I’ve been on Kill It Kid’s case for a while.  Recommended  by someone in the know, I immediately took a shine to their rocking 21^st century delta blues and wrote a little review of their Myspace in the balmy days of ‘ 08 (those of you with good memories may even remember Gobshout tipping them at the start of this year). But I’ve never had anything other than their Myspace to listen to, and listen to it I have, waiting patiently for them to return to the UK-they’ve been recording in Seattle-to play some shows and hopefully deliver on their mighty promise. It was a concern though,  that I’d pinned a bit too much hope on them; after all, I’d only ever heard four songs by this bunch of wee Bath based whippersnappers..       

Thank fuck, then, that they not only delivered on my expectations but made a mockery of them, kicked them to the floor like the weak industry disillusioned weasels that they’ve become.  Any fears were dispersed within 5 seconds of opener ‘My Lips Won’t Be Kept Clean’ blasting into life with violins, drums, guitars, keyboard and bass all segueing as one, making what could have been one big mess into one big rocking country ho-down in the centre of town.        

What most strikes you immediately is the sheer power-the breadth- of lead singer Chris Turpin’s voice. Here is a chap that looks like he’s still getting his clothes ironed by his mum, but sounds like he’s spent a lifetime on the road, drinking whisky, smoking fags and breaking hearts.  Truly it is a thing to behold; a mixture of Tom Waits/Mark Lanegan growl and Antony Hegarty style passion . When he’s in full gear- as he is most of the time- it is a voice unlike anything I’ve ever heard.  Frankly, you can stick your Burke’s and Lewis’s up your jacksey- this is real vocal power.         

Sharing much of the vocals with him is the rather lovely keyboardist Stephanie Ward, and it is here where much of the appeal of the band lies.  Throughout the gig there is a great playful interplay between the vocalists, not least on ‘Fool For Loving You’ and ‘Bye Bird Bird’, the latter an especially ominous, jagged love song punctuated by the fantastic brooding violins of Richard Jones.      

The violin is an absolutely integral part of their show; indeed it is on its introduction that the most ‘shiver’ moments are delivered, not least ‘Taste The Rain’ (incredibly in it’s first ever live outing) and ’Burst It’s Banks’ where the whole band descend into a thumping, twitching, bashing whole.  

Highlights? 1^st single ‘Send Me An Angel’ is a true weeper. Enough to split the heart of the coldest cat, it is like the very best of Waits’s Asylum years (and this is coming from a huge fan of those very years).  ‘Fool For Loving You’ has hit all over it and ‘Dirty Water’ -the stomper that the band look like they enjoy the most- were great.  But I don’t want to nitpick really; the set as a whole was fantastic, the band were tight,  and final songs ’Burst Its Banks’ and ’Heaven Never Seemed So Close’ were perfect whig-out tunes to send us off into the night. So instead I will leave you with the final word I wrote in my phone straight after the gig, in the hope that it- despite it‘s lack of eloquence- can provide a definitive insight into Kill It Kid as a live band:

Spanking. 

Posted In Live Reviews, Feb 19 2009. Words - David