Kid Kapichi are a rock outfit from Sussex, who have been pouring oil on the fire they started with their debut EP. Oftentimes, we'll see a band try to be cool, but it comes off as too needy. We don't see that with that Kid Kapichi as they ooze coolness and swagger, and despite sounding as though they're a Japanese gang (I'm too jealous of their crazy cool name) they've been playing out their headphones ever since they came to my attention. I was lucky enough to get to chat with frontmen Ben Beetham and Jack Wilson (Both vocals and guitar). This dynamic of two frontmen is something I've been enjoying lately and the way that Kid Kapichi execute it is near perfect. Carry on reading to find out about the origin of their name, their music style and how they create...
Question. I love the story of how your band name came about, but just for the readers could you tell them the story in full?
Ben: It came about after we recorded our first load of demo’s at a studio in Hastings. Whilst the guy was mixing we heard a soundbite on a vocal loop that sounded something like Kid Kapichi and we just liked the sound of it.
It’s a good name in as much as nobody else has it, but it’s definitely hard for people to understand in a loud pub.
We’ve had Ginger Piggy before, and we get Kinky Peaches a lot – which is definitely a contender for an album name when that day comes haha.
Q. How would you describe your music to someone who had never heard it?
Ben: It’s hard to say. It’s heavy & riff based but with a bit of a haunted house vibe. Have a listen and decide for yourself.
Q. Is Kid Kapichi's sound something you always aim for is it just what you naturally make?
Jack: It’s difficult to say really. I think the music I’ve personally written is just a sum of my inspirations and experiences.
I mean, we have a blueprint which we work to but that usually comes later in the writing process. Applying the Kapichi garnish as such once the initial idea is there.
It’s difficult though because sometimes you can get slated for sounding remotely similar to your inspirations, as if it’s a bad thing. That’s just how it works in my opinion. As long as it’s not derivative then I don’t think anyone should get their back up about it.
Q. And are your jam sessions largely successful or not?
Ben: All of us have played music together for a long time so we’re deffo in eachothers heads when we play. More often than not there’ll be something worth recording into a phone whenever we play
Q. How does your music usually evolve from an idea to a fully finished song?
Ben: Either Jack or I will usually come up with the first idea of tune and show the other one. We normally make the idea intro something that has a beginning and an end and then take it to the band to refine and give it the full sound.
Q. How precious do you get over your music, as in, is it hard to finally admit that a song is finished?
Jack: Finishing the song doesn’t normally seem to be a problem. Me and Ben usually agree 90% on the journey the song takes and how it should feel.
It’s when we get in the studio, that’s when I get mega precious haha.
Our producer Kevin Vanbergen is amazing and his ideas always turn out to be correct in the long run but I always struggle to let anyone change things in a song I’ve written.
I just have to bite my lip and accept that he’s probably right.
Q. Love the name of the EP, "Lucozade Dreams", where did the name come from?
Jack: Well the name Lucozade Dreams is just something I used to say to my girlfriend. ‘I had some really weird lucozade Dreams today’.
Normally when I knew I’d be hungover I’d leave a bottle of lucozade next to my bed. When I woke up I’d down most of it. Fall back asleep and then I’d just have these mental dreams all morning. It’s always a lot of fun.
When it came to naming the EP we wanted something that could mean anything but also didn’t have to mean anything. A bit like the band name.
Anything that makes people question is good for us.
Plus I couldn’t get the idea of a fishbowl full of lucozade out my head so I felt like it was a good direction to take.
Q. Who inspired you most on "Lucozade Dreams"?
Ben: I think all 4 of us draw from pretty eclectic influences, there wasn’t one main influence particularly on the EP for me. When it comes to infulences I think we draw from the atmosphere of records we like rather than straight stylistic influence.
Jack: Yeah I wouldn’t say we ever try to write something based upon a brief or a ‘let’s write a song like that’. It’s just whatever comes out of messing around and the best ones usually make it onto an EP. We’ve stuck with the discordant stuff and added as much spaghetti western inspired guitar as possible. If I had to say my two biggest inspirations for any work we do, it’s be Ennio Morricone & QOTSA.
Q. "Puppet Strings" was a great choice for a single. What's the story behind that song?
Jack: I think we wanted to write a song that wasn’t your typical heart break tune.
