Miles Kane.

Being born in The Beatles hunting ground wasn’t the worst start he could have had, but a hardworking demeanour and stupendous talent were healthy ingredients for success. He started out with ‘The Little Flames’ at just 18, on guitar behind Eve Petersen. The band made steady progress. There effortless tranquil sound earned them comparisons to ‘The Coral’ along with highly respected support slots with ‘the Dead 60’s’ and the nations new heartthrobs, ‘Arctic Monkeys’. However the impressive start ended abruptly, after a dispute escalated with their record label, over the musical direction they were being given. Soon after a break-up, came the formation of ‘The Rascals’. Miles and some childhood friends continued where the Flames left off, just with fewer members. At the helm on vocals and lead guitar, Miles couldn’t wait for his latest musical project. They signed with Deltasonic, but this time, under the strict agreement their unique, promising sound was going nowhere. After a few live sessions in a London studio, and a 6 track EP, it was obvious they had a blindingly bright future, making some awesome rockin’ beats. They had this psychedelic quirk reminiscent of the album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ by the ‘Arctic Monkeys’ 2 years earlier, just slightly on the mellow side with a funky 80’s twist. In the wake of this album came a nomination for the ‘band of 2008’ award, and were tipped to claim the title by NME magazine, sadly they didn’t, but it’s the thought that counts. On tour Miles bonded fondly with ‘Monkeys’ frontman Alex turner. Throughout the tour there friendship continued to grow, to the point where Miles committed musical adultery, cheating on his lifelong friends with Alex. The pair would write lyrics together backstage and even socialise in front of the fire with a glass of malt. He left ‘The Rascals’ in the summer of 2009. Miles and Alex’s affair took the next step, they co-formed ‘The Last Shadow Puppets’. Nowadays a 2 man band sharing responsibility is a little unheard of, but this was just more success to add to his ascending reputation. Miles was becoming a bit of a social hub, Liverpool’s blue eyed boy. The album ‘Age Of The Understatement’ soared straight to number 1, but the boys had this untouchable persona, to go with their lavish, charming personalities. One year on they had won the MOJO Breakthrough act, and been nominated for several other high-end accolades. Although they were both young, they were wise in making the decision to go their separate ways. Alex returned to the ‘Monkeys’ and Miles went on to pursue his lifelong ambition of being an exceptional solo artist.  They still remained best pals, and vowed to always be there to help each other achieve the greatest levels of success. Alex helped co-write several of the songs present on Miles’ debut album, but musically, this was Miles Kane on his lonesome. This sound was him (and snippets of the ’Bonniwell Music Machine). It is a sumptuous 12 track album, with a varied mix of heavier, majestic Nick Cave-esque guitar playing in ‘Inhaler’, some faster, funky, cool little jangles like ‘Quicksand’, and the sheer best-of-both in ‘Re-arrange’.  Miles will surely continue to impress, and is the most promising talent in the current Alternative Rock scene. We should be excited to watch him mature, progress and definitely become a household name for decades to come.