The Kinetiks

by Dave Donnelly
Formed in 2005 in north County Dublin, Ireland, indie rock four-piece the Kinetiks fit neatly into a niche of bands that includes the View, the Kaiser Chiefs, and the Kooks, blending contemporary post-punk in the the Libertines' mould with tried-and-tested '60s pop formulas, while favorable comparisons have also been made with the Strokes and Franz Ferdinand. The Kinetiks grew out of a classic rock cover group fronted by singer/rhythm guitarist Gaz Harding and lead guitarist Seán Brennan, their interest in songwriting piqued by their source material: the Beatles and the Who in particular. Local drummer Jon McIntosh was recruited to play drums, bringing bass player Jim McGuire with him. The Kinetiks played their first gig at Dublin's Voodoo Lounge in December 2005 and quickly built a dedicated fan base that would allow them to release their debut EP in April 2007. Entitled High Horse Olympics, the four-song set was produced by Ciarán Bradshaw (Muse, Turn) and released on the Rapture Music label.
The EP's release was followed by a series of single releases, recorded in the summer of 2007 with producer Gareth Mannix (Delorentos, Republic of Loose) at Grouse Lodge Studios. "The Smile That Crack'd Your Face," the lead track from the High Horse Olympics EP, became the first radio hit, with "Shuffle Your Feet" finding success as a download single in October. Drummer Paul Donohoe was added to the band in January of 2008, replaced the departed McIntosh, just in time for the release of single number three "Bite the Bullet." Their success was further rewarded when they were nominated in the "Hope for 2008" category at the Meteor Irish Music Awards in February, though they were eventually edged out by Ham Sandwich. During the summer of 2008, they were invited to tour on the Irish Music Rights Association's "Best Of Tour" and made an appearance in the nation's largest music festival, Oxegen, in July.