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DiScussion: Who's your favourite duo?

by Sean Adams
Artists: The Kills, Blood Red Shoes, No Age, Matt & Kim

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The Kills

You don't see a duo for ages and then two come along at once. Last week, the once little known indie duo The Kills fizzed, snapped and thumped the television viewing faces of an unassuming British public on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. In the past few days, LA-spawned cult duo No Age also made news headlines for their US TV appearance (below) which cause a political storm. This pair of pairs got us thinking about the power of two ... and off to YouTube we went...

Visually, it's the lack of attention-diluting members which makes these bands special. How can two hands and two feet make such a frenetic sound? The interplay that only a couple can have also adds a extra dimension of myth and magic to the duo, making it a format that just never seems to wear thin.

We wanna know who your favourite duo is but first, here are three to focus your mind and get you started...

No Age

With the release earlier this year of Nouns (9/10 review) Randy Randall and Dean Spunt double underlined the fact that they were a beacon of inspiring and intelligent life in LA this decade. Previously Weirdo Rippers (9/10 review), an album compiling their initial recordings put them and LA club The Smell on the world map. The reaction to their initial releases were phenomenal and the pair packed themselves off to play a relentless tour, everywhere and anywhere that would have them.

Their debut releases have won hearts, minds and end-of-year plaudits for their raucous swerving between the epic art-rock of Liars, My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth, hurled along by the primal thud of skate punk and post-hardcore. They're refreshing but all the while it's a bewildering feat that it's only just the two of them (and a little bit of pedal trickery) making this static-riddled wall of noise.

DiS is very excited to have them as the main support on our Shred Yr Face tour (info) which begins this week.

Here's No Age performing 'The Eraser' on The Late Late Show:

The Kills

Performing 'Last Day of Magic' live on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.

Blood Red Shoes

Performing 'Say Anything, Say Anything' and 'This Is Not For You' live at the Le Rock Dans Tous Ses États festival.

DiScuss: So who's your favourite duo? Iwasacubscout? Tegan & Sara? Crystal Castles? Quasi? White Stripes? Matt & Kim? Ike & Tina? Derek & Clive? What makes duos special for you? Do you ever wonder how the hell two people cannot help but fall out on the road? Why are duos better than solo artists? Is two people making noise more impressive than a huge Broken Social Scene collective? Should The Stones have just been Keith and Mick? What other bands would have been better if they were just a duo?


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