Kids in the Kitchen
Encyclopedia
Kids in the Kitchen was a band from Melbourne
, Australia
that enjoyed considerable local success during the 1980s. The band stood squarely within the New Romantic
movement that dominated mid-1980s pop, showing influences of "New-Rom" groups such as Ultravox
in its use of synthesisers, its angst-ridden lyrics, and the tendency of frontman Scott Carne to pronounce words such as "too" and "do" as if these had two syllables.
The band's original line-up when it formed in 1983 was:
The band's debut single, "Change In Mood", (produced by Ricky Fataar
and Tim Kramer) reached No. 10 on the Australian national charts in November 1983. A second single, "Bitter Desire", hit No. 17 in May 1984, after which Dorman and Woodhead quit the band and were replaced by Claude Carranza (guitar) and Alistair Coia (keyboards).
The first single released under the new line-up was "Something That You Said", another Top 20 hit in May 1985, and this was followed by a belated debut album, Shine, which was a big seller nationally and topped the Melbourne charts. Although the title track only reached No. 40 when lifted as a single, the next single release, "Current Stand", became the band's signature song and was a hit overseas as well as peaking at No. 12 in Australia.
Carne joined as guest vocalist with The Incredible Penguins
in 1985, for a cover
of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
", a charity project for research on Fairy penguins
, which peaked at #10 on the Australian Kent Music Report
in December.
A second LP, Terrain, was released in 1987 with several accompanying singles, but the band could not repeat the success of their debut. They broke up the following year.
Following the split, Carne formed a band called Priscilla's Nightmare, who released one self-titled
album, then he embarked on a solo career. Carne's solo single "All I Wanna Do" was a minor hit in 1990. Curnow opened a Billy Hyde music store in Shepparton, Victoria
in 2002. Harnath owns Hothouse Studios in St Kilda
, Melbourne
.
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
that enjoyed considerable local success during the 1980s. The band stood squarely within the New Romantic
New Romantic
New Romanticism , was a pop culture movement in the United Kingdom that began around 1979 and peaked around 1981. Developing in London nightclubs such as Billy's and The Blitz and spreading to other major cities in the UK, it was based around flamboyant, eccentric fashion and new wave music...
movement that dominated mid-1980s pop, showing influences of "New-Rom" groups such as Ultravox
Ultravox
Ultravox is a British New Wave rock band. They were one of the primary exponents of the British electronic pop music movement of the late 1970s/early 1980s. The band was particularly associated with the New Romantic and New Wave movements....
in its use of synthesisers, its angst-ridden lyrics, and the tendency of frontman Scott Carne to pronounce words such as "too" and "do" as if these had two syllables.
The band's original line-up when it formed in 1983 was:
- Scott Carne (vocals)
- Greg Dorman (guitar)
- Craig Harnath (bass)
- Greg Woodhead (keyboards)
- Bruce Curnow (drums)
The band's debut single, "Change In Mood", (produced by Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar
Ricky Fataar is a South African multi-instrumentalist of Malay descent, who has performed as both a drummer, and a guitarist. He gained fame as an actor in the comedic television movie, The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash, a spoof on the actual history of The Beatles, and for his performance as a...
and Tim Kramer) reached No. 10 on the Australian national charts in November 1983. A second single, "Bitter Desire", hit No. 17 in May 1984, after which Dorman and Woodhead quit the band and were replaced by Claude Carranza (guitar) and Alistair Coia (keyboards).
The first single released under the new line-up was "Something That You Said", another Top 20 hit in May 1985, and this was followed by a belated debut album, Shine, which was a big seller nationally and topped the Melbourne charts. Although the title track only reached No. 40 when lifted as a single, the next single release, "Current Stand", became the band's signature song and was a hit overseas as well as peaking at No. 12 in Australia.
Carne joined as guest vocalist with The Incredible Penguins
The Incredible Penguins
The Incredible Penguins were an Australian supergroup formed in 1985, which reached the top ten on the Australian Kent Music Report Singles Chart with their cover of "Happy Xmas " in December. Contributors included Angry Anderson , Bob Geldof, Brian Mannix , Scott Carne , Colleen Hewett, and John...
in 1985, for a cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
"Happy Xmas " is a song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono and released in 1971 as a single by John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band with the Harlem Community Choir....
", a charity project for research on Fairy penguins
Little Penguin
The Little Penguin is the smallest species of penguin. The penguin, which usually grows to an average of in height and in length , is found on the coastlines of southern Australia and New Zealand, with possible records from Chile.Apart from Little Penguins, they have several common names...
, which peaked at #10 on the Australian Kent Music Report
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
in December.
A second LP, Terrain, was released in 1987 with several accompanying singles, but the band could not repeat the success of their debut. They broke up the following year.
Following the split, Carne formed a band called Priscilla's Nightmare, who released one self-titled
Eponym
An eponym is the name of a person or thing, whether real or fictitious, after which a particular place, tribe, era, discovery, or other item is named or thought to be named...
album, then he embarked on a solo career. Carne's solo single "All I Wanna Do" was a minor hit in 1990. Curnow opened a Billy Hyde music store in Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton, Victoria
Shepparton is a city located on the floodplain of the Goulburn River in the north east of Victoria, Australia approximately north-east of Melbourne. It is the fifth largest city in Victoria, Australia. The estimated population of Shepparton's statistical area is 48,926.It began as a sheep station...
in 2002. Harnath owns Hothouse Studios in St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
Albums
- Shine - White Label/Mushroom (L-19248) (1985) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#9 - Terrain - White Label/Mushroom (L-38775) (1987)
Singles
- "Change in Mood"/"Far From Where" - White Label (K-9220) (1983) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#10 - "Bitter Desire"/"Hunting and Haunting" - White Label (K-9353) (1984) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#17 - "Something That You Said"/"The Cruel Tune" - White Label (K-9578) (1985) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#19 - "Current Stand" - White Label (K-9804) (1985) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#12 - "Shine"/"Hard" - White Label (K-9694) (1985) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#40 - "My Life"/"Fun - Take One"/"Frog" - White Label (K-9885) (1985) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#74 - "Out of Control"/"Stop" - White Label (K-9938) (1986) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#33 - "Say It"/"White Love" White Label (K-368) (1987) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#31 - "Revolution Love"/"Cry" - White Label (K-459) (1987) AUSKent Music ReportThe Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
#44