Back in the early days of Alphabet Bands, one of the emerging artists we championed was London based electro-fop-pop combo, Kites. And by championed, we mean featured fairly extensively at the time. By the end of 2011 they were gathering good momentum and despite a quietish 2012 they kept on growing their fanbase, improving their live act and increasing their blog coverage. It got to the stage where the firework had been lit and we were all waiting for the big, colourful explosion of light and sound that would make us go ‘ooooooooooh’. We even included them in our tips for 2013, everything was set and then…
…nothing.
The firework fizzled out and, as we were all taught, everyone walked away from it, including, it seemed, the band members themselves.
Silence was in abundance where once there had been delightfully erudite, lyrically dextrous and danceable pop music.
Until now.
Yep, after nearly two long years of tumbleweed the Kites ensemble have dusted off their performing clothes, pulled the keyboard out from its box at the back of the garage and shared a new song.
Except, this isn’t really a new song and this isn’t really a return. To paraphrase revered philosopher LL Cool J, we can’t call this a comeback, because it isn’t one. It’s the thing Kites never got to say when they vanished, goodbye.
For those of us who had wondered where they went and what happened, for those of us who wanted closure, Kites have returned to put the lid properly on the box and bid us adieu.
Evidently the real world stepped out of the shadows, swept them up into its dark embrace and took them with it. Fortunately they have escaped its clutches just long enough to re-master what they had planned to be their first single of 2013 and instead has become their final single of ever, “Orwell Knows”.
Its four and a half minutes represents everything that made us love Kites in the first place. Infectious and upbeat in sound, Matthew sings like a performance poet, rhymes skipping off his tongue like a Wildean travelling salesman, exciting us with his patter and drawing us in enraptured by whatever he has to say. What he is saying, literally, is goodbye and it is, alas, what we too must say.
So, goodbye Kites, we know it can never be, but at least we got to share these last moments together, and we’ll always have the Scala.
Alphabet Bands 
Were there more people in kites? Or am I mixing em up. Shame the real world has sucker punched them really
Your memory is correct. Kites was always four-piece live act, however we had 5 lineups throughout our short lifespan and each member helped shape our developing sound, however the consistent songwriting/production partnership of Matthew Phillips and me, Richard Baldwin remained at the core. The final lineup included Danilo Borgerth on guitar, and Edwin Harris on drums.
Previous members of the band were:
Drums: Georgie Okell & Jack Newton
Guitar: Taio Lawson & Jasper Perkins
Thanks for your kind words. It is a shame, but thank you for following us while we were around.