The Kut

The Kut

The Kut are a London rock group led by Princess Maha, who is also the singer, guitarist and songwriter. The act is based in London and performs as a multi-instrumentalist project with a live band line-up. It is associated with rock, grunge and riot grrrl influences, and draws on bands including Deftones, L7, Hole, Incubus, Placebo, Nirvana, My Chemical Romance and Faith No More.

Releases and recordings

The Kut work towards a debut album and circulate demos in the build-up to that release. Their single No Trace is produced by James LeRock Loughrey, whose credits include Skindred, White Zombie, My Vitriol, Manic Street Preachers, Page & Plant, Bjork and Def Leppard. The track appears on the Makeup EP and is described as a dark, emotive song. The band’s video for Closure is playlisted on Sub TV, Tuune, NME TV Radar and the Bongo Boy Rock n Roll show across several US cable channels.

Live work and touring

The Kut perform a large live set and play UK festivals and club dates. They perform at the London 2012 Olympics and the Paralympics after selection by the Teenage Rampage Foundation. Their live history also includes a sold-out UK tour called The Love Hate Vampire Shotgun System Circus Tour, a 14-date Club Criminal tour, DJ sets for Kerrang! Klub in London, and appearances at UK festivals. The band also performs an unplugged UK tour with Maha joined by Stacey Douglas of ANNIMA on acoustic guitar and Sophie Haynes on cello.

Recognition and chart success

The Kut are voted into the winning positions in MTV UK’s Brand New Unsigned Poll. Princess Maha is a double UKSC Award winner in the UK Songwriting Contest. The act reaches number one in the Official UK Rock Albums Chart with the album GRIT, while its predecessor Valley of Thorns reaches the Top 10 in the rock chart. The single ANIMO wins three songwriting awards: Best Rock Song in the UK Songwriting Contest, Best Music Video and the International Rock Award.

Collaborations and support dates

The Kut tour GRIT and Valley of Thorns in ten countries and support Electric Six, Shonen Knife and Danko Jones. Princess Maha also produces and drums on an album by the female-fronted grunge band Argonaut, recorded at Cartel Studios in West London and set in motion by Criminal Records.

Style and identity

Classic Rock describes the project as female-driven punk-pop with swagger. The Kut present an energetic, punk-influenced sound with strong ties to independent rock and grunge.