Weekly > Reviews
Black Kids - The Cockpit, Leeds
It’s the day after the night before and I’ve just finished work, yep you have read that date right I was in work on a Saturday. Now before you think I’ve turned into some big corporate whore who is going to start preaching the benefits of Tesco wiping out every small shop in the country, McDonalds being the best balanced diet you could wish for and Starbucks not being the ruthless chain of coffee shops that completely overcharge, don’t worry it’s not going to happen.
No the truth is that I wasn’t going to watch the football today as I’m skint, so I might as well cream the overtime and ensure that next month I do actually have some sort of life! This though has been easier said than done because the night before I’ve been to a gig and drunk a little bit more than I intended to, getting up this morning wasn’t easy…
It started with my mate agreeing to come to the gig with me, I was thinking we’d go out for about half seven or eight and have a couple of ‘steadies, so I’d gone slightly off track when we stumbled out of the first bar at around 6.30! As the night progressed we quickened the pace a little to the point that at about quarter past ten when Sons And Daughters left the stage I was feeling fresh and my mate Joe was…well….he was hammered.
Now you might think how do you enjoy the gig if you drink so much, surely you aren’t as aware senses wise when you’ve had a few, surely you miss little things and can’t appreciate the sound as much?
I’d disagree with that myself, rock ‘n roll and alcohol go hand in hand in my eyes it adds to the social feel of the night and it kind of helps me get into the groove of the music if that makes any sense. It certainly did tonight for me anyway, I had no expectations of Jacksonville band Black Kids when I walked into The Cockpit.
By the time the band have finished though I’m a massive convert and I’m ready to sing their praises to anyone who will listen. Reggie Youngblood is at the heart of most of what makes them great but he isn’t the only element. His vocals are strong and soulful in equal measure, while the music tips somewhere between: The Go! Team, Sly And The Family Stone and a little bit of 70’s folk-soul (Terry Callier etc).
As a band they look to be having fun onstasge, they quickly get into the groove and the sound is funky, fresh and full of class. The crowd warm to them and the venue does fill up nicely, which isn’t always the case for support acts. The two females add a nice twist to the sound with some harmonies and it all comes together really well.
- Black Kids
- The Cockpit, Leeds (8th February 2008)
- Category: Live
- Label: Almost Gold Recordings
- Support: Sons And Daughters (Headlining)
- Reviewed by: Kev
- Published on: 11 Feb 2008
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
Weblinks
Add to favouritesSons And Daughters are the headliners tonight and they are a band I really like but never had the chance to see live until now. They are a confident bunch live and they have a good stage presence. The only real criticism from me is that during a couple of tracks the way they have the instruments and microphones set up, the lead singer Adele Bethel ends up turned to the side of the stage facing a wall and depending where you are stood disappears from view completely.
This though is a minor gripe as their dark (bordering on gothic almost) indie guitar tracks are a real treat, while I can’t help but feel that Sons And Daughters have been ever so slightly upstaged by Black Kids, that said though they were still good and they are still worth the entrance fee to see them if you get the chance.
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