It was only with the 2016 album Control that I came into contact with the sounds of this top Dutch band. I first heard Kensington on Ekdom in the Morning (NPO Radio 2), "Sorry... "
Kensington is now also firmly established in De Platenbar.
Kensington
Kensington was formed in 2005 after the school band 'Quad' broke up because guitarist Luuk Verink left the band. Singer-guitarist Casper Starreveld, bassist Jan Haker and drummer Lucas Lenselink decided to continue together with new guitarist Eloi Youssef as Kensington. In 2007, Kensington's first official music release appeared, the promo single An Introduction to... and the Kensington EP, on which Eloi Youssef can also be heard as a singer for the first time. The band recorded this EP themselves in the Second Moon studio of Hessel van der Kooij on Terschelling. This EP received rave reviews on, among others, Music from NL, which wrote the following about it: "[The band] is effortlessly able to combine different styles and atmospheres into a credible sound. (...) The Utrecht quartet clearly showed musical maturity on this debut. In five songs, the listener gets a good idea of Kensington's abilities, their originality and musicianship. The record is well produced, varied and infectious."
At the end of 2007, drummer Lucas Lenselink decided to leave the band. A new drummer was found in Niles Vandenberg, who previously drummed for the Noordwijk band Griffin. During the Stuck in a Day Festival on 16 February 2008, he literally took over the baton from Lucas.
Together with Niles, the band began recording the EP Youth in 2008, which was released on 12 December 2008 on Snowstar Records. Music from NL was again positive. "Heavy distortion, delay and the like, together with professional mastering, contributed to the full sound of the record.
On 28 October 2016, Kensington's fourth studio album, Control, was released. The first single, Do I Ever, was released on 1 September 2016. The album went gold within 24 hours. Around Control, Kensington announced a European tour in 2017 through Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium. They also toured extensively with Armin van Buuren worldwide in 2016 and 2017 for Van Buuren's world tour (Armin Only - EMBRACE TOUR). This followed from the collaboration around the song Heading Up High that Armin van Buuren made together with the band.
On 5 September 2017, the band announced live on DWDD that they would close Control with a show at the Johan Cruijff Arena on 14 July 2018. Within one day, almost 40,000 of the available 51,000 tickets had already been sold.
Eloi Youssef quits
The members of Kensington have known for two years that singer Eloi Youssef is going to quit. The band announced this on 12 November 2021.
According to singer and guitarist Eloi, the band ‘gave meaning to his life’, but he has taken everything out of it that was in it for him. ‘I have learned everything I could learn. I have performed everywhere I wanted to perform. I have experienced everything I had to experience. It is time for a new chapter in my life,’ he writes on his own Instagram page. The singer thanks his fans for the past years. ‘It has been an incredibly beautiful adventure and how proud I am of everything we have created together. I have been able to make a dream come true, and that would never have happened without your enthusiasm, dedication and loyalty.’
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Kensington is listed with the following entries:
Sunday Morning Classic: Control
On 10 April 2022, the 2016 album Control was on our turntable as a Sunday Morning Classic. It is the fourth studio album by the Utrecht band.
In the press, in the run-up to the release, it was widely reported how personal this album would be. That can also be heard. The album teeters on the edge between grand and overdone, between emotionally powerful and melodramatic. It is therefore inevitable that Kensington sometimes ends up with one foot on the wrong side of that line. The band certainly dares to explore a different sound, which on some tracks is certainly successful.
Of course, there are some songs that are easier on the ear and perhaps not surprising for those who like that, but I don't mind. Sometimes it's also nice when something immediately sounds good. The track that really stands out is the title track Control. From the calm, the band builds up more and more to a bombastic ending. Sorry is of great class and truly a beautiful ballad.
It's great that a Dutch band can have such an international sound.
Source: Wikipedia
Photo: Bart Heemskerk
https://kensingtonband.com/
