each other’s nerves, but I think we are a pretty good family now, we’re a unit.

“You know what you can do to piss family off and you know when they are in a bad mood and you know when to stay away. We give each other space when we need to. Darren used to be a really big prankster, but he is domesticated now. He has settled down a little bit. We’re all settling down, we’re being professional.”

I hope Ammitzboll is just playing down the rock star lifestyle.

Catch Kisschasy when they land in your town:

Wed June 28th @ Barwon Club, Geelong VIC*

Thu June 29th @ Karova Lounge, Ballarat VIC*

Fri June 30th @ Peninsula Lounge, Moorooduc VIC*

Sat July 1st @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC (Under 18’s – Daytime)*

Sat July 1st @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne VIC (Over 18’s – Night time)*

Sat July 2nd @ Adelaide Uni Bar, Adelaide SA* ALL AGES

Thu July 6th @ Yallah Roadhouse, Woollongong NSW ALL AGES

Fri July 7th @ Gaelic Theatre, Sydney NSW*

Sat July 8th @ Newcastle Leagues NSW (All Ages – Daytime)

Sat July 8th @ Newcastle Leagues NSW (18+ – Night)

Sun July 9th @ Uni Of Canberra, Canberra ACT* ALL AGES

Wed July 12th @ Plantation Hotel, Coffs Harbour NSW*

Thu July 13th @ Coolangatta Hotel, Coolangatta QLD*

Fri July 14th @ Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay NSW*

Sat July 15th @ Thuringowa Amphitheatre, Townsville QLD*

Sun July 16th @ The Arena, Brisbane QLD* LICENSED ALL AGES

Thu July 20th @ Republic Bar, Hobart TAS

Fri July 21st @ Republic Bar, Hobart TAS

Sat July 22nd @ Masonic Hall, Hobart TAS (All Ages – Daytime)

Sat July 22nd @ Sirrocas Nightclub, Burnie TAS

Sun July 23rd @ James Hotel, Launceston TAS

*The above dates have Limbeck as the main support, every other date has Trial Kennedy as the main support.

July 27th @ Inferno, Trafalgon VIC 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Horsell Common

July 28th @ Bizzos, Caringbah NSW 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Streetlight Theatre

July 29th @ Fishos, Manly NSW 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Infirmary

July 30th @ Embassy Hotel, Penrith NSW ALL AGES w/ Trial Kennedy + Streetlight Theatre

Aug 2nd @ Station Hotel, Jindabyne NSW 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Guests

Aug 3rd @ Yahoo Bar, Sheparton VIC 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Horsell Common

Aug 4th @ Sodens Hotel, Albury NSW 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Horsell Common

Aug 5th @ Rubys Lounge, Belgrave VIC 18+ w/ Trial Kennedy + Horsell Common