Review : Vanessa Monaghan
Bath based Kill It Kid kicked off the tour in support of their new album ‘Feet Fall Heavy’ in The Academy 2 on September 10th. With a noticeable change in style since their debut, the band are out to show they are the real deal.
Leaders of Men had the honours of opening up on the night to a very quiet venue. However this didn’t throw the band off and they proceeded to introduce themselves with confidence and polish. Brandishing a raw brand of indie, the band seem to channel the cockiness of Arctic Monkeys while still retaining vastness of White Lies. Definitely one to watch.
As Kill It Kid are about to start their set, singer Chris Turpin remarks how we’ll all be on first name terms by the end of the night. While it’s obviously hard for a band starting off a tour with a small crowd, it also seems to be a catalyst for the band to try and convert everyone in the venue, one at a time.
The first sampled notes of a Southern Preacher herald the start of Heart Rested With You. Within moment there are a few noteworthy things. How does such a big blues rock howl come out of such a slender guy? I spend a lot of time during the set trying to figure this out. Turpin has a huge voice, one much older than his years.
The lady of the band, Stephanie Ward, starts ‘Sweetness Has A Hold On’ and this seems to cement the Kill It Kid sound. The two vocalists beautifully combine for a timeless blues delivery. The skin on the snare drum tears but this doesn’t deter the frontman as he jokes with members of the audience.
Using the Alan Lomax field recordings as they did on record is a delight, you don’t expect to hear samples within a dirty blues rock setting like this. It works, extremely well. These combined with classic keyboard sounds courtesy of a Wurlitzer, distorted, squealing guitars and clever bass runs make Kill It Kid, a dirty rock force for a new generation. There hasn’t been a band like these guys in .. well a long time.
Pray on me, the lead track for the album is introduced by Turpin as he tells is that Zane Lowe played the track on BBC Radio 1. It’s grungy edgy and extremely memorable. The uniqueness of what Kill It Kid are currently making is very apparent. Rock isn’t enough, blues isn’t enough, using samples, they combine everything and have made their brand of dirty rock something that must be heard.
The attention to detail the band show throughout the set is admirable, readjusting guitar and bass pedals, oh so subtly for different songs. Turpin uses a trio of guitars including an extremely modified catalogue guitar to get the sound just right.
The progress the band have made since their debut can be heard but ‘Dirty Water’ is the bridge between the two, with this version being as gritty as anything from ‘Feet Fall Heavy’.
Kill It Kid, have old spirits within young bodies, the structure and composition of their songs are no doubt the envy of many seasoned players. These guys have the talent and ability, all they need is people to see them. For the audience who were in The Academy, we’ll know where we first saw Kill It Kid. Get yourself to a Kill It Kid show.