Fighting Kites - Split (2025)

Gideon Coe favourites Fighting Kites were originally lumped in with "Post-Rock" at the time of their "Split" EP (Audio Antihero) and self-titled debut album (Variant Records), the band easily took as much of their influences from the likes of The Shadows and Booker T & The MGs as they did Dianogah or Tortoise. They were North London's experimental dance band, filling rooms with noise and beauty from 2006 to 2012.

Since FK's dissolution, Neil moved to Japan and continued his exploratory work under his Broken Shoulder alias and founded Kirigirisu Recordings, while David Stewart and Daniel Fordham formed The Drink and released two highly acclaimed albums.

During their lifepan, the band's looping, layered, soulful art-rock waltzes won them spots on bills with the likes of Male Bonding, Nisennenmondai, Shield Your Eyes, Benjamin Shaw, Jack Hayter (Hefner/Dollboy) and Nitkowski. What makes FK hard to define is the absence of that which generally characterises modern instrumental rock music, the "quiet-loud" dynamic, "epic soundscapes" or bloated dissonance. FK's music had a unique beauty and an infectious rhythm.

Tracklist:
1-1 Fighting Kites - Wojtek the Bear [3:13]
1-2 Fighting Kites - FR. [4:15]
1-3 Fighting Kites - Cat Is Egg [3:22]
1-4 Fighting Kites - Conquers [3:51]
1-5 Fighting Kites - Cat Is Egg (Resonance FM Session) [3:21]
1-6 Fighting Kites - Wojtek the Bear (Resonance FM Session) [3:03]
1-7 Fighting Kites - FR. (Resonance FM Session) [4:07]
1-8 Fighting Kites - Conquers (Resonance FM Session) [3:37]