KILL, THE ICON!

“A sonic piledriver” - Analogue Trash
"KILL, THE ICON! always have something important to say" - BBC Introducing
"Insanely infectious" - Joyzine

"If you think this song is about you, you're probably right," says bandleader Nishant Joshi about the latest punk offering from KILL, THE ICON!
Since forming in the summer of 2020, London’s punk quartet KILL, THE ICON! have spent much of their time in what the band describe as “a state of organized, rational anger.”

"You're Just An Average White Band" is a continuation of the band's ethos, one which has seen them relentlessly interrogate power structures both in the music industry and across wider society.
The band have been championed by the likes of John Kennedy (Radio X), Frank Skinner (Absolute Radio), BBC Introducing, and Mickey Bradley (BBC Radio). Support has also come from further afield, as bandleader Nishant Joshi was recently invited by Scroobius Pip for an hour-long interview on his Distraction Pieces Podcast.

This has been a breakout year for the band, who followed up the release of their acclaimed debut EP "Your Anger Is Rational" with a sold out show at The Lexington, playing alongside Chris Farren (video here). This was neatly bookmarked by the introduction of a second drummer in Arun Dhanjal (Muscle Vest, Daytimers) to transform the band's rhythm section into a modern rarity: a double-drumming punk band.

The band's new dance-punk single "You're Just An Average White Band" showcases the band's typically caustic commentary, this time taking aim at a music industry that drips with white privilege. Joshi is keen to point out that while he singles out bands by name, they are merely the symptoms of structural racism within the music industry.

As with all the band's artwork, this cover was designed by Joshi: "Mumford and Sons were the archetypal Average White Band. They had the son of a near-billionaire in their midst. And they made a career out of denying their privilege. They were bankrolled from the very start, and so they had a precious resource that's not afforded to other bands: time. Most artists are told to play more shows, work harder, network harder. But that's a huge lie that's perpetuated by the music industry."

"Everyone involved in the music industry assures us that diversity, inclusion and equality are priorities - it's written as much on the website of every festival, booking agent, manager, and record label. But the reality is an utter lie. We're not all running the same race."

The song itself is a sharp turn from the band's previous output, with the band eschewing their trademark crunchy basslines in favour of a song that harks back to dance-punk from the early 2000s.

In "You're Just An Average White Band", Joshi drops the bass altogether, while he offers biting satire over an arpeggiator and disco drums. There are stilted non sequiturs and satirical offerings that echo the words of creative industries: "This is why we need a black James Bond!", urges Joshi, with more than a hint of irony.

Industry favourites Wet Leg also come in for tongue-in-cheek critique: "Once a band has been elevated, it's fair to ask what they do with their new-found power: are they maintaining the status quo, or are they actively seeking change to make the music industry more equitable? The reality is that the music industry has been fantastic at improving diversity in indie music, but only to the extent that it champions female-led bands who approximate western beauty standards." 

The lyrics in the song's denouement encapsulate why the band feel an urgent need to protest:

Proximity to whiteness is proximity to power!

And maybe that's why I feel so powerless!

"A lot of people want to fetishize the idea of equity in the music industry. I don’t feel many people are comfortable with the fact that it entails a degree of emotional and practical labour. It involves stripping yourself of a degree of the privilege you’ve been afforded. This includes musicians who've worked their way to the top."

The cultural significance and personal sacrifice involved in anti-racism movements is particularly relevant to Joshi, who was given a special honour by The FA for his activism during the pandemic, as well as having been involved in organizing the BLM protests which gained international recognition in 2020.

"If protest is the language of the disenfranchised, then it's our band's duty to be as loud as possible," says Joshi.

KILL, THE ICON! released their debut four-track EP "Your Anger Is Rational" on June 2nd 2023 via Blaggers Records. The EP tells stories of fascism, racism and capitalism, and how they intersect in modern Britain. The EP showcased the band’s ability to paint poignant vignettes of society, to an exhilarating and eclectic soundtrack that steers effortlessly between influences such as LCD Soundsystem, The Fall and Dead Kennedys. It included an AI video for Deathwish, which gained over 100,000 views on Twitter.

They followed this up with And Now, The Weather!, a protest punk song that challenges climate inaction, as premiered on John Kennedy's Radio X show.