Kensington

Dutch indie rockers Kensington initially formed in Utrecht in 2005, and by 2008 featured a stable lineup of Casper Starreveld (guitar, vocals), Eloi Youssef (guitar, vocals), Jan Haker (bass), and Niles Vandenberg (drums). Informed by new wave revivalists Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs, the band had recorded a five-song EP in 2006, and positive reviews plus touring led to another release, 2008's Youth EP. The band began recording their debut album in Leeds with Kaiser Chiefs associate James Kenosha. Borders, released in the summer of 2010, broke into the Dutch charts early the following year. Newly signed to Universal, the band began recording their second album, Vultures, producing it themselves along with Niels Zuiderhoek. Released in May 2012, the album reached number 13 on the Dutch charts. Kensington's third album Rivals was the band's true breakthrough, hitting number one in the Netherlands upon release in August 2014. It spent the rest of the year in the charts and went double-platinum, thanks to a pair of hit singles, "Streets" and "War." The band earned plenty of awards over the next year, both with MTV Europe and the Dutch 3FM awards. Fourth album Control appeared in late 2016, hitting number one in the Netherlands with the single "Do I Ever." ~ John Bush