Kids of 88


Ah, kids today. Having a song crowned the best of the year can be the high point of years of toil by some bands. For Sam McCarthy and Jordan Arts, their celebrated time as unashamed pop duo Kids of 88 is but a chapter in their ambitiously varied music careers.

In 2003, a band from St. Peter’s College, Auckland – Incursa (from Latin, meaning “to strike against”) – entered the Smokefree Rockquest. Among the five members were Arts and McCarthy. According to McCarthy, their friendship began in an English class where “as an icebreaking exercise we were told to bring in our favourite song. Everyone brought in Limp Bizkit, but the thing that linked Jordan and myself is that we were wanky enough to bring in Jimi Hendrix songs. We were both trying to be as cool as possible so we rummaged through our parents’ CD collection as opposed to our own.”

Kids of 88 - Sugarpills (2011)
Sam McCarthy and Jordan Arts, Kids of 88.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Kids of 88, live in San Francisco, 2011.
Kids of 88 - My House (2010)
Kids of 88's 2010 debut album Sugarpills.
Kids of 88's Sam McCarthy and Jordan Arts.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Jordan Arts.
Photo credit: Shane Talbot/Moshtix
Kids of 88's 2012 album Modern Love.
Jordan Arts, Kids of 88.
Photo credit: Shane Talbot/Moshtix
Kids of 88 - The Drug (2012)
Kids of 88 - Ribbons of Light (2011)
Kids of 88's Sam McCarthy and Jordan Arts.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Kids of 88 - Just A Little Bit (2010, directed by Tim van Dammen)
Kids of 88 - Tucan feat. Alisa Xayalith (2012)
Sam McCarthy, Kids of 88.
Photo credit: Shane Talbot/Moshtix
Sam McCarthy and Jordan Arts, Kids of 88.
Photo credit: Publicity photo
Sam McCarthy, Kids of 88.
Photo credit: Shane Talbot/Moshtix
Kids of 88 - Downtown (2010)
Kids of 88 - Bad Talk (2013)
Kids of 88 - Sugarpills (95bFM in Session, Roundhead Studios, 2011)
Kids of 88 - My House (live in San Francisco, 2011)
Labels:

RCA


Dryden Street


East City Records


Sony

Members:

Sam McCarthy - vocals

Jordan Arts - keyboards, sequencing

Funded by

Partners with