Kid Harpoon – Live, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 27th February 2008
(Image pinched from Gregory Nolan)
I’d heard all sorts about Kid Harpoon’s much-vaunted live performances, so I was really looking forward to this gig and for the most part he didn’t disappoint.
Support came from new Scottish group We See Lights who seemed decent, although I didn’t get there in time to catch enough of their set to say anything sensible about them. Second support were The Kays Lavelle who were shit*.
As for the Kid himself? Well he fucking loves playing, that much is obvious. Greeting a slightly tepid crowd with a beaming ‘I’m just so chuffed to be here’ he launched into opener, the brilliant Milkmaid, with a bouncing, wild-eyed enthusiasm that even a sulky Edinburgh crowd couldn’t help but be drawn into.
All throughout the gig this kind of boundless, child-like enthusiasm was just spilling out of him. He’s one of the most mobile performers I’ve seen in a while, bouncing around the stage with joyful abandon, and throwing himself heart and soul into the performance and generally acting like playing this one gig was the most fun he’d ever had doing anything, ever.
Now, I am a sucker for this kind of passion and I absolutely loved the amazing enjoyment that spilled from Kid Canaveral all the way through the show, but I have one small quibble. Some of his finest songs are the quiet ones, and there was no room for them in this set. Now, I can see him wanting to play the upbeat, energetic ones in a live setting, but actually a slight change of pace might have been good once or twice. So he was terrific, but you didn’t really get the full impression of what his music is like and I for one would have loved to hear songs like As it Always Was performed live.
Kid Harpoon – Riverside
Kid Harpoon – As it Always Was
website | hype | get yo bitch ass some vinyl
*Haha, of course they weren’t. They were dead good actually. The only reason I did this to their review is because Euan – regular commenter on this site, frontman for the group and main man for gig promoters Trampoline – said during the gig that they’d supported half a dozen top groups recently and never once got a mention in the reviews. So naturally I took this as an opportunity to be a smart-arse. Yes, fucking hilarious, I know. I crack me up too.
Anyway, The Kays Lavelle. Well it’s always terrifying when you go and see a friend’s band, but fortunately they were excellent. Rather dark, and sailing close to the other side of the Atlantic at times, I really enjoyed their stuff. They were that sort of group whose guitar sound is sort of threatening – like they’re about to kick off and go absolutely mental any second now, but never quite do. Instead, Euan’s piano paints grey laments as the band sort of growl around him – excellent stuff.
Ah, that would make sense. I mean, they’ve not been going for long have they, so presumably it takes some time to work these things out properly.
and there is a lot of them.
I thought We See Lights were “dead good” too……
……really nice use of harmonies and an array of excellent hair styling – though hair award for the night belongs firmly in the hands of Kid Harpoon’s drummer for his “dead good” do – he looked like he was in bros. genius. In fact I thought the night as a whole was “dead good” and am now looking forward immensely to tonight’s show in Glasgow. Should be “dead good”……
I saw him saunter into the back of the venue actually and I have to confess I raised an eyebrow. Actually, it was almost like half the band were quite folky and the drummer and the guitarist pure rockabilly. I’m not sure what rockabilly folk is, but we may have just witnessed it there.
Euan, stop it. I can get in trouble just for giving you a forum for violating Bart’s copyright (stoppit) so nothing on this site is ever again going to be dead good. Got it?
And by awarding Hair of the Night to the drummer you are overlooking the Kid’s own Collie do with excellent face furniture. That was some ‘tache, honestly it was!
The Kid’s moustache was, indeed, very impressive.
I was equally in awe of the keyboard player, who seemed to have fashioned her fringe to sit directly parallel to her rather ample cleavage.
Which I found aesthetically pleasing.
It was a while ago now but I saw a kid harpoon evening when he just perched on a bar stool in a little pub and played a really quiet and calm set and it was quite, quite lovely – it works live just as well, no question.
All this back-and-forth makes me feel like I was there! It’s been too long since I’ve seen a keyboard player with ample cleavage. Jeez, Toad, you ain’t kddin’ about Kid Harpoon. They definitely sound Yank to me, whatever that means. Maybe it’s something to do with the “breadth” of the vocals.
C&B – I wouldn’t have said he sounds American exactly, but there are large, slightly surprisingly rockabilly undertones a lot of the time. And oddly I don’t really associate rockabilly with America, actually, which I know is wrong.
Crash – I think I would have loved that. This gig was excellent, but some of the slower, sadder songs would have been nice.
is there something wrong with sounding from across the water? though I do not agree with matthew that we even sound american, I would hold my hands up and say that if you listed my favourite musicians – neil young, tom waits, wilco, sparklehorse, elliott smith, bob dylan, the national – well to be honest, the only British band I LOVE is Radiohead. So if our sound is more US than UK then I don’t apologise and I am proud of where we come from.
As for Kid Harpoon – sounds pretty fucking british to me. Maybe that’s just me though!
I don’t really hear the American in Kid Harpoon. But I hear a lot of American in The Kays Lavelle. This is no criticism, it’s just me trying to describe what I hear. Given how many people are singing in an overtly Scottish accent these days, I can’t actually hear your accent when you sing, but this isn’t anything like a criticism. This and the style is why I mention American when I hear The Kays Lavelle. There’s something about the style of the music that doesn’t call any British comparisons or relationships to mind. My Dad is Canadian though, so half the bands I grew up loving are from across the pond.
I never took it as a criticism to be honest – I sing in my own voice, no fake american accent, no fake Scottish accent – in fact just a normal singing voice – the same voice that got me to the final of the leng medal as a 12 year old!! haha. anyways, no offence taken, I was just drunk and curious to why there is always a weird reaction to when somebody doesn’t sound like a British band. As I said, I can count on one hand the British acts that have inspired me in my life. I didn’t grow up listening to the Beatles, or Stones or anyone like that – thank god – so I guess the sound we have is majorly influenced by people across the pond.
Euan’s favourite artists list:
Tom Waits – USA
Neil Young – Canada
Wilco – USA
Sigur Ros – Iceland
Mogwai – UK
Radiohead – UK
Sparklehorse – USA
Explosions in the Sky – USA
Elliott Smith – USA
Fionn Regan – Ireland
Micah P Hinson – USA
The National – USA
Nick Cave – Oz
Sufjan Stevens – USA
I cannot deny – I am a USA whore.
I thought We See Lights were great.
I think they work better on their recordings than live – cos you get flourishes of violin and mandolin (that they’ve not yet worked in to their live set) – but definitely ones to watch.
Also, I’d like to point out that I have a patent pending on the phrase “dead good”.
I’ll let it slide this time, but any future use may result in legal action.