Interview Kill The Kid

Kill The Kid emerged during lockdowns, driven by Gadd and Andy's longstanding collaboration. Their debut EP and upcoming releases blend rock influences into a distinct sound.

1. How did Kill The Kid come together during the 2020 lockdowns, and what inspired the band's formation?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):Me and Andy have already been working regularly together on various projects. Especially before the pandemic we had gigs together pretty much every weekend and wrote the occasional song together (Don't Follow for example).

So I've had the idea for this band and the songs brewing for a while, but never the time or motivation to do anything about it. Lockdown gave me that time (by taking away everything else I guess 😂) and forced me into this creative studio mode. I didn't know that I wanted a “band” at that point though, I just knew that I needed to get the songs out there and that Andy is my man on the guitar.

2. Could you share a bit about the creative process behind your debut single "Don't Follow" and your self-titled EP?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid): That’s a big question. Every song is different and has two equally important components

- Music and Lyrics.

Musically speaking, sometimes I would bring a fully formed song to the table (- like I’ll Have You and Take A Look) and ask Andy to add his guitars on it and that would be enough to make them rock.

And sometimes it’s more of a collaboration - If I remember it right, Don’t Follow started out as a tasty riff. Me and Andy were rehearsing for an acoustic show when out of nowhere he spewed out the intro guitar line that made my hairs stand up. I basically wrote the rest of the song around it. Such a great riff!

As for the lyrics, they come from my dusty old notebooks. I like to write a good story and sometimes share my personal experiences. I take it quite seriously though. So If I’m not happy with the lyrics, the song won’t see the light of day Haha

3. What led to the expansion of Kill The Kid into a quartet, and how has the dynamic shifted since Isaac De Los Reyes and Rémi Garrier joined the band?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid): I think we released the EP when we were just emerging from lockdown. Everyone was itching for a good gig, so we wanted to give it a go. Also, I was curious to know what the songs on which I spent months on my own layering different instruments and frankensteining tracks together would sound like if played by actual competent musicians haha. It almost always sounds better.. almost ;)

We needed a drummer, a bass player and someone on keys to do all that.

I remembered Rémi from an audition he did for a Heavy Metal band I was in – Night Screamer. I was so impressed with him then, he was my 1st pick for Kill The Kid.

Andy brought Isaac on board, at first I wanted him on as a keyboard player (he’s a concert pianist after all). But then he picked up the bass and blew us away. The man can do it all! Except be on time for rehearsals 😜

I would say the shift in dynamic would be in terms of how the songs come together. I still do most of the heavy lifting, but the arrangements and a lot of good ideas come out of just jamming together as a band.

4. "Break Before I Bend" has been described as an excellent riffing rocker. Can you tellus more about the inspiration behind this single and its reception?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

It's quite a heavy track this one, I was listening to a lot of Halestorm at the time haha. I came up with the riff a long time ago but never managed to turn it into a song until I brought it to the band. I would say it’s a very defiant song. Our version of Sinatra’s “My Way”. It’s basically about unapologetically standing by your core beliefs and doing what you love without caving to social norms. Even when it is the safer and easier way to go. You know, a standard rock song :)

I wrote it from my perspective as a musician but I think everyone can relate to this idea, especially on Mondays haha So it was received quite well. It's actually the 1st song we recorded as a band.

5. How do your influences from bands like ACDC, Aerosmith, Queen, and othersmanifest in Kill The Kid's unique sound?

Andy:

I think because we grew up listening to those bands, we automatically get influenced by them, even though our music doesn't necessarily sound like those acts.

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

I agree with Andy, I don't think it's something we're necessarily aware of or strive towards. It just kinda happens.I mean, we don't come up with songs thinking “we want it to sound like Flogging Molly or Queen”

We just like what we like and we work with what we got - a strong groove, power vocals, intelligent songwriting and creative guitar licks. Pretty standard if you think about it that way. But we all have our unique style of playing and singing so when you put all those elements together you get Kill The Kid.

6. Could you walk us through the themes and ideas explored in your upcoming EP "The Secret"?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

All the songs are based on my personal experiences. It’s a walk through my questionable morals, bad decision making and the consequences that follow.

