Louis XIV

Jason Hill - vocals and guitar
Brian Karscig – vocals and guitar
Mark Maigaard – drums
Jimmy Armburst – bass guitar

From the outset it might seem a little unsurprising that a band that wake up to the sun-blessed beaches of San Diego every morning, are a little obsessed with women. More precisely, women in bikinis. Women in very small bikinis if truth be told.

But to focus on Louis XIV’s fascination with the female form is to do their music a great disservice. The Bloodhound Gang these boys ain’t. The core of Louis XIV formed in 2001 as wistful alt-country eccentrics, Convoy. Singer songwriter Jason Hill met guitarist Brian Karscig in high school, the duo specialised in mixing vintage Rolling Stones with the likes of Big Star and Wilco. 2002’s ‘Black Licorice’ was the beginning and end of the road. Convoy disbanded soon after, but Hill and Karscig had already set their sights on something bigger and better.

So the legend goes, Louis XIV recorded their first demo in a Paris basement in 2003. Maybe there was something seedy and debauched lurking on the Paris streets that evening, because the results were a rambunctious and heady mix of T Rex, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones. Through a combination of incessant touring and a sustained campaign of leaking MP3s, word quickly spread and Louis XIV’s fanbase grew.

Now with Mark Maigaard and Jimmy Armburst on board, a high-profile slot on America’s prestigious South by Southwest festival in 2004 earned them plaudits from the likes of The Killers and Von Bondies – whom they’ve since toured with. After signing to Atlantic, the ‘Illegal Tender EP’ appeared in January 2005. While the music was praised for its confidence and invention, the lyrics to ‘Finding Out True Love Is Blind’ and the title track offended just as many. Hill, Karscig et al weren’t bothered.

‘God Killed The Queen’ hit the UK singles chart in July 2005 and underlined Louis XIV’s punk rock fixation. Their debut long player, ‘The Best Little Secrets Are Kept’ came out in the US in March 2005. British fans had to be a little more patient and wait until the autumn. It was worth it; the album had an impossibly confident swagger, a lyrical directness not seen since Mick Jagger’s heyday, and a sense of humour that would do Spinal Tap proud. The album also featured a reclining naked woman on the cover which predictably sent US censors into a righteous frenzy.

Now with the secret firmly out, Louis XIV spent the rest of 2005 touring Europe and beyond. ‘Pledge Of Allegiance’, another track lifted from the album, appeared in January 2006. Yet another example of Hill’s carnal and primal rock urges, it cut up indie dance floors across the land. As Hill remarks on ‘Paper Doll’, “if you want clean fun, go buy a kite.”

Discography:

Singles:
‘Illegal Tender’ – (Atlantic – 2005)
‘God Killed The Queen’ – (Atlantic – 2005)
‘Finding Out True Love Is Blind’ – (Atlantic – 2005)
‘Pledge Of Allegiance’ – (Atlantic – 2006)

Albums:
‘The Best Little Secrets Are Kept’ – (Atlantic – 2005)