Kill It Kid, Gallery Circus, The Thinking Men at Open, Club Room, 8 November 2014. Photos (c) all rights reserved Richard Shashamane 2014.
An event curated by promoter Craig Hill, I’d been looking forward to this gig for quite some time, having seen Blood Bird (one half of Kill It Kid) many times, and being familiar with the band’s recordings, this was to be my first time enjoying the full line up in a live experience, fitting that they should end their tour with a gig here in Norwich.
Opening the music at around 8:30pm were our own The Thinking Men, a band I’ve seen numerous times but they were playing to many fresh ears tonight, who seemed to react very positively to them and the newer songs they were showcasing. The audience generally was very enthusiastic for the winners of last year’s Next Big Thing final who growled and barked their way through the set, wearing their Tom Waits and Nick Cave influences proudly on their sleeves.
The Thinking Men
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The Thinking Men
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The Thinking Men
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The Thinking Men
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The Thinking Men
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The Thinking Men
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The Thinking Men
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Next on were Gallery Circus, a duo playing a set of guitar and drums power and noise, but the power and volume were about to be cranked up to 11 for the headliners.
Gallery Circus
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Gallery Circus
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Kill It Kid are a special band of immense power but know how to slow it down too, veering from the huge I’ll Be the First, and the mighty Caroline, to the likes of It Hurts to be Loved by You, and The Law of Love. Massive riffs, with blues, grunge, rock and garage influences and a singer Chris, with an incredible voice dripping in raw emotion of pain and anguish that sounds like it comes from the pit of the soul whilst Steph’s contrasts with and yet mirrors and compliments this superbly. A very versatile voice sometimes soft and understated but also deep and husky and full of emotion, able to let rip with the dirty blues too. Always melodic and expressive these harmonies are sensational. Indeed there’s a lot of chemistry onstage too. Bassist Dom and drummer Marc are both highly accomplished musicians as well who also have a strong presence, the band really gel as a unit with a collective soul. Dom on bass to the right of the stage silhouetted in his hat was great to photograph. As a band you can hear a lot of their influences in their music but they make the whole their own and are not at all derivative, they are Kill It Kid.
Waiting for Kill It Kid
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(c) shashamane
They play with the intensity one would expect and the crowd singing along for Caroline, and Wild and Wasted Waters were just a couple of highlights from a memorable night. There aren’t too many bands playing this sort of dirty, grungey, blues rock (not as well as this anyway) and this band are going places and have the potential to become huge.
Kill It Kid
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Kill It Kid
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Kill It Kid
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Kill It Kid
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Kill It kid
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Kill It Kid
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Kill It Kid
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Kill It kid
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Kill It kid
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Kill It Kid
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The band are the real deal, their work is visceral and they play from the heart and soul.
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Kill It Kid merch stall, with a range of KIK jewellery by rksjewellery.com
Kill It Kid, vinyl album
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Many thanks to Craig Hill, Open, Kill It Kid
Words and photos, richard shashamane 2014 all rights reserved. Photos not to be used without permission.
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Norwich: Music City, UK 
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