Kinesis - Manchester Academy 3 - 2.10.03

The troops are lined up. The uniform is an impeccable blend of crisp white T-shirts mixed with situationist slogans. The message is clear. Kinesis themselves are a well thought out statement of intent and tonight they seem so far removed from those early gigs in Manchester as chancers from Bolton. In those early days there was a fire and a promise that great things were to come and with the release of their debut album "Handshakes For Bullets" a week previous the first stage of their plan has been well and truly achieved.

Within seconds of them hitting the stage hurricane like it's seems nothing will get in their way. A 38 year old man stood next to me seems taken aback at how they've lived up to the weighty expectations of the critical acclaim they've received in the press. He goes on to rant about the state of American punk rock and how Britain always produces the better bands before recalling the tale of how he cried openly at work when heard Joe Strummer had passed away. These are the terms that Kinesis are being talked about. While they clearly have their own identity and a wealth of ideas it seems a Kinesis review can't help but mention either the Manics, The Clash or a plethora of political rock bands. It's more a similar state of mind than any direct influence on the bands sound, but how often do you get a band who sings about the important subjects in life.

After seeing the band over half a dozen times this year alone "And They Obey", "Billboard Beauty", "Conveyor Belt Destruction" and "Everything Destroys" itself are ingrained in the mind like old classics. Album tracks such as "Civilised Fury" and "This Dead End" are stripped of their polished production and seem better for it. Obviously a Manchester crowd there's not one moment when the band don't face an onslaught of pretty young things emblazoned with "Shopping Is Not Creating" T's and inflicting black eyes on anyone who dares to get in their way.

Kinesis will not rest until they're filling the stadiums and on the basis of tonight's show it clear they're destined for bigger things than the Academy 3.

Alex McCann
Photo's by Karen McBride - www.karenmcbride.com
 


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