Above: Video for Kill It Kid’s new single, Heaven Never Seemed So Close
The first date of a double-header tour is in Kill It Kid’s old university town, and the small but friendly Moles Club is full and welcoming. Sparrow and the Workshop are new to me, but have a name that will stay on my mind. Their songs veer between energetic and ethereal, with loping driving rhythms leading floaty vocals that recall Liz Fraser of Cocteau Twins without actually sounding anything like her (if that makes sense). I chatted briefly to singer/ violinist Jill O’ Sullivan after the set about all kinds of things (old ships, Chicago, Archaeology 101 class) that weren’t music, but at least learned that there are definitely plans to return to the West Country soon, so watch this space for more Sparrow and the Workshop appreciation.
That Kill It Kid could be so young (their average age is 21) seems improbable when you hear the sounds they create, updating their blues pioneer heroes with a heavier rock sound that doesn’t result in what you would usually think of if someone said ‘blues rock’. A long year on the road has tightened their performance, and the band are feeling playful in front of the home crowd, drawing out the recent single ‘Send me An Angel Down’, and encoring with a version of ‘Smooth Criminal’, with Richard Jones playing the melody on his violin. The new, eponymous debut album is sure to be one of the most accomplished albums of the year