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Kensington (band)

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Kensington
Kensington in 2015
Kensington in 2015
Background information
OriginUtrecht, Netherlands
GenresPop rock[1]
Years active2005–present
Members
  • Casper Starreveld
  • Niles Vandenberg
  • Jan Haker
Past members
  • Lucas Lenselink
  • Eloi Youssef[2]
Websitekensingtonband.com

Kensington is a Dutch rock band from Utrecht that was formed in 2005. The band's lineup of lead vocalist Eloi Youssef, guitarist Casper Starreveld, bassist Jan Haker and drummer Niles Vandenberg remained consistent for 14 years beginning in 2008. The band has released five studio albums, three of which reached number one in the Netherlands alongside their greatest hits album.

In 2021, Youssef announced his plans to leave the band, and his final show with Kensington took place on 4 September 2022 at Amsterdam's Ziggo Dome. The band is still searching for his successor as lead vocalist.

De Volkskrant in 2023 named Kensington "the most successful Dutch rock band of the last fifteen years". From 2015 to Youssef's final show in 2022, the band sold out the Ziggo Dome 19 consecutive times, leading them to be dubbed the arena's "house band".[3] Kensington also performed the largest concert by a Dutch rock band in the country's history when they sold out the Johan Cruyff Arena in 2018 with 50,000 tickets.[4]

Biography

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Early years (2005–2008)

[edit]

Before Kensington, guitarist Casper Starreveld, bassist Jan Haker and drummer Lucas Lenselink played together as Quad, for a secondary school assignment at Montessori Lyceum Herman Jordan in Zeist. In 2005, they became Kensington and added Eloi Youssef in 2006.[5] Their first releases were a two-song promo single An Introduction To... and the five-song Kensington EP in 2007. This self-produced EP was recorded in the Second Moon Studio of Dutch folk singer Hessel van der Kooij, on the island of Terschelling, and was mixed and mastered by Martijn Groeneveld in the Mailmen Studios in Utrecht.[6]

At the end of the year, drummer Lesenlink left the band because he did not see a professional future for himself and wanted to finish his university studies.[7] Drummer Niles Vandenberg, formerly of Griffin, joined the band in February 2008.[8] Their second EP Youth was released on 12 December 2008. It led to the band signing with Bladehammer/EMI.[4]

  • Jan Haker
    Jan Haker
  • Casper Starreveld
    Casper Starreveld
  • Eloi Youssef
    Eloi Youssef
  • Niles Vandenberg
    Niles Vandenberg

Borders (2009–2011)

[edit]

In the summer of 2009, Kensington traveled to Leeds to start work on their first full-length album with producer James Kenosha, in the studio of Kaiser Chiefs' keyboardist Nick Baines.[9] The album, titled Borders, came out on 17 July 2010. It was mastered by John Davis, who also worked with Arctic Monkeys.[10] The first single, "Youth", received regular airplay on 3FM, MTV and TMF, and entered the Dutch Single Top 100 chart at number 78.[11] With the album, Eloi Youssef became the band's lead vocalist after previously splitting duties with guitarist Casper Starreveld, who retreated to backing vocals. In 2010, Kensington earned support slots opening for Razorlight[12], My Chemical Romance[5] and The Wombats[13] for those bands' Dutch shows.

In February 2011, Kensington embarked on their first headlining tour, the No Borders Tour, which sold out venues such as Paradiso in Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht and Rotown in Rotterdam.[14][15] The single "Let Go" came out in March 2011 and was added to a re-release of Borders.[16] That summer, Kink FM listeners voted Kensington as the National Festival Ambassador of 2011, helping them play Serbia's EXIT Festival and Indonesia's Java Rockin'land.[17] In Indonesia, Kensington also played at the Erasmushuis, the Dutch cultural centre in Jakarta.[18] On 11 October 2011, Borders was released in the U.S. and Canada through Zip Records, an indie record label from San Francisco.[19] In November 2011, the band was invited to New York City to promote Borders, playing a show at the Manhattan music venue The Cutting Room.[20]

Vultures (2012–2013)

[edit]

