The Kill Devil Hills Explained

The Kill Devil Hills should not be confused with Kill Devil Hill (band).

The Kill Devil Hills
Origin:Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia
Genre:Blues rock, country, folk
Years Active:2003–present
Current Members:Brendon Humphries
Alex Archer
Ryan Dux
Todd Pickett
Luke Dux
Past Members:Steve Joines
Steve Gibson
Michael de Grussa
Lachlan Gurr
Justin Castley
Timothy Nelson

The Kill Devil Hills are an Australian acoustic, country-tinged rock band formed in 2003 in Fremantle by founding mainstays Brendon Humphries and Steve Joines. They have released six studio albums, Heathen Songs (2004), The Drought (2006), Man, You Should Explode (2009), In on Under near Water (2016), Pink Fit (2018) and Matango! (2024).

History

The Kill Devil Hills were formed in Fremantle in early 2003 by Brendon Humphries on lead vocals, and Steve Joines on vocals and guitar and Steve Gibson on drums and vocals .[1] [2] Initially the trio played "bushranger rock" and "cowpunk". The name of the band is derived from the title of a chapter, written by Harry Smith in a book, Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes by US music critic Greil Marcus, about Bob Dylan and The Band.[3] In the late 1990s Humphries had been a member of Gutterville Splendour Six, alongside Gareth Liddiard and Rui Pereira of the Drones, which issued a self-titled extended play in 1998. The Kill Devil Hills were soon joined by Michael de Grussa on Double Bass and Piano with the later addition of Alex Archer on violin and Justin Castley on bass.

The Kill Devil Hills released their debut album, Heathen Songs, in August 2004 and nationally in February 2005 on the Reverberation label. Michael Inglis of FasterLouder felt that "While the album has its dull moments, the Kill Devil Hills have come up with a coherant debut album that asserts the band's identity. At the same time, there are enough standout tracks to make this disc worth your hard-earned dollars."[4] In the same month they were nominated for six WAMi Awards, taking home "Best Blues/Roots Act" and "Best Country Music Act".

National youth radio station, Triple J, picked up the album, with Heathen Songs receiving a lot of airplay on a variety of shows. They were chosen as one of their 'fresh Crop' Artists of 2005. The group featured on Triple J's "Like a Version" segment and its JTV. They appeared on the Lonely Planet documentary series, "Six Degrees", broadcast on SBS. The band performed at The West Coast Blues & Roots Festival 2005.[5] Also that year they appeared at Bridgetown Blues Festival, where they played on stages supporting The Black Keys, The Mountain Goats, The Living End, Dallas Crane, The Mess Hall, Kim Salmon, Jebediah, The Panics and The Drones. The band undertook a short tour of the east coast in May and were invited back to Sydney for shows in November the same year.

2006 saw the band taking time to record a new album, spending most of this year in the studio, with plans to release the new record in October. They were also nominated for another 4 WAMi Awards (winning for the second year in a row – "Best Blues/Roots Act" and "Best Country Music Act"), they performed on the local stage at The Big Day Out, were asked to record a live set for Triple J's 'Home and Hosed', and were invited back to The Bridgetown Blues Festival http://www.bluesatbridgetown.com/artists-06/kill-devil-hills.html, where they played with The Beasts of Bourbon and Dirty Three.

The band's second album, The Drought was released 7 October 2006 and was followed by a national tour. The Kill Devil Hills also released a limited edition vinyl import version of Heathen Songs through Spanish record label Bang! Records (a Spanish label which has many other underground Australian bands on its roster).

The Kill Devil Hills returned to the studio in early 2009 to record their third studio album, Man, You Should Explode, produced by Burke Reid. It was released nationally on 5 September 2009 on Torn and Frayed (distributed by Shock). The album was given a four-star review in Rolling Stone magazine, where it was described as "a new flawless record" and "one of the best of 2010".[6] The band also embarked on a two-month European tour in late 2010 with the European release of Man, You Should Explode on vinyl through the Spanish label, Bang! Records.

