Kill It Kid was an English

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

band fronted by Chris Turpin (guitars & vocals). Members also include Stephanie Ward (Keys & vocals), Marc MacNab-Jack (drums) and Dom Kozubik (bass guitar). The band was widely recognised as one of the best new acts of 2009, with magazines such as ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' and '' Clash'' rating their debut album 8/10 and 9/10 respectively; the album was nominated for

XFM Radio X is a British national commercial radio station focused on alternative music, primarily indie rock, and owned by Global. The station launched in 1989 as a pirate radio station named Q102, before being renamed Xfm in 1992. The station b ...

's New Music Award 2010.Itunes single of the week
Kill it Kid released their first two albums with London

indie label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

One Little Indian Records One Little Independent Records (formerly One Little Indian Records) is an English independent record label. It was set up in 1985 by members of various anarcho-punk bands, and managed by former Flux of Pink Indians bassist Derek Birkett. In t ...

, whose roster includes

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...

and

Skunk Anansie Skunk Anansie are a British Rock music, rock band whose members include Skin (musician), Skin (vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar), Ace (guitar) and Mark Richardson (musician), Mark Richardson (drums). Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded ...

. They signed a publishing deal with

EMI Music EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), c ...

in September 2011. In late 2012 the band signed a worldwide recording contract with A&R man Seymour Stein, inking to his Warner Music imprint label Sire Records. Spring 2013 saw the band head to LA to begin work on their third studio Album 'You Owe Nothing', released August 2014 (Central Europe) & November 2014 (UK). On Friday 13 November 2015 the members of the band announced they were taking a break from Kill It Kid.

Influences and sound

Kill it Kid originally blended roots, rock and blues led by vocals from both Chris Turpin and Stephanie Ward; their line-up has included

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos that ...

fiddle A fiddle is a Bow (music), bowed String instrument, string musical instrument, most often a violin or a bass. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including European classical music, classical music. Althou ...

and on rare occasion

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

. Although the band never really saw their music as

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

, the band were initially linked to the British nu-folk revival. Now a four piece, the band's output, as showcased in their album 'Feet Fall Heavy' (2011), is guitar-driven, drum heavy and raw, and has drawn comparisons to bands like

The White Stripes The White Stripes were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997. The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals). They were a leading group of 2000s indi ...

. Chris Turpin describes the change in a 2011 interview: "It's an entirely different record, it almost feels like a different band, to be honest. It's just the reality of living and working in the music industry for two years and turning into a family band. You all become siblings which is a bit peculiar after like, the seventeenth day on the road. The main difference is there's no violin and there's no acoustic guitars, it's a much heavier process. .. The band are influenced by

British Blues British blues is a form of music derived from American blues that originated in the late 1950s, and reached its height of mainstream popularity in the 1960s. In Britain, blues developed a distinctive and influential style dominated by electric g ...

Delta Blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusin ...

; the band's name is a reference to a

Blind Willie McTell Blind Willie McTell (born William Samuel McTier; May 5, 1898 – August 19, 1959) was an American Piedmont blues and ragtime singer, songwriter and guitarist. He played in a fluid, syncopated finger picking guitar style common among many Eas ...

song, "Kill it Kid".

History

Kill it Kid met and formed in

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

, where its original band members lived (most were students at

Bath Spa University Bath Spa University is a public university in Bath, Somerset, Bath, England, with its main campus at Newton Park, about west of the centre of the city. The university has other campuses in the city of Bath, and one at Corsham Court in Wiltshi ...

): "I

hris A human resources management system (HRMS), also human resources information system (HRIS) or human capital management (HCM) system, is a form of human resources (HR) software that combines a number of systems and processes to ensure the easy m ...

was gigging on my own doing solo pre war acoustic blues, Steph was doing similar on the other side of the scale,

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

and all the early female blues. We started playing together in different little groups, I was playing behind her in some jazz concerts and she had come to see my shows. Marc ic.saw me at a solo gig, he backed me at some gigs. we then decided to get everyone in a room together." In February 2008,

John Parish John Parish (born 11 April 1959) is an English musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. Parish is best known for his work with singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. He has also worked with such artists as Eels, Aldous Harding, Tracy Chapm ...

(producer of

PJ Harvey Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer-songwriter. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments. Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined local band Automat ...

Eels Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order (biology), order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 Family (biology), families, 164 genus, genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the earl ...