On 25 October 2011, the band released "We Are the Young", the lead single to the band's second album Vultures. The band postponed a scheduled 2012 tour until April to continue working on the album, but it could not be released before the start of the tour, so they test-ran the new material at a series of sold-out club shows.[21] After the album was finished, Universal Music Group expressed interest in releasing it. At this point, Borders had only sold a thousand copies, so the band was struggling financially and had to pay for the recording of Vultures themselves, and they had to pay an additional fee to buy out their previous contract with EMI.[4] To do so, guitarist Casper Starreveld said the band borrowed money from his mother.[22] The second single "Send Me Away" was released on 6 April 2012.[23] Vultures was released on 11 May 2012. The album was recorded in Berlin, mixed by Cenzo Townshend (U2, Editors) in London and mastered in New York City.[23]

Kensington live at Appelpop festival

Kensington received two nominations at the 2012 3FM Awards in the categories "Serious Talent Award",[24] which is awarded by a jury, and "Best Artist Rock",[25] which is based on fan votes. An international version of Vultures was released on 11 January 2013 by Universal in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland and South Korea. It included a new song "Home Again", which was featured in a commercial for German ski clothing brand Jack Wolfskin.[22]

Kensington continued to tour in 2013, opening for Two Door Cinema Club and Kane[26][27] and playing festivals such as Pinkpop Festival and Sziget Festival.[28][29] They released the song "It Doesn't Have to Hurt" as a free download on their Bandcamp site.[30] The band won three 3FM Awards, for Best Album, Best Live Act and 3FM Talent Award.[31] In October, they won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Dutch Act, defeating Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Nicky Romero and Nielson.[32]

Rivals (2014–2015)

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The band's third album Rivals was released on 8 August 2014. It became their first number-one album on the Dutch Albums Chart and was preceded by the singles "Streets" and "All for Nothing".[33] The band played their largest concert to date at the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam on 20 February 2015, which sold out tickets within ten days.[34] Before that show happened, Kensington announced a concert at the 17,000-capacity Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on 26 November 2015.[35] It sold out in 11 hours, so the band added a second show for 25 November, which also sold out.[36] In February 2015, the album's third single "War" became Kensington's first top ten hit on the Dutch Top 40; it peaked at No. 7.[37] Rivals was certified Platinum in the Netherlands in March 2013 for selling over 40,000 copies, the band's first certified record.[38]

Kensington also made the soundtrack for the film Reckless (Dutch title: Bloedlink), which premiered in September 2014.[39]

In 2015, Kensington collaborated with DJ Armin van Buuren for the song "Heading Up High", which was featured on his album Embrace.[40] A music video for the song was filmed in the Koepelgevangenis in Breda.[41]

Control, Time and Unplugged (2016–present)

[edit]

On 28 October 2016, Kensington released their fourth album, Control.[42]

The lead single from the album, "Do I Ever", came out on 1 September 2016. A music video for the song was later released as well.

On 1 November 2016, the band released the second single, "Sorry", with the music video following later the same day.

On 10 March 2017, the band released the third single, "Bridges", with the music video coming out on the same day.

On 15 November 2019, Kensington released their fifth studio album, titled Time. The lead single off the album, "Bats", came out in May,[43] followed by "What Lies Ahead" in August.[44]

On 12 November 2021, the band announced that their lead singer, Eloi Youssef, would leave the band in 2022 due to creative differences. They performed together for the last time in September 2022.[45]

On 26 November 2021, Kensington released the live album Unplugged (Live).[46]

Reception

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In 2023, De Volkskrant named Kensington "the most successful Dutch rock band of the last fifteen years" and also called them the Ziggo Dome's "house band", for selling out the arena 19 consecutive times from 2015 to 2022. The paper said that Kensington's most impressive commercial achievement is their ticket sales; the band first played local Utrecht venues before ascending to the festival circuit of Pinkpop, Lowlands and Noorderslag in 2013 and 2014 and then conquering Amsterdam at the arena level.[3] On 14 July 2018, Kensington sold out the Johan Cruyff Arena in Amsterdam – the largest venue in the country, selling 50,000 tickets in what became the largest-ever rock concert by a Dutch band.[47]

