Manda Rin (real name Amanda MacKinnon,[1] born 22 March 1977) is a Scottish singer, artist and songwriter. She is the singer and keyboard player of the Scottish indie rock band Bis,[2] later fronted the Kitchen and also released a solo album. She also co-hosted a radio show on BBC Scotland called Air.[3]
Manda Rin | |
---|---|
Born | Amanda MacKinnon (1977-03-22) March 22, 1977 (age 45) |
Occupation | Musician |
Partner | Stuart Memo |
Rin was the only person ever to appear in two of the line up rounds on Never Mind the Buzzcocks. Her first appearance was never shown: one of the contestants on the programme was Russell Brand who, shortly after taping, became embroiled in a tabloid row after leaving messages on the answerphone of Andrew Sachs for his radio programme, resulting in Brand being banned from the BBC.[4]
In 1994, Rin, along with the brothers Steven Clark (Sci-fi Steven) and John Clark (John Disco), formed the band Bis in Glasgow, Scotland.[5] In March 1996, Bis performed their single "Kandy Pop" on Top of the Pops twice,[6] which charted at number 25 in the UK Singles Chart.[7] The lead single, "Eurodisco", from their second album, Social Dancing (1999), reached number 37.[7] Bis toured extensively from 1996 to 2000, and achieved strong fan bases in Japan,[8] the US and Australia. The band split in 2003, but in 2005 formed a new band, data Panik, which lasted until the next year.[8] Bis reformed in 2007 and released a fourth album, data Panik etcetera, in 2014.[6] A fifth album, Slight Disconnects, followed in 2019.[9] A sixth Bis album, Systems Music For Home Defence, was released in 2022.
Rin released a solo single, "Guilty Pleasure",[10] and an EP, My DNA Sampler, in 2008, both on This Is Fake DIY Records.[11] The next year, her EP My DNA was released,[12] and a solo album of the same name followed in 2009.[1]
Rin contributed vocals to tracks for the 1998 album Cat Food by J Church[13] and Meister's 2004 album I Met the Music.[14]
Rin also fronted the Kitchen with Ryan Seagrist from Alison Mosshart's first band, Discount, who released several singles and an album in 2003 on the Damaged Goods label.[15] She later teamed up with Hyperbubble on a track for the group's 2011 album Drastic Cinematic and for the 2013 EP Hyperbubble + Manda Rin.
Following the first dissolution of Bis, MacKinnon became a DJ at nightclubs, most notably Death Disco at the Arches in Glasgow.[16]
Rin was responsible for the manga-inspired artwork on all of Bis's releases.[17] Her sleeves aided the success of the band, most notably in Japan;[8] she published a monthly comic strip in the Japanese magazine Buzz.[citation needed] More recently, Rin has held an exhibition of her work under the title "Cover Versions and Other Hits".[17]
In 2009, Rin revealed that she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2005.[18]
Rin married Stuart Memo in 2011 and has a cat called Akiko.[citation needed]
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