Comments on: Kid Harpoon – Live, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 27th February 2008

By: Euan

Euan — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 13:22:50 +0000

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.

By: Euan

Euan — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 17:08:50 +0000

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.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 02:08:46 +0000

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.

By: Euan

Euan — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:50:15 +0000

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!

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:09:21 +0000

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.

By: Campfires & Battlefields

Campfires & Battlefields — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 11:25:58 +0000

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.

By: crash

crash — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:47:03 +0000

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.

By: Bart

Bart — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 14:47:00 +0000

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.

By: Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:45:00 +0000

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!

By: Matthew

Matthew — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 13:43:38 +0000

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?