Like their commercially successful Dutch mainstream rock predecessors BLØF and Kane, Kensington has also been criticised for their music, specifically their overuse of "whoo-hoo" melodies and "arm-waving songs".[3] In 2016, the Belgian magazine Humo compared a Kensington song to "a pre-packaged slice of cheddar cheese: wrapped in plastic, unnaturally shiny and an imitation of the real stuff."[48] In a negative review of the band's fourth album Control, De Volkskrant wrote that "The band presents a grand, bloated sound with little substance."[49] NU.nl said in 2018 that even compared to other criticised Dutch musicians, "antipathy towards Kensington seems to be on a different level."[50]

Former lead singer Eloi Youssef poked fun at the backlash, describing Kensington's music as "our Lion King sound." Guitarist Casper Starreveld said that "it suits us, our ambition and our taste."[3]

Band members

[edit]

Timeline

Discography

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Studio albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions
NLD
[11] 		BEL
(FL)
[51] 		SWI
[52]
Borders [nl] 67 — —
Vultures [nl]
  • Released: 11 May 2012
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
 6 — —
Rivals [nl]
  • Released: 8 August 2014
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
 1 47 —
Control
  • Released: 28 October 2016
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
 1 26 —
Time
  • Released: 15 November 2019
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
 1 34 66

Compilation albums

[edit]
Title Album details Peak chart positions
NLD
[11]
Greatest Hits
  • Released: 26 August 2022
  • Label: Universal
  • Formats: CD, LP, digital download
 1

Live albums

[edit]
  • Unplugged (Live) (2021)

EPs

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  • An Introduction To... (nl) (2006)
  • Kensington (nl) (2007)
  • Youth (nl) (2008)

Singles

[edit]
Single Year Peak chart positions Album
NLD
Dutch
Top 40
[53] 		NLD
Single
Top 100
[11] 		BEL
(FL)
[51] 		BEL
(WA)
[54]
"Youth" 2010 — 78 — — Borders
"When It All Falls Down" 2011 — — — —
"Let Go" — 74 — —
"We Are the Young" — — — — Vultures
"Send Me Away" 2012 — — — —
"No Way Out" — — — —
"Don't Look Back" — — — —
"Home Again" 2013 33 40 63 —
"Ghosts" — — — —
"Streets" 2014 22 19 52 — Rivals
"All for Nothing" 35 51 47 —
"War" 7 13 54 81
"Riddles" 2015 23 51 58 —
"Done with It" 19 57 — —
"Do I Ever" 2016 14 31 75 — Control
"Sorry" 15 26 — —
"Bridges" 2017 30 — — —
"Fiji" 31 97 — —
"Slicer" 2018 — — — —
"Bats" 2019 33 — — — Time
"What Lies Ahead" 23 76 — —
"Uncharted" 10 31 — —

Other charted songs

[edit]
Single Year Peak chart positions Album
NLDutch
Top 40[53] 		NLSingle
Top 100[11]
"Heading Up High"
(Armin van Buuren featuring Kensington) 		2015 12 40 Embrace