7. Your social media quotes mention a diverse range of musical elements in your sound. How do you navigate blending Southern, Hard Rock, Outlaw Country, Punk, and Rock n' Roll in your music?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

I know it’s a cliché to say this, but I don’t like genres as a concept. They are useful for marketing bands and selling songs but they are constraining artistically. We play a bit of it all in our own way, every song is different. Don't Follow is more Southern, Break Before I Bend is Hard Rock, The Secret is Swing (It’ll sound so good played with abrass section) and Do It All Again is just a weird combination of Outlaw country and Nu-Metal I guess?

Like we said earlier, we like what we like.

8. What can fans expect from your weekly YouTube series, "The KTK Studio Sessions,"and how does it tie into your creative process?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

It doesn’t tie into our creative process, it IS our creative process :) We basically just started documenting ourselves meeting up, playing around with songs and taking the piss out of each other. It’s fun!

We haven’t gigged in a long while, because I believe that the live music scene in London lately is overwhelmingly disrespectful to the fans and artists with poor sound quality and hiked up ticket prices. It just doesn’t do justice to the music. So the KTK Studio Sessions, I hope, will provide this insight into the band dynamics that you would usually get from a live set. Except with a much better sound :)

We will gig again, but for now our followers can expect to hear us play our songs in good audio quality and in a raw environment (mistakes and all). While also hearing new songs and seeing how we work as a group. Which I think is pretty cool.

Post editing is a bit of a chore but we try to upload a new song every Friday now!

9. How do you approach songwriting as a band, and what are some key elements you prioritize in your songs?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

When I bring a song to the band it will already be written to the point where you can play it and sing it on an acoustic guitar or piano. That's the skeleton of the song. Then everyone adds their instrument and part to the song. We start feeding off each other's ideas. For me the key element that I try to prioritize in the songs is the lyrics and the story being told, everything else is up in the air. Always. There’s no one way to play a song if you ask me.

Andy:

On my parts, when I contribute to a KTK song, I always try to bring my style and influence into it. I like catchy riffs and melodic solos. I think melody is key. I don't want it to be just a bunch of notes, it has to have a meaning.

10. Can you share any memorable experiences from your live performances or tours?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

Oh yeah, we have a few stories to tell for sure! You can also see them on our social media pages. If it’s funny or embarrassing, it’s up there haha

Black out in Soho -

We’ve been quite unlucky with gigs.. But this one was just absurd! We played a gig in Soho in a well known yet dingy venue. No name dropping, but it was shady AF.

We get there for a sound check and everything goes as well as can be expected. Our people come down and the place starts to fill up. The 1st act goes on and it all goes smoothly. Now it’s our turn. We take the stage. Plug in. And as soon as the guitars strike the 1st chord the power goes out! It’s a f***ing black out! No lights and no sound.

We had to scramble wires around in the dark and power the amps and stage monitors through a backup generator with no sound from the main speakers and no lights.

We only managed to play the gigs thanks to our fans who used their phones to light us up! That bit was quite moving to be honest, and the only saving grace for what would otherwise have been a complete and utter s*** show..

When we finished the power went back up for the next band.. Because of course it did 🙄😅 haha

Beer keg drum stool -

We had a gig booked in a venue months in advance, and only on the day of the gig the promoter calls me up to tell me that they don’t actually have a drum kit or backline. Thatwas a fun conversation haha

Long story short, we managed to scramble up a PA and forced the venue to buy a drum kit. But they forgot the drum seat! Remi ended up playing on a beer keg. It was actuallya fun gig in the end.

Isaac:

That time I had to play the Black Heart sitting down because a. I forgot my guitar strap and b. I spent the previous 24h in the hospital with an infection and I couldn’t stand. xD

11. How has the band's journey been in terms of growth and development since its inception?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

We’ve been struggling. Not going to lie. Our biggest enemy is Time and scheduling I think. The 2nd biggest enemy is shady London promoters and the live gig scene in the city which monopolizes venues, exploits artists and abuses fans with hiked up ticket sales. There’s no justification for that and it does a big disservice to the music scene.

Don’t get me wrong, there are good promoters and venues we enjoy working with! But they are difficult to come by..

That's the journey for everyone though. The grind is part of the process.

12. What are your aspirations and goals for Kill The Kid moving forward, especially with the upcoming release of "The Secret" EP?

Gadd (aka Jed Kid):

I just want the songs to be listened to really. There are so many songs and avenues we didn’t even start exploring as a band, so for me it’s to record as many of them as we can. And if a gig comes up that gives the music, the fans and the band the respect they deserve we'll happily jump on that too.

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