I’ve been following Kick Up The Fire ever since I heard the South London outfits early demos (and subsequently photographed them on a few occasions) so it was with some pride that I unwrapped the band’s self-titled mini album.
The boys have been perfecting these songs on the live stage for the past year and these songs showcase a band firing on all cylinders. This is an accurate snapshot of where the 4-piece stand today and special credit should go to Got Mics for the first-class production.
The album opener ‘These Canvas Shoes‘ is an immediate burst of energy boasting soaring choruses and deceivingly straightforward verses built on an almighty guitar riff. Vocalists Kenny and Thom volley vocal assaults at each other over drummer Andrew‘s relentless attack. The whole track comes perilously close to collapsing under its awesomeness… it doesn’t and instead races past the finishing line in Usain Bolt style.
Tracks ‘No Fun In London‘ and ‘Cocktails And Gold‘ are kindred spirits sounding like Franz Ferdinand after a large hit of performance-enhancing drugs. Both offer more hooks than a regional angling club. The former is an observation of the capital’s darker side yet ultimately comes through as surprisingly upbeat whilst Cocktails is its angrier and judgmental older brother; catchy and danceable but packing one hell of a punch.
‘No Hotel Room‘ is the band’s deceptive (anti) pop song and a change of pace and mood. A tale of a media-hounded politician; the main line “he’s having bad sex, you like to talk about it, you’re having no sex maybe, you should go get your fix” is a stab at celebrity and tabloid culture.
‘The Never-Ever Ending Story‘ is a bass lead scorcher that returns to the high tempo previously set and owes a slight debt to Thursday with its guitar intricacies. Like the rest of the album, it is packed with melodies, question/answer singing and a penchant for a gang vocal to beef up certain key messages. Still, if you scratch under the surface you’ll discover lyrics that are observationally astute and witty.
Nowhere is this more evident than on closer ‘Because Of You‘, the band’s proverbial “slow one”. This is a tale of an apparent bitter breakup told over a stunning and captivating crescendo that never subsides. The lyric “Go runaway, go join a bank, gonna count my debts while I get drunk” is so sharp it should come with a warning.
Kick Up The Fire‘s self-titled mini album is out in November on You And Whose Army? Records. The band are having an album launch party on the 18th of November. Show your support!
The mini album is catchy and full of potential and it would be a travesty if this band are still unsigned this time next year.
