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On this day, 20 June 1989, alternative rock band Kitchens of Distinction played Cardiff’s Square Club. The band had just released their debut album Love Is Hell.
Formed in Tooting, South London in 1986. The trio consist of lead singer and bassist Patrick Fitzgerald, guitarist Julian Swales and drummer Daniel Goodwin.
The band were considered part of the shoegaze subgenre and released four studio albums before disbanding in 1996. In September 2012, Patrick Fitzgerald announced Kitchens of Distinction's reunion, followed by the 2013 release of their fifth album, their first in 19 years.
Kitchens of Distinction did not attain the commercial success or widespread recognition of their other shoegaze contemporaries, as Fitzgerald was openly gay and touched upon the topic often in his lyrics. Much press coverage pigeonholed the band's image as a result of his sexuality even as Fitzgerald expressed his distaste for Kitchens of Distinction being labeled a "gay band".
Love Is Hell, was first released in April 1989 by One Little Indian Records in the UK and A&M Records in the US. While the album earned KOD comparisons to bands like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Chameleons, the guitar soundscapes created by Julian Swales and the passionate lyrics and vocal delivery from Patrick Fitzgerald gave Kitchens of Distinction their own signature sound.
The album also maintains a punkier sound than to be featured on the band's later albums. The 1993 CD edition of the album includes the band's 1989 Elephantine EP as 4 bonus tracks.
The album takes its title from the last line in "Hammer", a song about love gone wrong