) was invited by a tutor at the University Chris, Marc & Steph attended to discuss recording. He took a group into the studio whilst students watched – '' Big Brother'' style. Kill It Kid were that guinea pig band. "We sat and slogged for 12-hour days singing over and over again trying to get these songs right whilst 20 or so students sat the other room listening" explained KIK's vocalist Chris Turpin. "It was a bit strange – I don't know if there was tutoring going on or what." The finished product became their debut EP, which drew increasing label interest. Kill It Kid were signed to

three months later and began touring the UK. In January 2009 they went to

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

to record their debut album with producer

Ryan Hadlock Ryan Hadlock (born 1978) is an American record producer, best known for his production work on platinum-selling album '' The Lumineers'' by The Lumineers. Career Hadlock has been around music his entire life, as his parents Joe and Manny Hadl ...

, (

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

The Gossip Gossip (or the Gossip) is an American indie rock band from Searcy, Arkansas, formed in 1999. For most of their career, the band has consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell, and drummer Hannah Blil ...

The Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...

) in

Bear Creek Studio Bear Creek Studio is a residential recording studio located in a barn on a 10 acre farm in Woodinville, Washington. A number of notable artists have recorded at the studio since its establishment in 1977, including: Brandi Carlile, Train (band), ...

s After two successful single releases, they released their self-titled debut album in October 2009, to critical acclaim. The album was subsequently nominated for XFM's New Music Award 2010. Kill it Kid's second album, ''Feet Fall Heavy'' was produced by

Leo Abrahams Leo Matthew Abrahams (born 28 November 1977) is an English musician, composer and producer. He has collaborated with Brian Eno, Katie Melua, Imogen Heap, Jarvis Cocker, Carl Barât, Regina Spektor, Jon Hopkins and Paul Simon. After attending th ...

and recorded at Fortress Studios in

Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...

over a period of ten days; it features samples of

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music during the 20th century. He was a musician, folklorist, archivist, writer, scholar, political activ ...

field recordings, and has received widespread critical acclaim. ''Feet Fall Heavy'' was to be released on 19 September 2011 but distribution was disrupted after rioters set fire to and destroyed a

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

warehouse in Enfield,

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

(used by independent-music distributor PIAS) in which most of the existing physical copies of the album were being stored (''see:

2011 England riots A series of riots took place between 6 and 11 August 2011 in cities and towns across England, which saw looting and arson, as well as mass deployment of police and the deaths of five people. The protests started in Tottenham Hale, London, follo ...

''). Kill it Kid have toured the UK and Ireland extensively as well as throughout Europe, with occasional US appearances. They have played festivals including

South by Southwest South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has conti ...

(

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

), and Hop Farm in 2010 (headlined by Bob Dylan). Their song "Run" featured on the 2013 Samsung commercial "Charge" Directed by Romain Gavras. The commercial depicts a man sitting on a beach with scenes from multiple movies rushing at him before he uses voice and motion control to select a movie.

Break

On 13 November 2015 they announced on their Facebook fan page that they will be taking an indefinite break. Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean from the band posted that they got married in December 2016. As of 2019 Kill It Kid has been completely dissolved and former members Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean have created a new band called Ida Mae. Meanwhile drummer Marc went on to drum for Reef, The Heavy, James Arthur and is full time drummer for Band of Skulls.

Members

Current

* Chris Turpin – guitar, vocals * Stephanie Ward – piano, vocals * Marc MacNab-Jack – drums * Dom Kozubik – bass – (2011–present)

Former

* Richard Jones – violin, backing vocals. Left band in 2011. Credits: 'Burst its Banks' EP;'Kill It Kid' album * Adam Timmins – bass, banjo. Left band in 2011. Credits: 'Burst its Banks' EP; 'Kill It Kid' album; 'Feet Fall Heavy' album

Discography

Studio albums

* ''Kill it Kid'' (October 2009,

) * '' Feet Fall Heavy'' (September 2011,

) * ''You Owe Nothing'' (September 2014,

Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh ...

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

)

Live albums

* ''Live From Good Luck Studio'' (Tour CD-R 2011, One Little Indian Records) * ''Abbey Road'' (Tour CD-R 2014, Sire Records)

Singles and EPs

* ''Burst Its Banks'', LTD edition EP (2008) * "Send Me an Angel Down", single (May 2009,

) * "Burst Its Banks", single (August 2009,

) * "Heaven Never Seemed So Close" single (October 2009,

) * "Pray on Me", single (March 2011,

) * "Wild & Wasted Waters", single (November 2011,

) * "Caroline", single (July 2014,

) * "Blood Stop And Run", single (2015, #20 US Mainstream Rock Songs)

References

External links

Official Kill it Kid website
{{Authority control English blues musical groups English rock music groups One Little Independent Records artists Warner Records artists