Boy Kill Boy
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Defunct | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Leytonstone, East London , England, United Kingdom |
| Products | Music (studio albums, singles) |
Boy Kill Boy was a rock group originating from Leytonstone in East London, active mainly from 2004 to 2008, with a short-lived reunion in 2016. Their discography includes two studio albums and six singles, with their most successful track "Suzie" reaching number 17 on the UK Singles Chart in 2006.
History
Prior to establishing Boy Kill Boy, Chris Peck, Pete Carr, and Shaz Mahmood performed together in Future of Junior. Their initial single, "Suzie," was released in May 2005 via Fierce Panda Records. That same summer, they performed on the BBC Radio 1 stage at the Reading and Leeds Festivals. Their follow-up single, "Civil Sin," launched through Fallout Records (a subsidiary of Island Records), earned the distinction of Zane Lowe's "Hottest Track In The World Today."
In 2005, the band secured a contract with Vertigo Records. The 2006 release "Back Again" climbed to number 26 on the UK Singles Chart, leading to an appearance on Top of the Pops. The reissued "Suzie" achieved a peak position of number 17. Their debut album Civilian, released in May 2006, reached number 16 on the UK Albums Chart and attained number 11 on Billboard’s Top Heatseekers chart in North America.
Boy Kill Boy stepped in as replacements during the NME New Music Tour 2005, supporting acts including Maxïmo Park and The Cribs, and later headlined the NME New Bands Tour in 2006 alongside The Automatic and The Long Blondes. In March 2006, "Suzie" was selected as the US iTunes Single of the Week, preceding a US tour where they supported The Charlatans and Echo & the Bunnymen.
Returning to Reading and Leeds Festivals in 2006 with an elevated billing, the band also embarked on an extensive UK headline tour that October. They played support for Feeder at Camden Roundhouse during War Child charity concerts and released "Shoot Me Down" as a charity single for this cause.
Their rendition of Nelly Furtado’s "Maneater" was featured on BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge. Several tracks including "Suzie," "Civil Sin," and "Back Again" were included in popular video game soundtracks such as FIFA Street 2, FIFA 07, and Test Drive Unlimited.
The sophomore album Stars and the Sea, produced by Dave Sardy—known for his work with Oasis—was recorded in Los Angeles and released on 31 March 2008 but failed to replicate the success of their debut. Speculation about their disbandment arose shortly thereafter; Boy Kill Boy officially dissolved in October 2008.
Following the breakup, Chris Peck pursued solo endeavors while Pete Carr became part of Marina and the Diamonds’ touring band. The band briefly reunited for two performances in London during November 2016.
Members
- Chris Peck (lead vocals, guitar)
- Kevin Chase (bass guitar, vocals)
- Peter Carr (keyboards)
- Shaz Mahmood (drums)
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | SCO | US Heat | |||||||
| Civilian |
|
16 | 15 | 11 |
| ||||
| Stars and the Sea |
|
98 | — | — | |||||
| "—" indicates releases that did not chart or were unavailable in that region. | |||||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Highest chart positions | Album | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | UK Indie | SCO | |||||||
| "Suzie! / Last Of The Great" | 2005 | 130 | 18 | 99 | Civilian | ||||
| "Civil Sin / On and On" | — | — | — | ||||||
| "Back Again" | 2006 | 26 | — | 30 | |||||
| "Suzie" (re-issue) | 17 | — | 12 | ||||||
| "Civil Sin" (re-issue) | 44 | — | 36 | ||||||
| "Shoot Me Down" | 63 | — | 49 | ||||||
| "No Conversation" | 2007 | — | — | — | Stars and the Sea | ||||
| "Promises" | 2008 | 121 | — | 33 | |||||
| "—" indicates singles that did not enter the charts. | |||||||||