COMPETITION TIME: Win Tickets To See Kill It Kid!

Kill It Kid

Call Upon The Author have teamed up with the wonderful people at One Little Indian to offer one of our readers a pair of tickets to see Kill It Kid at Hamptons in Southampton on 14th October. We’re big fans of Kill It Kid here, from Chris Turpin’s baritone vocals, to his interplay with Stephanie Ward and the beautifully dark, smoky atmospherics conjured up by the band. With their eponymous debut set for release on 5th October, here’s your chance to check it out.

To win a pair of tickets and copy of Kill It Kid’s debut album all you need to do is leave your name and a contact email address in a comment below. That’s it, no questions, no riddles, just a simple reply to this post. We’ve even got a copy of the albums for runners up too. We’ll draw the winners this Monday (21st), so stay tuned and, most of all… tell your friends, get them all to enter too!

“Their’s is a vibrant blend of The White Stripes, barn dances and the Stephanne Grappelli – like fiddle-frenzy jazz/blues” – Q Magazine
‘Uncontrived, Kill It Kid are a brave, raw talent’ – BBC Introducing
‘Thrillingly unaffected, delightful’ – Music Week
“Demands attention from the off… the strength and depth of their songs belie their age” – Clash Magazine
“Named after a Blind Willie McTell song, the banjo features heavily in their music but five piece Kill It Kid come from no further south than Bath.”
– Daily Telegraph

www.myspace.com/killitkid
www.onelittleindian.co.uk
www.myspace.com/hamptonsbar

look at them, aren't they lovely?

OFFICIAL SECRETS ACT – Understanding Electricity

^{My experience of Official Secrets Act began just over a year ago (March eighteenth 2008 to be precise), they headlined a set at The Eastney Cellars that blew me away with their raw new-wave sound, songs that were both immediate and interesting and most of all, the fact that they were all lovely guys, friendly and very open. In fact, I’ve been dying to hear some recorded content ever since, so when the nice folks at One Little Indian sent me their debut album for review, I was happier than Larry (actually, their bass player, Laurence, seemed a very happy guy, so I might be wrong). It’s clear from the off that the album presents a very different OSA than the tracks previously adorning their myspace. Gone are the raw sounds in favour of a touch of gloss, the hard edges softened up for the listening masses. Not that this limit’s the power of the songs themselves of course, you can sheath a sword but the blade still lurks beneath. In fact my favourite track, ‘Girl From The BBC’ actually seems to benefit from higher production values, the spiky punk sound morphing into a pop-tastic tune that deserves huge amounts of radio play! On the likes of ‘A Head For Herod’ the guys even slacken the pace a little bit, delving deftly into the territory normally occupied by White Lies and The Joy Formidable and proving a match for them both. What we have here then is a batch of modern new-wave tracks, fluffed up a little for mass consumption but still packing a punch. Check these guys out now, if there is any justice in the world, they’ll be huge by next year!}

^{check out OSA at: www.myspace.com/officialsecretsact}