MiniKiss: meet the world’s shortest band
Many bands make their band names too complicated and profound. A band name should be like a movie title, a quick look into what they do and what they have to offer. All musicians moving forward should take note of the shortest band in the world: MiniKiss. Who are, as the title suggests, a small version of Kiss.
In 2003, Tina Weymouth was heading to do a gig at Howl! Festival with Tom Tom Club. She was keen on supporting the arts as much as possible, so she was excited to play, but her support act caught her slightly off guard. “The opening act was a band called MiniKiss: a group of… little people… dressed in full outfits and makeup, but with no instruments, lip-synching to Kiss songs.”
While Tina might have shrugged the gig off as a one-off, the band is still together 20 years later, setting the record for the shortest band in the world and doing incredibly well. Since that performance, they have gone on to appear on the hit American TV show Lip Sync Battle, appeared in the movie Paul Blart Mall Cop with Kevin James, and did a Super Bowl commercial with the actual Kiss.
“I had the biggest love for 80s hair metal bands, and my first love was Kiss and Gene Simmons,” said Louis Fatale, the band’s founder. “I was moving and came across my vinyl records and found my Kiss Alive! album, and it just hit me: MiniKiss.”
Before appearing in movies and commercials, the band intended to be a fun novelty act. They didn’t invest much money in equipment and instead opted to rely on stage presence and positive energy to put on a good show. Their first gig dates back to October 30th, 1996, at a club in New York called The Lava Lounge. “Our first show was lip-syncing to a Kiss CD and playing blow-up guitars like you see at parties,” he said, “we stood on top of the bar, and we sang five songs from the actual Kiss CD. We were a hit!”
The power of good music and a good stage presence is unpalpable as the band are not just hired for parties and bar nights, as they first imagined they might be, but instead have been on tour with some big names, including Blue Oyster Cult, Air Supply and A Perfect Circle.
Despite the act’s success, the band remain relatively humble in it, admiring their rock idols and doing what comes naturally: singing along to great music. “We just put on our gear and rock the stage!”
Now, as record holders with so many different gigs and accolades under their belts, the band have no intention of slowing down and want to continue doing what they do best. In the words of Louis Fatale, “Practice, be nice, and know how to work the audience… and just keep rocking!”