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Kensington".
  2. ^ "Departure of Eloi". Eloi Youssef. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d "Nederlands succesvolste rockband van de laatste vijftien jaar: Kensington". De Volkskrant. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. ^ a b c "Hoe Kensington de grootste rockshow van Nederland neerzette - utrecht". 3voor12 (in Dutch). 16 July 2018. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  5. ^ a b "Kensington door de jaren heen". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  6. ^ "Dit was MusicFromNL". Musicfrom.nl. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011.
  7. ^ Sikkema, Casper (4 January 2008). "Drummer Kensington stapt op "Ik kon me niet vinden in de ambities van de rest"" (in Dutch). 3voor12. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  8. ^ "KENSINGTON MET NIEUWE DRUMMER OP STUCK IN A DAY-FESTIVAL". Archived from the original on 3 September 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  9. ^ "KENSINGTON DOET VERSLAG VAN OPNAMEPROCES IN LEEDS". Archived from the original on 19 April 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  10. ^ [1] [dead link‍]
  11. ^ a b c d e "Discografie Kensington". Dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 24 January 2015.
  12. ^ Van Campen, Marin (16 April 2009). "Razorlight geeft geen waar voor geld Kensington verrijkt erelijst" (in Dutch). 3voor12. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  13. ^ "3VOOR12 Presenteert...The Wombats!" (in Dutch). 3voor12. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  14. ^ Van Houwelingen, Linda (13 October 2010). "Eerste headlinetour ambitieuze Kensington begin 2011" (in Dutch). 3voor12. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  15. ^ Van der Linden, Marlou (15 March 2011). "Kensington toont internationale klasse in een uitverkocht Rotown" (in Dutch). 3voor12. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  16. ^ "Playlist - Megahit - 3FM - Serious Radio". 3fm.nl. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010.
  17. ^ "KENSINGTON VERWERFT TITEL 'NATIONALE FESTIVALAMBASSADEUR'". Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  18. ^ "KENSINGTON NAAR INDONESIË". Archived from the original on 31 July 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  19. ^ "KENSINGTON GOES USA". Facebook. 23 September 2011.
  20. ^ "Blog 4: Kensington op promotour in VS". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  21. ^ "Kensington klaar voor festivalzomer | Kensington legt proeve van bekwaamheid af in de Melkweg". Archived from the original on 10 May 2012. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  22. ^ a b "Hoe Kensington de grootste rockband van Nederland werd". 3voor12 (in Dutch). 14 January 2014. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  23. ^ a b Huismans, Sjoerd (20 March 2012). "Kensington brengt nieuw album uit bij Universal" (in Dutch). 3voor12. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  24. ^ "3FM Serious Talent Award" (in Dutch). NPO 3FM. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  25. ^ "And the nominees are..." (in Dutch). NPO 3FM. 14 March 2012. Archived from the original on 30 June 2012. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  26. ^ De Jongh, Lisa (2 March 2013). "Two Door Cinema Club kan HMH makkelijk aan". NU.nl.
  27. ^ "Giel live vanuit het clubhuis van Kane". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  28. ^ "Programma Pinkpop 2013 compleet met Will and the People". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  29. ^ Hendriks, Bas (4 April 2013). "Ook Kensington op Sziget deze zomer". Festileaks.com (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  30. ^ "It Doesn't Have to Hurt, by Kensington". Kensingtonband.bandcamp.com.
  31. ^ Jaap (18 April 2013). "Kensington en Racoon grote winnaars 3FM Awards". RadioFreak.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  32. ^ "Kensington Wins Best Dutch Act by MTV | NL Times". nltimes.nl. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  33. ^ digiboost (18 August 2014). "Kensington op 1 in Album Top 100". Entertainment Business (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  34. ^ Wander, Wil (31 July 2014). "Kensington naar Heineken Music Hall". .: Maxazine :. (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  35. ^ "3FM Presents: Kensington in de Ziggo Dome". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  36. ^ "Kensington verrast door populariteit". RTL Nieuws & Entertainment (in Dutch). 20 February 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  37. ^ "Eerste top 10-hit voor Kensington | Top 40-nieuws". Top40.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  38. ^ "Kensington ontvangt platina plaat voor Rivals". NPO 3FM (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  39. ^ "Bloedlink opent Nederlands Film Festival 2014" (in Dutch). NU.nl. 24 September 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  40. ^ "Kensington op album Armin". NPO Radio 2 (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  41. ^ "Kensington & Armin van Buuren release video clip". Qmusic. 8 February 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  42. ^ "Kensington". Kensingtonband.com.
  43. ^ "Single Review: Kensington – Bats". abitofpopmusic.com. 24 May 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  44. ^ "Single Review: Kensington – What Lies Ahead". abitofpopmusic.com. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  45. ^ Kensington on Maxazine.nl - 12 November 2021
  46. ^ "Kensington Releases Live Album Unplugged | Stars". netherlandsnewslive.com. 25 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
  47. ^ Raatgever, Stefan (11 July 2018). "Spanning bij Kensington voor megashow in Johan Cruijff Arena". Het Parool.
  48. ^ "Belgische pers zeer negatief over Utrechtse band Kensington". De Utrechtse Internet Courant. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  49. ^ Kamer, Gijsbert (4 November 2016). "Kensington overschreeuwt zichzelf". De Volkskrant.
  50. ^ Verhoeven, Sjan (13 July 2018). "Waarom het succesvolle Kensington zo veel kritiek krijgt". NU.nl.
  51. ^ a b "Discografie Kensington". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  52. ^ "Kensington". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  53. ^ a b "Kensington". Top40.nl.
  54. ^ "Discographie Kensington". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
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