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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with RóISíN GADELRAB
Published: 29 January 2009

Doll and the Kicks are set for a run of more live dates in Camden

Dolled up for a big future

PREVIEW
Doll and the Kicks
Proud

DOLL spends her days fielding insurance queries from a telesales office in Brighton. She counts the hours until she can clock off to pursue her night job – fronting pop-rock band Doll and the Kicks.
They’ve racked up a celebrity fanbase, are about to tour with Morrissey, and have won comparisons to Gwen Stefani and Kate Bush, yet the band are still unsigned.
Two weeks ago when they played the Monto Water Rats, they were cornered by TV presenter Jonathan Ross.
Said Doll: “He came with [wife] Jane. I’d met them before very briefly. They both really liked it and Jonathan asked for a CD. He was very supportive.”
At their last appearance at Proud, Morrissey was there – with big plans.
“Morrissey has a longstanding friendship with one of our managers,” said Doll. “She’d been telling him about us but he never came to see us until we played The Fly and he was really nice to us.
“Then he turned up at Proud with a whole string of people. He brought his managers, booking agents and Janice Long [Radio 2 DJ]. He got in touch and mentioned the tour, but nothing was official. It was only when the dates were announced that we knew it was real.”
Morrissey’s European tour takes in some huge venues, but even playing at the esteemed Royal Albert Hall has not fazed Doll. “We’re really happy about it,” said Doll. “Who can say they’ve played at the Albert Hall? We’re an unsigned band who’ve never toured.”
Although on the brink of stardom, Doll, who grew up in Liverpool, said it can still be a struggle: “Life is very hard. We’ve all still got jobs. Matt and I work in call centres. Olivier and Chris work in bars. We’re juggling it with great difficulty.”
On their single Roll Up the Red Carpet, which came out on Monday, Doll said: “That’s about having someone on a pedestal and thinking they are really amazing and realising they are not.”
For now, they are just looking for cash to keep them going. Said Doll: “We keep reading articles about how the music industry’s going under so we know looking for a label is not necessarily the right thing. But we do need financial backing.”
• Doll and the Kicks play alongside Hadouken! at Proud on February 5, The Purple Turtle on March 7 and Camden Barfly on March 26.

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