28/02/2011 | Kill It Kid, Scoundrels and Huck and the Handsome Fee – Jericho Tavern, Oxford

Opening the night are Huck and the Handsome Fee. Sadly, this is their last show in their current incarnation. Huck announces, “we are Huck and the Handsome Fee and this is our final gig, except we’re not and it isn’t”, which is a potentially confusing sentence, but is strangely true. The band’s second vocalist and guitarist, Tamara, couldn’t make it tonight due to illness, leaving just Huck, Bat and Tommy, who are, in fact, forming a new, as yet unnamed band. So, tonight the band play some Huck favourites, in addition to giving us a first look at a couple of songs which will be part of the new band’s set. It’s a shame that Tamara can’t join the band for their last gig, but they play a storming set none the less and the new songs sound great. RIP Huck, we will miss you. But, do look out for this new band and also for Tamara’s new project Tamara & the Martyrs.

Scoundrels are tour support. They’re very tight, and are good at what they do, but their funky basslines don’t really interest me. That said, I can understand the band’s appeal, and if you’re after a ska-funk-rock fusion, you would definitely be in the right place.

Kill It Kid are phenomenal live. They are, as one fan put it tonight, a force of nature. Chris, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, is baby-faced and waif-like, but manages to produce a huge and unlikely racket. He also seems comfortable on stage and converses with the audience with an awkward charm. They’re promoting their new single, Pray on Me, which they announce is Q Magazine’s single of the month, before going into a huge and affecting rendition of it. Later in the set they tell the audience that they have some good news, and said news is that their upcoming second album, due for release in July, is going to be out in America on Warner Bros’ record label. It doesn’t take a genius to grasp the notion that Kill It Kid are about to be huge. They play a mix of old and new songs, and it is clear to see that their style has changed. The new tracks are bigger and more accomplished, Chris sings with a deeper and bluesier voice, which really suits that band’s style. I’m sure there are some fans who’d be disappointed with the new direction, but there will always be naysayers, and I see it as the natural progression of a young band who are just trying to find their sound. But, whatever the reason, these new songs are stunning and they perform them with seeming ease.

www.myspace.com/killitkid | www.thescoundrels.co.uk | www.huckband.com