Pressure Point, 15th March

Being the final night of Kid Harpoon’s current tour, we are reminded that the ‘last date’ mentality can dictate either a fantastic or terrible gig, rarely anything else. Luckily, the powers that be were kind to us tonight; you know that you are at a good Pressure Point gig when the floor pounding so much that you’re forced to follow its pulse. This was such an event.

Boosted by the loyal (and arguably manic) support of forum-friendly fans, vocalist Tom Hull side-stepped any awkwardness caused by their late arrival and launched straight into ‘Riverside’. Each song in set had a high-bouncing tempo, and coupled with the enthusiasm from the entire six-piece band, got a hold of the crowd, slapped them around the chops and screamed ‘Just enjoy yourselves!’

Hull had been working hard on a Mickey Pearce-style ‘tache that we were told “made me look like a cunt in every other town but Brighton!” I’d have to disagree. Looking past the gypsy-pirate styling, the night really took off with ‘Small Town War’ and ‘Hello Marianna’ energetically performed by the fidgety front man. Gathering more pace with the very special ‘Flowers By The Shore’ the band were at their most together, fully capitalising on their violinist and keyboarder. Hull sung “Beware, I’m coming out to find you, I’m coming out to take you home, I’m packing shotguns and rifles” with such terrifying passion that you began to believe every word. After ‘Late For The Devil’, a solitary crowd surfer fell on his head and had a song dedicated to him, the crowd-pleasing climax of Leonard Cohen’s ‘First We Take Manhattan’.

Kid Harpoon and his band The Powers That Be explode tonight with an energy and rhythm that practically guarantees a good time. They are warm and inviting, and more importantly, know exactly how to work a crowd. Although unique in sound, they could be most likened to a cross between The Zutons and Kula Shaker. Their strong and catchy tunes will surely be assaulting the charts shortly so catch the ‘tache before it’s too late. 

Words by Andrew Hawkins
Photos by Robert Thomas