Released: 08/09

It Was This Or Football…and they chose this. Kid British are your mates, four lads from Manchester talking about life in modern Britain, BUT…stone the crows…in a decidedly rare, optimistic fashion. As member, Simean McLean says; “Everyone’s going on about there being a depression but we want to write about what we’ve experienced and what we understand. We think everyone needs to have a bit of a laugh.” Manchester is obviously an eternally sunny place for these lads; chin up London’s BBC to Salford relocation people!

Friendlier than some of those other street commentators, Jamie T and The Streets - with less swearing and, dare I say it, more of a boy band touch - Kid British have plus signs coming out of every note. Don’t let the cuddliness put you off though, this band have a very cool 80s The Cure/The Specials (the latter whom they toured with) sound, mixing in nicely with their modern speaking street twang.

Their next single, Our House Is Dadless, a copy of Madness’s Our House, is updated with Kid British’s ska, hip-hop beats and harmonies whilst retaining the original unified chorus sound. Despite an obvious point towards the modern, fractured British home, there is no sense of melancholy. Kid British merely observe Britain, their families, mates, girls and themselves and then apply a good dose of honesty and a tad of dry humour. They say it how it is, accepting their lot, as opposed to wallowing, and appear pretty joyful as a result. Waiting for that girl (Delivery Man), lost in London with a Lily Allen jingle jangle, and eating beans and toast Sunny Days. Indeed, these British kids are in fact quite the modern, eloquent communicators.

They certainly warmed on me and shucks, you know, they’re just so damn normal. I get the impression that they’ll be sitting in their local caf’ for as long as they can, regardless of their diamond buying potentials…

www.iamkidbritish.com

Helen Martin