Fresh off the heels of their acclaimed 2023 release, Hastings punks KID KAPICHI waste no time. Their third album in three years, “There Goes The Neighbourhood,” dropped March 15th, 2024 via Spinefarm Records.
KID KAPICHI are notorious for their relentless work ethic, and “There Goes The Neighbourhood” is a testament to that. It’s a furious, focused collection of songs that captures the essence of the band: raw energy, razor-sharp social commentary, and an undeniable connection to the struggles and joys of everyday life in modern Britain.
The band isn’t shying away from ambition here. Vocalist Jack affirms, “I know it’s a cliche, but this really is our best work ever. We poured everything into this record. We wanted to build on the energy of ‘Here’s What You Could Have Won,’ but make it tighter, more meaningful, and hit even harder. It feels like a cohesive unit, a whole family of songs with something real to say.”
“There Goes The Neighbourhood” is a potent mix of anthemic singalongs and in-your-face punk fury, exploring themes of love, loss, and the ever-shifting landscape of British life.
KID KAPICHI will be bringing their live show north of the border for a Toronto date this spring, but no Montreal shows are currently planned.
Montreal Rocks caught up with Ben Beetham (guitar/vocals) + George MacDonald (drums) from the band to chat about the album and try and convince them to come to Montreal on their next trip this side of the Atlantic.
Watch or read the interview below:
So, you guys often talk about the dismal state of affairs in England and the British lifestyle, but there must be some positives. Tell me something good about Britain right now.
Kid Kapichi: Hastings. Yeah, Hastings, music, art. Yeah, all the creative things I’d say are probably the best things.
This is your third album in three years, you guys are just writing all the time now?
Kid Kapichi: Yeah, we’re even working on the next thing at the moment, to be honest. It’s important for us to keep writing. But then obviously, getting ahead of the curve and having songs written before they need to be written is important. Pressure can make diamonds, but it can also create a conveyor belt situation where you’re forced to churn out music.
What did you learn from the first two albums has helped you with this one?
Kid Kapichi: I think we built upon the ground that we explored in Here’s What You Could Have Won. With this record, we wanted to see how wide the goalposts can go and explore the extremities of what our sound can be. The heaviest stuff is definitely the heaviest I’ve ever done. The lighter side of it and the catchier side of it are probably more in that pop world. Now we have a full spectrum of what we can be.
Like getting to play those songs. We played some of the new stuff ahead of time and the reactions we got were so exciting. Playing all these songs is going to be a game-changer, man.
You guys must have just had a blast making the video for “Zombie Nation.”
Kid Kapichi: We always have a lot of fun with videos, but that one was by and large the best and most fun that we had. Ramshackle Productions, and Nick Sushak was the director. They’ve done the last load of videos for us.
From the album, is there any song that people haven’t heard that you’re really excited for them to hear?
Kid Kapichi: Artillery is definitely one that hasn’t seen the light of day yet. It’s a favourite. We played it at Wembley. Another song is Oliver Twist. I love the production on that. There’s another one actually called Can You Hear Me? It’s the fastest song we’ve ever done.
So obviously your sound and a lot of what you do is very British and you talk about Britain. Do you worry that it’s not going to translate worldwide?
Kid Kapichi: We came out on a US run with Nothing But Thieves last year. There’s some Britishness that just doesn’t translate, but what we do and the way we do it on stage resonates. It’s interesting. It seems like there are these little microcosms of music scenes all over the world. You can go see a European band who are huge in their country, but you might not have heard of them. The same can be true vice versa for a band that’s massive in the UK. We’ve been to all these different places, and it feels exciting. There’s a buzz about playing in Europe, and we’re up for the challenge. Building a fanbase across the pond can be a long road. Sometimes you do the same capacity tour two or three times before you start to see bigger crowds because it’s all about building one fan at a time. But that’s what we love to do: play live. So we’re ready to put in the work.
So what makes a great show for you?
Kid Kapichi: Audience reaction. It is the energy that you get back. There are gigs that I can remember when there’s an actual electrical feeling, and that’s beautiful. It’s not overthinking what happens. Sometimes you can really get into your head about certain things during a performance. But when everyone is just having fun with it, that’s when we come off all really excited.
We’ve got the album, then the tour, and then what comes after that? Festivals?
Kid Kapichi: Festivals, yeah, they’re kind of coming in.
We’re going to be writing whilst we’re away. Our first tour is on a bus, so we’ll have a lot of time to write. This year is about doing lots of headline shows and creating as much music as possible. It feels like a moment for us on our journey. This tour feels like a milestone. We’re going to make sure we enjoy it and don’t take it for granted.
There’s definitely a buzz from this side of the Atlantic. Hopefully, you’ll get back over here and come to Montreal soon.
Kid Kapichi: Oh man, we will. You have our word.
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