Kill It Kid

Signed to the same record label as Bjork and drawing comparisons to Tom Waits, The Raconteurs and Anthony Hegarty, indie-folk band Kill It Kid have been described as a “brave, raw talent”.  With a forthcoming album recorded in the same studio as recent breakthrough artists, Fleet Foxes, and produced by Ryan Hadlock (The Strokes, Foo Fighters, The Gossip), new single Send Me An Angel Down is a tantalising taste of things to come from this promising new band.  Lead singer, Chris Turpin, took a quick time out from their current promotional tour to answers our questions.

Describe your music in five words.
Raw Unexpected Fresh Brash Beautiful

Biggest Musical influence?
Writing songs is day-to-day living. Things you see and people you meet. For the album I indulged myself in quite a lot of American writers; Sherwood Anderson, Capote, Hunter S. Thompson…and all that jazz. Musically everyone in the band has different musical influences, from Blind Willie McTell to Etta James, Zeppelin to Grappelli and Ben Harper to The White Stripes, we all cover a pretty vast area of music, and we are pretty proud of this!

What has been your favourite gig to date?
I think our favourite gig to date would have to be Shunt, in the depths of London’s streets next door to the London Dungeon, apparently the place used to be a horse cemetery. Once we managed to find the way in we discovered it was a cavernous, dark and pretty surreal venue based on a 1950s Korean air crash, full of zip wires, 50s pinball machines and gramophones. The gig was fantastic, one I won’t forget.

You are attending a number of music festivals over the summer.  Which are you most looking forward to?
We still have quite a few to be confirmed but we’re really looking forward to them all. A couple more being announced in the next few days.

Your voice has drawn comparisons with Anthony Hegarty of Anthony and The Johnsons fame.  How do you feel being compared to such an established artist?
It is flattering to have comparisons to such established artists, particularly at such an early stage in the bands life. Some people really don’t see that comparison mind you, and musically we really are nothing like The Johnson’s as a band. I’ve been compared with artists like Tom Waits and Gomez as well which is a huge compliment although perhaps a little overwhelming.

Who would you most want to collaborate with?
Bob Dylan, Jack White, Rage Against The Machine…the usual!

You have a very strong folk sound.  What current chart track would you most like to give the Kill it Kid treatment in a cover?
We have actually just pieced together a cover of Katie Perry’s Hot and Cold, we had to learn some for a radio piece so we broke out the banjo, mandolin and 4 part harmony…

Your debut single is called Send Me An Angel Down.  Do you have a guardian angel?
Steph has a guardian angel called Steve.

You met at university in Bath.  Do you prefer baths or showers?
I see what you did there. Marc and I prefer baths, Adam and Rich prefer showers.  Steph a bit of both… well, she would.

 [Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com/blog]