I love bands that play with everything they have. I adore it when you can tell a band is doing it for the music and not to seek approval of others. Every word sung and every note played is done with such importance- it is as if their life depends on it. The connection band members have on stage is one of the greatest things you can witness. To see a band just bounce off each other’s vibe is incredible. You can sense their love for each other and the music they play.

One band in particular that do all this, and so much more are The Kills. Anyone who has been fortunate enough to see them live knows exactly what I mean. Alison and Jamie do not even have to interact with the crowd much, how they are with each other is more than enough.

I saw them live just after Midnight Boom was released, I had an (un)healthy obsession with them as soon as I heard the album Keep On Your Mean Side, and to see them live was like watching something you shouldn’t be watching. They have this connection on stage that I have never ever seen before. I have never seen two people have that bond before- whether famous or not, it is so rare. I think in our lives, you do find someone like that. You will probably argue with them and want to throttle them- but at the same time, if anyone ever hurts them- you feel it too. It is the most important relationship you have (not in a coupley/sexual way). It’s your lifeline. That’s just my take on it.

You can easily see how much they adore each other. From the way Jamie grins at Alison during certain songs to how Alison just looks at him in awe when he pretty much goes mental on the guitar. The look of love and understanding they have for each other is so precious and so beautiful.

I can’t remember exactly where I was when I first heard The Kills; all I know is what just after Keep On Your Mean Side was released. I fell in complete love with what I was hearing. I wanted to know everything about their sound. How it was created and what influenced them. They kick-started my obsession with The Velvet Underground and the blues all over again. I was just so happy that a band combined everything I loved about music and made their own sound. It was so different, it still is. There is no band around that are doing what The Kills do, and have done. They make this harsh, brutal music that just constantly has you in a chokehold and you don’t want it to ever let you go. If it does, what are you left with?

When I listen to The Kills I feel like nothing can touch me. It becomes like a protective shield. I urge anyone to go for a walk listening to Fried My Little Brains or Cat Claw and not feel fucking invincible. Songs such as Kissy Kissy just ooze vengeance and rage, I love it. That’s why I love The Kills so much. All this frustration just pours out of their songs, but they do not do it in a self-pitying way. None of their songs are self-pitying, that’s why I love them. Yes they touch on heartbreaking subjects (see Black Balloon, The Last Goodbye) but none of it is “woe is me” at all. They do it in a way that just breaks your heart yet you feel fine because Alison is singing the things you wish your heart could channel your mouth to say. I guess, this just proves other people’s words can mean more than your own at times. Or maybe, you trick yourself into believing that because you cannot find the words to say. Call it whatever you want, it’s just beautiful.

In their interviews the intelligence and passion they have is so breathtaking and so calming but as soon as they hit the stage, it is totally different. Alison stalks the stage like a lioness and Jamie is in his own world- with Alison. You can truly see that they live for music and playing live is everything to them. That’s why you can easily believe in everything that The Kills are.

Each of their albums instantly threw me. Although each albums sound different from the last, they have always maintained that raw, unapologetic, aggressive sound. They are one of the few (or possibly the only bands) contemporary bands to carry the true Punk ethic in their music. It is so inspiring.

A lot of bands, to create a sound so distinctive need layers and layers to their music. They need to have certain producers to have a specific sound or they need a gimmick. The Kills quite simply, don’t. They are two best friends making music that is beyond. It is beyond words, beyond emotions. Sometimes it is hard to get your head around the fact that it is just two people making this sound. Something I find highly inspirational about the band is that Alison just left everything in America to come to London to start The Kills with Jamie. There is something so utterly inspiring about this, it makes you want to leave everything and achieve your goals.

From a personal perspective- this is why The Kills mean so much to me. They sacrificed so much and invested so much to be where they are now. There is no doubt that they are one of hardest working bands around. They give you hope that if you cast everything aside in order to get what you want- you can get it.

An image that is constantly evoked for me when I listen to The Kills is two outlaws on the run, on a neglected, dusty road in America. The fierce sound just conjures up some fantastic images in your find. The words they sing just blow me away. Lines such as “Elevator straight into my skull. An escalator rises as it falls.” from Black Balloon and “She covers one eye ‘cause she can see into your mind, and she no longer wants to.” from Gypsy Death & You are lines that just always always leave me in awe.

When I heard Blood Pressures, I was just taken aback with what I was hearing. The waltz feel on The Last Goodbye really hits you in the gut, and I firmly standby “How can I rely on my heart if I break it, with my own two hands.” being the best line I have heard in a song this year, it’s quite painful how much I can relate to it- but it gets you through the day doesn’t it.

The Kills own a large chunk of my heart. Their lyrics, the way they are on stage and in interviews, the chemistry they have with each other, their music- everything about them. It just means more than the world to me. They just blow my mind every single time I listen to them. Every time I play their music it is like I am discovering them for the first time. They are timeless and influential. If a band can make you feel like this with every listen, then hold onto them. Something tells me The Kills are a band that won’t let go. The fight and drive in them is inspiring. It’s important to find something to fight for and believe in, music is mine- especially with bands such as The Kills. They also prove that all you need is two people to make some of the greatest music ever, and sometimes all you need is just the one person to believe in you- and to see the good in you when no one else does.