Live Review: Kid Kapichi - Concorde 2, Brighton 29/03/24
The Hastings heavyweights conquer Concorde 2 in a night of unbridled rage, joy, and catharsis.
When Kid Kapichi sold out Patterns- Brighton’s 320 capacity basement venue- back in 2021, it felt like a real achievement. They had unveiled their self-released debut album This Time Next Year just a few months earlier, and fanfare surrounding them was starting to grow. Three years later, and the ‘beat-punk’ quartet are an undisputed staple of the south-east music scene. You’d be hard pressed to find a rock band in Brighton, Hastings, Tunbridge Wells, or London that wouldn’t cite them as an influence, not just musically, but also as evidence that it really is possible to build a large following slowly but surely, to amass a dedicated fan base bit by bit, to create a powerful brand from the ground up.
Having signed to Spinefarm records in 2022, just prior to the release of their second album Here’s What You Could’ve Won, the band have recently unleashed their third LP There Goes The Neighbourhood, accompanied by two sell out shows at Brighton’s 600 capacity Concorde 2. A slight upgrade from Patterns, you might say. Kicking off their extensive UK and Europe tour with two-nights at the iconic seafront venue- which has previously accommodated the likes of Foo Fighters and The White Stripes- is proof that for the Hastings rockers, Brighton really is a home away from home.
But before everyone’s favourite Hastonians smash this particular gaff, there’s the small matter of supports. Glasgow’s Dead Pony open proceedings, bringing their brand of electronic pop-rock to Brighton with vitality and verve, recalling hometown heroes YONAKA (who happen to be in attendance) with a set which mixes beats and riffs to great effect, frontwoman Anna Shields a commanding, charismatic presence.
Next up is London-based duo Dumb Buoys Fishing Club, a pair of prolific producers who decided to let loose and create a conceptual side project all about, er, fishing. Not that the lyrical content is the driving force of these songs: Dumb Bouys are all hip-hop beats and Justin Timberlake-esque choruses, and while not all the rockers in the audience are convinced, there are plenty of people nodding along, with some even having a little dance. At first glance Dumb Bouys appear to be an odd choice of support for Kapichi (the bands being friends no doubt played a part), but by the end of their set it makes more sense; the duo have successfully hyped the crowd up for the four-piece, their high-energy performance the perfect pre-curser to the carnage about to ensue.
It's just 8:20pm when Kapichi take to the stage and tear into There Goes The Neighbourhood opener ‘Artillery’, a brooding rebuttal of a government which sees the needs of the people as a mere after-thought. “Here we go, first thing’s first/ Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt”, spits frontman Jack Wilson, even as the crowd disobey him and break into rowdy mosh pits which barely let up for the remainder of the evening, as has become standard fare at Kid Kapichi gigs. The band- made up of guitarist Ben Beetham, bassist Eddie Lewis, and drummer George MacDonald, as well as Wilson on vocals and rhythm guitar- are incredibly tight live, with a natural feel for performance. Lewis stalks the stage like a caged animal, staring down the audience as his ridiculously beefy bass tone revibrates around the room. Beetham struts with purpose, McDonald smashes his drum skins like his life depends on it, while Wilson remains relatively still, the anchor in the eye of the storm, looking every inch the rock star in his seemingly unremovable sunglasses.
Lead single ‘Let’s Get To Work’ is well received, but it’s the next song ‘999’ which takes things up a gear, the abrasive nature of both the music and lyrics sending punters into a rage-fuelled frenzy. Here’s What You Could’ve Won favourites ‘5 Days On (2 Days Off)’ and ‘INVU’ both go down a storm, before second single ‘Tamagotchi’ creates the biggest pre-pit gap so far, the crowd readying themselves for the bruising chorus, which recalls Nirvana’s ‘Heart-Shaped Box’ in its raspy “Hey!” exclamation.
This is swiftly followed by the punchy ‘Rob the Supermarket’, before the band briefly tone things down with the acoustic ‘Party at No.10’, a self-explanatory condemnation of the government’s lockdown-busting parties, prompting a mass singalong and the obligatory ‘Fuck the Tories’ chant. Following this, siren-red lighting floods the stage, as the opening notes of This Time Next Year classic ‘Working Man’s Town’ boom out of the speakers, drawing cheers of delight from those in the know. It’s not long before everyone’s caught on, and soon the whole venue is singing (and moshing) along, as Wilson snarls scathing lyrics including “She sells seashells on the seashore/ Until they took her fucking house and now she don’t no more”. It’s a ferocious highlight which informs the new fans in the room that Kapichi have been an exceptional band for years now.
And there are new fans present, here off the back of major support slots with Royal Blood and Nothing But Thieves, waiting predominantly to hear the new album. The band oblige; the spooky ska of the Suggs-featuring ‘Zombie Nation’ goes down a treat, especially with older fans who have been ‘Ska’d For Life’, while ‘Can EU Hear Me?’ - probably the wittiest Brexit song ever written - zips by with the zest of an early Arctic Monkeys number. Reflecting that song’s lyrical content are EU, Ukrainian, and Palestinian flags, which adorn the stage and place the band’s leftist politics front and centre, as does the next song ‘New England’, a brilliantly brutal rejection of the ‘Little England’ mentality our government continue to push.
This is followed by the anthemic ‘Get Down’, before Wilson swaps his electric guitar for an acoustic, and introduces the next song, ‘Jimi’. Written about the death of his close friend Jimi Riddle, it’s a tender ballad which makes a real impact, prefaced by Wilson’s empathetic declaration that “We’ve all lost a Jimi”. Groups of lads stand with their arms round each other, some moved to tears. It’s a magical moment, the kind which you don’t often experience at punk gigs.
The subtle atmospherics continue with main set closer ‘Special’, a sweeping epic which nods to The Specials, quotes The Clash, and sounds like The Beatles in its ‘I Want You (She’s So Heavy)’-esque outro. It’s a fantastic, thought-provoking end to the set proper, placing Kid Kapichi in the canon of classic British guitar music which they are destined to one day join, and leaving everyone waiting in anticipation for the inevitable encore.
Unsurprisingly, the band don’t milk the wait, leaving the stage for all of twenty seconds before they return to rapturous whoops and applause. “Let’s fucking have it then”, barks Wilson as he and his bandmates launch into a pummelling rendition of fan favourite ‘Sardines’, before closing the show with a cracking ‘Smash the Gaff’, which has the likes of Nova Twins joining the raging circle pit. No wonder Kapichi count rising rock royalty as fans- it’s been an incredible evening, an electrifying exercise in catharsis which will live long in the memory.
Kid Kapichi will go down in history as a legendary live band, and everyone who was at Concorde 2 on Friday knows it.
“Now look who’s a pro”.
Words by Ben Left
