Kenickie were an English four-piece pop punk band from Sunderland. The band was formed in 1994 and consisted of lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Lauren Laverne (b. Lauren Gofton), drummer Johnny X (real name Pete Gofton, Lauren’s brother), lead guitarist and occasional lead vocalist Marie du Santiago (b. Anne Marie Nixon) and bass guitarist Emmy-Kate Montrose (b. Emma Jackson). The band’s name comes from their favourite character in the film Grease.
By the time Catsuit City (1995) was released on Slampt, Kenickie declined an offer by Alan McGee to sign to Creation. The band opened the bill for the Ramones’ final UK appearance at the Brixton Academy in February 1996. Following the release of Skillex (1996) on Fierce Panda, Kenickie signed to Saint Etienne’s EMI subsidiary, EMIDisc. Kenickie registered in the UK Singles Chart, their highest position being No. 24 with the single “In Your Car”, which opened Top of the Pops in January 1997. Their debut at the club, At The Club, peaked at No. 9 in the UK Albums Chart in May 1997. Kenickie also contributed a song to the Gary Numan tribute album Random, released in June that year. That summer, they were scheduled to play Glastonbury; their set was postponed, due to rain, but took place later on the scheduled day.
After meeting them in New York, Courtney Love said: They’re a big bunch of sex, that band Kenickie. They’re a big, raw-boned bunch of fucking sex — all three of them and the boy. I hope they get good. I hope we’re a good example to them, I hope this record’s huge and then the big labels will start sniffing around and then those big fucking raw-boned sexy Newcastle (sic) girls will be huge and have Number Ones and there will be an Amazon planet the way I want it.
The band’s second album, Get In, appeared in 1998. It was well received in the music press (NME generally praised the album while Melody Maker rated it 8/10), but sold less well. Johnny X, who now referred to himself as Pete X, moved to guitar, with the live band augmented by Graham Christie on drums and Dot Allen on keyboards. Kenickie disbanded on 15 October 1998 after a London Astoria gig, where Lauren closed the night by saying “We were Kenickie”.
