Steve Kemp (musician)
Encyclopedia
Steven Michael "Steve" Kemp (born 29 December 1978 in Lancashire
, England
) is an English drummer
. He is the drummer of indie rock
band Hard-Fi
. Originally from Lancashire
, he went to Carnforth High School
, before he moved to London
in his late teens to do a musical course. Kemp is a big fan of Liverpool F.C.
and was originally a drummer for a DJ who happened to be friends with Richard Archer
. When Archer was scouting for members to be in his band, he asked Kemp to be part of it, through Kemp's link with the DJ.
In December 2007 he slammed bands such as Led Zeppelin
and The Police for charging their fans £100 for tickets to their live concerts. He said "I know these old bands have a huge legacy but paying over £100 for a ticket is a joke. If it’s a band you really love, of course you want to go and see them - but why should you then pay so much money for it? These rock 'n' roll dinosaurs are coming out for a last pay cheque. I don’t know what they’re going to do on stage that’s so special". He then joked that, "I think we should split up in November, just to get back together in December. See if it makes us more famous. Maybe we could have November off and get back together in December and call it the reunion tour. The few remaining tickets will sell out in no time. It will be a winner. It will be perfect."
In an interview with ilikemusic, Kemp was asked to reflect on whether he has time to "smell the roses and enjoy the journey and reflect"
"It's weird because you don't whilst you're doing it. You don't realise how much you're enjoying yourself sometimes. I really try and stop myself in my tracks now and say 'look what you've achieved, look what you've just done, look what you're doing'. I really try and do that, because if you don't, you're always focusing on what's next rather than what's just happened. When we played our tour in May 2006 and we did the five Brixton Academy gigs I remember at the time I was so amazingly tired and shattered I enjoyed it, but it was really hard work. Now I can look back and think what a fucking laugh. It does take a while for it to sink in before you can look back and really enjoy yourselves.
But it's all amazing. We've had two number one records. We've sold over a million records. We've achieved so much that you have to remind yourself how fantastic that all is, and if it all finished tomorrow, then I've done what I always wanted to do. But hopefully it's not going to finish tomorrow and we can continue on to bigger and better things."
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is an English drummer
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
. He is the drummer of indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band Hard-Fi
HARD-Fi
Hard-Fi are an English indie rock band formed in Staines, Surrey in 2003. The band's members are Richard Archer , Ross Phillips , Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp .They achieved chart success with their third single, "Hard to Beat" and then followed by other successful singles such as...
. Originally from Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, he went to Carnforth High School
Carnforth High School
Carnforth High School is a mixed, comprehensive 11-18 school in Carnforth, Lancashire, England. The school holds specialist Science College status....
, before he moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in his late teens to do a musical course. Kemp is a big fan of Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
and was originally a drummer for a DJ who happened to be friends with Richard Archer
Richard Archer
Richard John "Rich" Archer is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, principal songwriter and main composer of indie rock band Hard-Fi. Hard-Fi have produced several top 10 hits and two #1 albums. The influence of Archer's hometown of Staines is often...
. When Archer was scouting for members to be in his band, he asked Kemp to be part of it, through Kemp's link with the DJ.
In December 2007 he slammed bands such as Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
and The Police for charging their fans £100 for tickets to their live concerts. He said "I know these old bands have a huge legacy but paying over £100 for a ticket is a joke. If it’s a band you really love, of course you want to go and see them - but why should you then pay so much money for it? These rock 'n' roll dinosaurs are coming out for a last pay cheque. I don’t know what they’re going to do on stage that’s so special". He then joked that, "I think we should split up in November, just to get back together in December. See if it makes us more famous. Maybe we could have November off and get back together in December and call it the reunion tour. The few remaining tickets will sell out in no time. It will be a winner. It will be perfect."
In an interview with ilikemusic, Kemp was asked to reflect on whether he has time to "smell the roses and enjoy the journey and reflect"
"It's weird because you don't whilst you're doing it. You don't realise how much you're enjoying yourself sometimes. I really try and stop myself in my tracks now and say 'look what you've achieved, look what you've just done, look what you're doing'. I really try and do that, because if you don't, you're always focusing on what's next rather than what's just happened. When we played our tour in May 2006 and we did the five Brixton Academy gigs I remember at the time I was so amazingly tired and shattered I enjoyed it, but it was really hard work. Now I can look back and think what a fucking laugh. It does take a while for it to sink in before you can look back and really enjoy yourselves.
But it's all amazing. We've had two number one records. We've sold over a million records. We've achieved so much that you have to remind yourself how fantastic that all is, and if it all finished tomorrow, then I've done what I always wanted to do. But hopefully it's not going to finish tomorrow and we can continue on to bigger and better things."