Kensington
Kensington is a true rock band from Dutch soil. Debut album Borders was released in 2010, after which the band went on tour in their own country. In the meantime, eight years have passed and album number four has already been released: Control!
Borders is the first album by the Utrecht band Kensington. The album is recorded in Leeds (England), in the studio of the British band Kaiser Chiefs. ‘Youth’ is the first single. The band gets a record deal and makes the new single ‘Let Go’, which is well received and becomes a 3FM Megahit. In the meantime, they say they are working hard on their second album Vultures.
3FM Serious Talent
Kensington was named 3FM Serious Talent in 2010 with the single ‘Youth’. The Utrecht residents were then quickly picked up by De Wereld Draait Door and performed at Noorderslag in Groningen in 2011.
Second album
The men of Kensington will go to Berlin in the autumn of 2011 to work on their second studio album, which should be released in early 2012. A taste of the record is the first single ‘We Are The Young’. Kensington likes to work on their career abroad: in June 2012 the band travels to London to record the video for ‘No Way Out’, single three from Vultures. Actor Michael Koltes and Brazilian model Ana Araújo play the leading roles in the video clip, which is shot from a special perspective.
Festivals
Kensington starts 2013 with shows at Eurosonic Noorderslag and a short tour of Dutch venues. The band is also the support act for Two Door Cinema Club and Kane. Kensington is also the first Dutch band to be confirmed for Pinkpop 2013 and they will play at 60 other festivals at home and abroad, such as Sziget, the Zwarte Cross, Appelpop and Paaspop.
Prices
In addition, they won major prizes during the 3FM Awards. They won awards for Best Album (Vultures), Best Live Act and the Serious Talent Award. The band also managed to secure an MTV EMA for Best Dutch Act later that year. A year later, a gold record followed for their album Vultures. The single ‘Home Again’, which is also on that album, previously received gold status.
Third studio album
In February 2014, Kensington will be in Berlin again for weeks to work on the third studio album Rivals. The album, which includes the tracks ‘War’, ‘Streets’ and ‘All For Nothing’, will be released in August 2014. The video clip of ‘War’ features the famous Dutch gymnasts Epke Zonderland, Bart Deurloo and Casimir Schmidt.
‘Heading Up High’
The men are also doing really well in 2015. They are selling out the Heineken Music Hall and the Ziggo Dome very quickly. They also release a new single with Armin van Buuren: ‘Heading Up High’.
Control
The fourth studio album, called Control, will be released at the end of 2016. Within 24 hours it will be a gold record. That success is also reflected in the number of performances: they sell out the Ziggo Dome several times (just like the Amsterdam Arena), play their own European tour and are part of Armin van Buuren’s world tour.