Buckinghamshire-based power trio AK and the Red Kites are gearing up for a massive year with the arrival of their debut full-length record. Blending a vast array of influences into a song-driven rock sound that prioritizes authentic live energy over backing tracks, the band has quickly built a reputation for their on-stage chemistry. With a UK tour on the horizon and a fresh batch of tracks ready to drop, we caught up with them to talk about their origins in Red Kite country, their gear of choice, and the “magic” of a tight three-piece line-up.
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
We all live around Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire but are originally from all over the southern UK.
How did you meet?
I met Rob Hoey (bass player) out drinking in our hometown of Chesham and we got chatting about music, life, love, and everything in between and decided to join forces. We then met Ash Sims (drums) on a musicians’ website and talked about Chris Stapleton amongst other things—you have to click as people to do anything meaningful.
How long have you been playing as a band?
We’ve been around for a couple of years now, but it feels longer than that in a good way as we’ve been told we have an awesome chemistry on stage.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
Originally when I was putting the project together I had just moved to the Chilterns, which is Red Kite country, and they were always in the skies above so I thought it would make a cool name.
What are your influences?
Drinking, smoking, life, music… not necessarily in that order.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
It’s a tight power trio rock band with a vast amount of influences and different vibes. It’s song-driven so we don’t ever aim for the same sound on any given track; that’s what makes us different from so many other bands today.
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Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
All sorts really: love, hate, Red Kites, the desert, and broken society.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
I’ll let people decide that when they come and see us, but you won’t get any computer backing tracks – it’s all live! We’ve done about 10 shows to date, a couple of cool co-headlines with our friends Revenant and a London headline. Plenty more shows to come!
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
My wife and I were really drunk at a Dead Daisies/The Answer co-headline show once. At the end, we saw The Answer at the merch desk and went straight over there, sat on the merch stand, and started chatting away. God knows what we were saying, but I turned around after a couple of minutes and saw the queue of fans waiting to buy merch and get stuff signed. I was totally oblivious to them at that point, so we made our excuses and left. Apologies if we held you up in the queue that night!
What kit do you use/guitars do you play etc.?
I primarily use a Supro Black Magick head and an array of Gibson Les Pauls and Fender Telecasters live, mostly with a few choice pedals. In the studio, it can get mixed up with boutique amps depending on the sound/vibe I’m after.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our debut album Hotter Than The Sun comes out 8th May and that’s available to pre-order over at the website www.akandtheredkites.com. We’re going out on tour around the UK in April and May so that’s gonna be cool – check out where you can catch us and grab tickets from our site.
What are your plans for the next 6 months or so?
We’ll be promoting the album for at least the next 3 months and then probably go and record some new material and do some more shows later in the year. Let us know where you want to see us!
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
I would love to open for Rival Sons and have Eddie & The Wolves supporting.
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Header image by Rob Blackham
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