National success for Kill It Kid

By Amy Wilkes BBC Blast Reporter, Norfolk

Chris Turpin (far right) used to play in The Ida Mae Band

Kill It Kid, a band with roots in Norfolk, have just released their debut album to a great reception.

Front man Chris Turpin, formerly of The Ida Mae Band, is a familiar name in Norwich, known for his excellent guitar playing and characteristic voice.

The band's self-titled record, released on 5 October 2009, has got rave reviews from a number of music web sites including the NME, BBC and Clash.

Kill It Kid formed in early 2008 when the members met at university in Bath.

In particular, the band are earning plaudits for their early blues sound, and the 21-year-old credits the city's music scene for setting him on the right path.

"Norwich was just fantastic when I was going through school there. There was always something worth watching or somewhere to play," said Chris.

"There were always dedicated labels and promoters who made the effort to come to shows, be it with my old Norwich band The Ida Mae Band or when I started to gig on my own."

Chris, who was a pupil at Avenue First, Middle and City of Norwich High schools, moved to Bath to study commercial music.

"Bath is a beautiful city, full of great musicians and creatives but it mainly focuses on acoustic music as it doesn't have the venues for much else," he said.

"Very proud"

Despite his family - including his piano teacher mum - still living locally, Chris hasn't been able to visit much since Kill It Kid have taken off.

"Often when we're working in London I'll try to get the train back to Norwich," said Chris. "Otherwise it's really around Christmas time that I make my pilgrimage back home."

"But my mother, Meg, is very happy flogging albums to piano pupils; my father, Nigel, is very proud of the whole thing too. However, my grandfather is a bit bewildered," added Chris.

Influences

Kill It Kid's sound is strongly influenced by American country and blues music. It is Chris's voice and the harmonies created with pianist Steph Ward's vocals which intrigues listeners. Chris himself has declared he sounds like a black woman when he sings!

"We take influence from outmoded performers and bands that are precious to us - acts like Ruth Willis, Blind Willie McTell and Johnny Cash and June Carter," said Chris.

"My voice really changes slightly every few months, it's character was never planned out."

While the five-piece - which includes Richard Jones, Marc Jones and Adam Timmins - have a sound which harks back to bygone days they have a fresh edge.

"We wanted our sound to riff against, be visible, valuable and competitive with the sound of indie bands that exist in contemporary music," said Chris.

Record label

Signed to One Little Indian Records, the group have released three singles with their fourth, Ivy and Oak, due out in December 2009.

"A talent scout for One Little Indian got hold of our EP. Within the week we were in their offices and after our first London show, three months into being a band the offer was on the table. Being on such an established and famed label is still quite unbelievable," said Chris.

Chris (right) working in the Seattle studio

"The album ended up being recorded in three-and-a-half weeks in January in Seattle with producer Ryan Hadlock, who has also worked with the likes of Gossip and The Strokes.

"Sleeping, eating and recording in the same studio as Fleet Foxes, James Brown and Foo Fighters was very surreal and extremely humbling."

"It paints a great picture of where we were at that point in time. Reading the reviews we've been given in the big magazines and online, we really couldn't have hoped for much more!"

Reviews of the album have been outstandingly positive - with the band regularly posting them on their MySpace blog to demonstrate their pride.

While an unreleased track was hailed as Track of the Day on Q Radio, the band's second single, Burst Its Banks, was named Single of the Week by both iTunes and music magazine Clash's web site.

Touring

Recently, the band have been on a sellout tour supporting Seattle singer Brandi Carlile and have played radio sessions BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music and XFM.

"We are in our element showcasing at underground indie shows in grotty venues in London and to suddenly be supporting a Sony BMG-signed country rock artist from the States and have the audiences really getting what we were doing was a great feeling," said Chris.

The band are now touring to promote the album and third single Heaven Never Seemed So Close as well as looking forward to following Brandi Carlile to America for another tour.