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Currently in Germany, but soon to be off round the UK headlining the NME student tour, Bristol’s perennial musical gods Chikinki aren’t doing too badly, thank you please. Gigwise caught up with Boris just around the corner from Chikinki heights to talk about tours, recordings, Kasbian and the Kaiser Chiefs. For it seems that, having played with both repeatedly over the years, Chinkinki are as please as pie to see their erstwhile support acts hitting the big time, and in no way bitter that the same kind of adulation (and sales) have not been their own reward for their hard work and innovation over the years. “To be honest we aren’t too bothered about it. We’ve been doing this for 8 years now and yeah, so what if we don’t make much of a splash in the press; it’s not like we’re trying to get on the NME cool list or anything. Mind you a 3D cover would be wicked!” Unassuming and thoroughly likeable, the boys might not be as in tune with the scene which they helped spearhead, their album 'Experiment with Mother' released on Bristol label Sink and Stove and early stars of Choke nights, but they still have a huge fondness for Bristol. “What’s great is when you go places like Leeds or areas of Scotland where there isn’t really any industry presence and you find these pocket-like self-supporting music scenes where bands and audiences really relate and co-operate. The best music comes out of scenes like that, and whenever we find one of those we get a little nostalgic for Bristol!” They are very much a Bristol band, not in the sense that they are from Bristol – for none of them are – but like so many great musical acts met and mingled here, then refused to follow suit and move to the big smoke, preferring to remain provincial, tucked away in a Bedminister back street.
It is here, in their own studio, that they are currently writing demos for what will be their third major label album – “It’s going to be called Chunky Rhythm Net. I’ve just decided that.” – their sensibilities remain the same. “We’ve always just tried to be a strange pop band, writing slightly strange pop tunes. We’re a little different because of the way we use two synth players and of course Rupert is one of the most distinctive vocalists and live performers out there. He’s so tactile; you’re playing along minding your own business and suddenly he’s snatched up your synth and you have to keep playing – keeps us on our toes I suppose!” Songwriting for them is both a shared and separate process; “There’s really no one method we follow. Sometimes one person writes most of it, other times we all have an input. Which is good as it means there isn’t a whole pile of pressure on any one person.” Not that they feel that under pressure. “Sure, I don’t think we’re the label’s biggest earner, but hey! It’s hard to think of this as a job. This isn’t a job, this us just having fun!” They are expecting to have a lot of fun in Germany and Austria, where they play 10 dates. “We went over to Berlin for a gig, and it was ace. They really got into it, we had a great reception.” Gigwise can easily imagine their brand of filthy, Kraut-rock influenced pop going down a storm. Despite being pioneers of such a sound, they don’t feel that the current rash of synth and haircut bands has anything to do with them; “we’re not that big!!” laughs Boris. Relistening to an early single, 'Like it or Leave it', from their Sink & Stove days, it’s hard to see why they aren’t that big; they’ve got the sound, they’ve got the freshness, they’ve got the look and they’ve got the angle; maybe now the rest of the musical world has caught up with them it’ll be Chikinki’s time to shine.
