Time to put the spotlight on a band that got my foot a tapping back in October 2009, which seems an awful long time ago now. Kill It Kid sauntered into town with a James Dean swagger, attired with a moniker from a Blind Willie McTell tune and a confidence that belied their youth. It was the night England were playing Belarus and mostly because it was a dead rubber of a game, it wasn't too difficult persuading Platterhorn to vacate his usual position, slobbed out in front of the T.V and catch this hotly tipped band instead of a watching a meaningless game of football.It proved to be a wise choice as we got to hear some exhilarating songs played with gusto to the small but appreciative crowd. This young five piece from Bath have only been in existence since early 2008, yet they pack a punch with a sound that combines a traditional earthy bluesy rock with a twist of zingy indie folky lemony freshness. Kill It Kid have quickly established themselves as a dynamic live act and are being fast tracked up the greasy pole of music fervor (tipped via the likes of Q Magazine, Jonathan Ross and BBC 6 spotlights).
The real ace in the pack for KIK's delta blues stomp of a sound is the interplay of the singing between Chris Turpin's incredible lead vocals and Stephanie Ward's smoother vocals. The former's belting husky voice has often drawn comparisons with Antony (and the Johnsons) Hegarty, albeit with a rougher edge; imagine if he'd been up all night drinking Jack Daniels in a saloon bar. Steph's serene singing adds an extra dimension in that she is able to carry a tune flying solo or as a part of a duet. The rest of the band are Richard Jones on fiddle and backing vocals, Marc Jones on drums and percussion and Adam Timmins on bass and banjo/guitars make up a terrifically tight outfit.
Their progress was given an almighty leg up when they came to the attention of John Parish (sometime P J Harvey collaborator and Eels producer) who was asked to showcase some of his studio mixing abilities to some students at Bath Spa University. Kill It Kid were used as the band in residence and their obvious talents shone out during the hard graft of these sessions. Out of this experience came their debut E.P and less than a year later, the band were recording their first album for One Little Indian Records, in Seattle at the world famous Bear Creek Studio with Ryan Hadlock on producing duties (he has most notably worked with The Gossip, Foo Fighters, The Strokes and Regina Spektor)
The result of their hard endeavor was released in October 2009 as the debut album picked up warm reviews and I'm sure the plaudits will keep rolling in for the coming year as their star continues to rise. The highlights are the boisterous 'Burst Its Banks' which is a good time bluesy wailer of a tune with some fuzzed out slide guitar waltzing with a fearless fiddle and some harmonica tootling thrown in for good measure. It all comes together to create a dramatic hoedown of a track that kicks some serious posterior. The slower paced lament of 'Send Me An Angel Down' which has the guitar pickin' flavour of 'Wish You Were Here' era Pink Floyd underpinning the soaring vocals, shows the band functioning on a more low key level to equally dazzling effect. In fact, all the tunes hold their own and merit repeated listening and flow as a cohesive introduction to a group that have earned their spurs and are now ready to roll into the dusty saloon of our hearts.
Kill It Kid have shown exquisite taste by releasing a cover of the Low track 'Just Like Christmas' and have made the mp3 available here for free because you've all been so good this year, the generous scamps.
Kill It Kid - Burst Its Banks - Taken from self titled album released on 5th October 2009 via One Little Indian Records buy it here
http://www.killitkid.com/
http://www.myspace.com/killitkid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kill_It_Kid
