Alison Mosshart from the USA and Jamie Hince from the UK formed the British-American duo The Kills in 2001. Before creating the band, Alison worked with the punk rock group Discount. The musicians met in the hotel. Mosshart heard Hince playing the guitar in the neighboring room. Hince worked with such bands as Blyth Power and Scarfo.
After meeting in the hotel, Jamie and Alison became friends. They exchanged ideas and sent records to each other. Those were the first drafts of their future work. When Mosshart’s and Hince’s bands fell apart, the musicians decided to form their own duo. They called the project The Kills. The year of the band formation is officially 2001, which is the time when Mosshart moved to London.
The duo’s first release was an EP, Black Rooster, which the artists recorded with an indie label Domino Records. In the USA, the EP was released with the assistance of Dim Mal Records. The album’s cover featured photo booth pictures of Alison and Jamie. The songs were a mix of rock and blues.
In the interviews, the artists said that they were inspired by such musicians as Captain Beefheart, PJ Harvey, Patti Smith, The Velvet Underground, and others. Many critics compared the band to The White Stripes. The comparison became even more popular when the band recorded its debut album, Keep On Your Mean Sid, in the Toe Rag Studio. That’s where The White Stripes created their hit LP, Elephant.
