Earlier this year, four twenty-somethings from Hastings were rewarded for their graft with a record label signing.
Welcome to the new world, The new normal, Look at us queuing up, so formal: From independently releasing their fittingly titled-debut, This Time Next Year in 2021, as predicted, Kid Kapichi ((it’s Kapee-chee) are now releasing their successive follow-up from a first proper and lauded record deal. A comforting aide-memoire that the punchier cousin of ‘beat punk’ is all the more worth it.
Best described as a balled-up first turning to a glorified air punch, the 11-tracker is a coveted feat of explosive, hard and raw punk armed to the teeth with razor-like precision on bar-brawl hooks and gritty guitar plug-ins. As they tackle home truths via honesty lyricism through the dissection of racism, in-work poverty and a xenophobic Britian (You’re such a fool Britannia/Britannia fooled again/Britannia, you’re so vane/You’ve gone insane), it’s a sprawling blitz of just foot-to-the-floor. More Pretty Vicious than QOFTSA… it’s an arty exhibit of the day-in and day-out of contemporary British life, warts and all.
Angry contempt at working life on 5 days on (2 days off); (I’m just here to get paid/To get wages/Then I’m on my way/They got us five days on and two days off/Counting down the days until my head goes pop) to venturing into the black sticky mess that is the Tar Pit, (so raise your hand and call the starship/we’re diving deep into the tar pit/can’t stop it once its started/ come with us into the tar pit) and finally letting lose on society via Smash The Gaff and Rob The Supermarket. More direct command-and-action than mere lyrics on a page, (I’m gonna rob the banks/the supermarket too/Get my money from the bank and steal the supermarket food/So put the cash in the bag and don’t be so rude/Cause I’ll be coming back like deja vu) it’s a serious call-to-arms among society’s recession.
The most hearty stand-out is New England. With their most politically-charged song yet – accompanied with a searing verse from fellow camaraderie Bob Vylan – it’s a brutal beatdown and slapstick chunk of bitter irony towards the Little England mentality, at a time most troubled for many.
Too many idiots breathing up the air
Huffing and puffing like they just run up the stairs
Fighting and cussing like they haven’t got a care
But they care about everything that happens over here
Not over there, they couldn’t give a toss
If it’s a brown country, they steal all the crops
Blow it to smithereens and let the bombs drop
Then they cry about the borders when they try and come across
Oh goshI think this place is going nutty
New England, Kid Kapichi (feat. Bob Vylan)
Too much spice, less british bacon butty
Worry about your neighbours and worry about the druggies
And not the Eton graduates that’s taking all your money
Hmm, it seems they’re taking the piss
Not blaming the brown fella is hard to resist
You would have thought that the nation was smarter than this
But I’ve got a couple of questions
Please answer me this
An essential shockwave to the true spirit of no-nonsense punk – an ulterior far cry from the post-punks of alternative dialogue, for sure – it’s candid attitude and the reasoning behind it is most poignant when you’re commuting to work on the train, along with the rest of ’em; albeit falling in line.
Apart from the acoustics of Special, Party at no.10 and songful moment Never Really Had You, as it converses and tackles the troubles of lockdown, the rest of it doesn’t let up one bit, a juddering of thunderous punk rock, it’s Kid Kapichi at their most forward-thinking.
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Kid Kapichi LIVE THIS YEAR:
In-store signing//
Rough Trade, Bristol – 26 September
The Vinyl Whistle, Leeds – 27 September
Rough Trade, Nottingham – 28 September
The Hunna tour//
Trinity, Bristol – 20 October
Waterfront, Norwich – 21 October
Leeds Beckett Students’ Union, Leeds – 22 October
O2 Ritz, Manchester – 25 October
Boiler Shop, Newcastle – 26 October
mvm. 
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