In October 2013 the band released its first live album, Past and Future Ghosts, which was recorded in March that year at the Fremantle Arts Centre.[7] The album contained songs from their first three albums, together with two previously unreleased songs.[8]

In March 2016, they issued their fourth studio album, In on Under near Water, which Kate Hennessy of The Guardian listed as one of ten "essential releases from the Australian underground". She described it as "a brilliant showcase of what the Devils do best... No one wrings a ballad dry quite like Humphries, and his lyrics, always good, have slimmed into sleek, allusive poetry."[9]

Members

Current members

Ex-members

Discography

Albums

TitleDetails
Heathen Songs
  • Released: August 2004
  • Label: The Kill Devil Hills (KDH001)
The Drought
  • Released: 7 October 2006
  • Label: Torn & Frayed (TORNCD16)
Man, You Should Explode
  • Released: 25 September 2009
  • Label: Torn & Frayed (TORNCD24)
In On Under Near Water
  • Released: 18 March 2016
  • Label: The Kill Devil Hills (KDH002)
Pink Fit
  • Released: 2018
  • Label: BANG! Records (BANG
-LP124)
Matango
  • Released March 2024)
  • Label: BANG! Records (BANG
-LP170)

live albums

Awards

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.

! |-| rowspan="2" | 2023| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Live Act in Western Australia| | rowspan="2" | [10] |-| Brendon Humphries (The Kill Devil Hills)| Best Live Voice in Western Australia|

West Australian Music Industry Awards

The West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMIs) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on annually by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM).[11] [12] [13] [14]

(wins only)|-| rowspan="2"| 2005| rowspan="2"| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Blues/Roots Act| |-| Best Country Music Act| |-| rowspan="2"| 2006| rowspan="2"| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Blues/Roots Act| |-| Best Country Music Act| |-| 2007| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Blues/Roots Act| |-| rowspan="3"| 2008| rowspan="2"| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Blues/Roots Act| |-| Best Country Music Act| |-| Brendon Humphries| Best Male Vocalist (The Kill Devil Hills)| |-| 2009| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Country Act| |-| 2010| The Kill Devil Hills| Best Rock Act| |-|}

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kill Devil Hills a band not a place. Kennedy. Sharon. ABC South West WA (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). 23 November 2007. 26 April 2016.
  2. News: https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20100217142500/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/10761/20100218-0125/www.themusic.com.au/imm_display07d2.html. dead. The Kill Devil Hills. Eliezer. Christie. In Music & Media. 17 February 2010. 8 April 2008. 26 April 2016.
  3. Web site: The Kill Devil Hills' Brendon Humphries. The Rock Pit. 22 November 2009. Dillon. Matt. 26 April 2016.
  4. Web site: The Kill Devil Hills – Heathen Songs. https://web.archive.org/web/20160512214629/http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/the-kill-devil-hills-heathen-songs/773202. dead. 12 May 2016. Inglis. Michael. FasterLouder. Junkee Media. 12 April 2005. 27 April 2016.
  5. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20060625231308/http://www.sunsetevents.com.au/bluesnroots.php?Display=77#125 . West Coast Blues & Roots Festival . 25 June 2006 . 2005 . 27 April 2015 .
  6. Web site: Kill Devil Hills. https://web.archive.org/web/20160512194410/http://fasterlouder.junkee.com/kill-devil-hills/809076. dead. 12 May 2016. FasterLouder . Junkee Media . 5 February 2010. 26 April 2016.
  7. Web site: Breaking The Drought. TheMusic.com.au. Bell. Steve. 6 November 2013. 26 April 2016.
  8. Web site: The Kill Devil Hills Celebrate 10 Years With A Debut Live Album & Tour. Tone Deaf. 18 September 2013. Jones. Nicholas. 26 April 2016.
  9. News: Music You Missed: 10 essential releases from the Australian underground . Hennessy . Kate . . 1 April 2016 . 26 April 2016 .
  10. Web site: Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards. The Music. 5 September 2023. 11 September 2023.
  11. http://www.wam.asn.au/wamifest05.htm 2005 West Australian Music Industry Award Winners
  12. Web site: WAMi AWARDS CONGRATULATIONS. WAMi Festival 2006. WAMi Festival. 10 December 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20060224070435/http://www.wam.asn.au/wamifest06.htm. 24 February 2006. 2006.
  13. http://www.wam.asn.au/wamifest07.htm 2007 West Australian Music Industry Award Winners
  14. http://www.wam.asn.au/wamifest08.htm 2008 West Australian Music Industry Award Winners