began rehearsing

Dan Goodwin (drums) met Julian Swales (guitar) at college in 1980, and Swales met Patrick Fitzgerald (vocals/bass guitar) at a party in 1985. The trio began rehearsing together that same year, taking their name from a company of the same name that specialised in home decor and kitchen and plumbing fixtures, after Swales spotted one of their advertisements on the side of a bus while riding his bike. The Kitchens’ first single, “The Last Gasp Death Shuffle” (which featured Swales on lead vocals and bass, as well as guitar) was recorded in just one day on an eight-track in a Kennington basement, and was released in December 1987 on the band’s own Gold Rush Records. It was named a ‘Single of the Week’ in NME , and led to the band signing with British indie label One Little Indian Records (OLI); around this time, Fitzgerald – a medical doctor – put his career on hold to devote himself fully to the band. Their first singles for OLI, 1988’s “Prize” and 1989’s “The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule”, made it onto the ” NME Writers’ 100 Best Indie Singles Ever” list, published on 25 July 1992.