Draft:Kill The Dandies!


Kill the Dandies! is a music group formed in Prague in 2007 by La Petie Sonja (Sonja Kröhn) and Hank Jesus Manchini (Jindřich Hoch). Their music has significant overlaps with other genres such as soul, disco and electronica, and is rooted in post-punk with influences from garage and psychedelic rock.

Band members

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La Petite Sonja (Vocals, Keyboards, Synth.) Hank J. Manchini (vocals, guitar, lap steel, synth.) Vratislav Placheta (drums) Petr Janák (Guitar, Bass, Vocals)

History

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The first album "I Saw White Fields" was released in 2009 in collaboration with Pale Music Berlin and distributed by Rough Trade in London. The second album "Those Who Hold The Flame" features a cover of Rowland S. Howard's King of California alongside original compositions. In 2013 the band released an EP with two new songs, two cover versions (Johnny Remember Me by John Leyton and Nightmare in Pink by The Chrome Cranks) and two remixes. The remixes were done by Alexander Hacke (Einstürzende Neubauten) and Steve Morell (Pale Music Berlin). In 2014, they released a four-song EP entitled "I Saw Blue Seas" accompanied by an animated film directed by artist Jindřich Janíček. In May 2017, they released their third full-length album entitled "Ron, Ron, Ron". The band is now permanently leaning more towards soul and psychedelia, as well as analogue electronics. The album includes a cover of "I'm A Living Sickness" by Calico Wall. In 2021 they released the album "Your Blood My Veins", which featured a guest appearance by American actor Steve Buscemi. At the same time, Sonja and Hank began composing music for a film by Michal Nohejl called "Occupation (2021 film)" under the Disco Ocultista name. A two-album soundtrack for the film was released at the end of 2021. In March 2022, Sonja and Hank won the Czech Lion Award for Best Film Score for the soundtrack to Okupace. In May 2024 the album Weird in A Weird Way was released. The band performs at genre and other festivals and concerts at home and abroad. In the past they have performed at London's Shoreditch Festival, with Night Beats, Woovenhand, Kid Congo Powers, Inca Babies, New York Junk and others.

Awards

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In March 2022, La Petite Sonja and Hank J. Manchini won the Czech Lion Award (29th edition) in the Best Film Score category for the soundtrack to Occupation.

Discography

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  • I Saw White Fields – 2009 (Drug Me Records/Pale Music Berlin/Rough Trade)
  • Those Who Hold the Flame – 2011 (Drug Me Records/Pale Music Berlin)
  • Kill The Dandies!– 2013 (Drug Me Records/Fullmoon Magazine)
  • I Saw Blue Seas – 2014 (Drug Me Records)
  • Ron Ron Ron – 2017 (Drug Me Records)
  • Your Blood My Veins – 2021 (Drug Me Records)
  • Okupace (Disco Ocultista) – 2022 (Drug Me Records/Fullmoon Magazine)
  • Weird in a Weird Way – 2024 (Drug Me Records)

References

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  • Kopelentová, Tereza (4 April 2022). "SONJA & HANK Z KILL THE DANDIES!: NEUSTÁLE SE POHYBUJEME NA HRANĚ". art.ceskatelevize.cz.
  • Göth, Jindřich (23 February 2021). "RECENZE: Kill The Dandies! a Steve Buscemi vymetají lynchovské bary". Idnes.cz.
  • Šafránek, Šimon (2018). "Kombo: Kill The Dandies!". ceskatelevize.cz.
  • Matýsek, Jiří V. (11 January 2022). "Soudtrack k filmu "Okupace" nabízí výkladní skříň domácí retro-psychedelie". musicserver.cz.