It’s about finding out that you’re being used completely to make someone else jealous, but you’re not overly bothered because you’re not invested in the relationship anyway. So you allow it to happen.
Which is an entirely true story haha.
I had written the verse and pre chorus about a year before we decided to make it a Kapichi tune. I would play it around town and it seemed to get a good reaction so we decided to work on it as a band and it just went from there.
Q. And what's the thoughts and ideas behind the video as well?
Ben: The video was meant to portray a dark lucid dream, we played around with time and glitches to keep a trippy atmosphere throughout – that tone is kind of meant to relate to the whole EP. It was really fun to make, we did like 48 hours of shooting over 3 days so we were able to get really experimental.
Q. Who are you listening to most at the moment?
Jack: Been enjoying Frank Carter.
Fizzy Blood.
Shame.
Amazing snakeheads.
Alexandra Saviour
And loads of generic Pop.
Ben: I’ve been listening to Demob Happy over the last week, they’re cool. Been cranking up the Luther Vandross too if I’m totally honest.
Q. What's the ultimate goal for Kid Kapichi?
Ben: World domination.
Ben: Either Jack or I will usually come up with the first idea of tune and show the other one. We normally make the idea intro something that has a beginning and an end and then take it to the band to refine and give it the full sound.
Q. How precious do you get over your music, as in, is it hard to finally admit that a song is finished?
Jack: Finishing the song doesn’t normally seem to be a problem. Me and Ben usually agree 90% on the journey the song takes and how it should feel.
It’s when we get in the studio, that’s when I get mega precious haha.
Our producer Kevin Vanbergen is amazing and his ideas always turn out to be correct in the long run but I always struggle to let anyone change things in a song I’ve written.
I just have to bite my lip and accept that he’s probably right.
Q. Love the name of the EP, "Lucozade Dreams", where did the name come from?
Jack: Well the name Lucozade Dreams is just something I used to say to my girlfriend. ‘I had some really weird lucozade Dreams today’.
Normally when I knew I’d be hungover I’d leave a bottle of lucozade next to my bed. When I woke up I’d down most of it. Fall back asleep and then I’d just have these mental dreams all morning. It’s always a lot of fun.
When it came to naming the EP we wanted something that could mean anything but also didn’t have to mean anything. A bit like the band name.
Anything that makes people question is good for us.
Plus I couldn’t get the idea of a fishbowl full of lucozade out my head so I felt like it was a good direction to take.
Q. Who inspired you most on "Lucozade Dreams"?
Ben: I think all 4 of us draw from pretty eclectic influences, there wasn’t one main influence particularly on the EP for me. When it comes to infulences I think we draw from the atmosphere of records we like rather than straight stylistic influence.
Jack: Yeah I wouldn’t say we ever try to write something based upon a brief or a ‘let’s write a song like that’. It’s just whatever comes out of messing around and the best ones usually make it onto an EP. We’ve stuck with the discordant stuff and added as much spaghetti western inspired guitar as possible. If I had to say my two biggest inspirations for any work we do, it’s be Ennio Morricone & QOTSA.
Q. "Puppet Strings" was a great choice for a single. What's the story behind that song?
Jack: I think we wanted to write a song that wasn’t your typical heart break tune.
It’s about finding out that you’re being used completely to make someone else jealous, but you’re not overly bothered because you’re not invested in the relationship anyway. So you allow it to happen.
Which is an entirely true story haha.
I had written the verse and pre chorus about a year before we decided to make it a Kapichi tune. I would play it around town and it seemed to get a good reaction so we decided to work on it as a band and it just went from there.
Q. And what's the thoughts and ideas behind the video as well?
Ben: The video was meant to portray a dark lucid dream, we played around with time and glitches to keep a trippy atmosphere throughout – that tone is kind of meant to relate to the whole EP. It was really fun to make, we did like 48 hours of shooting over 3 days so we were able to get really experimental.
Q. Who are you listening to most at the moment?
Jack: Been enjoying Frank Carter.
Fizzy Blood.
Shame.
Amazing snakeheads.
Alexandra Saviour
And loads of generic Pop.
Ben: I’ve been listening to Demob Happy over the last week, they’re cool. Been cranking up the Luther Vandross too if I’m totally honest.
Q. What's the ultimate goal for Kid Kapichi?
Ben: World domination.
Visit their Website: https://www.kidkapichi.com/
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Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidkapichi
Listen to them on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/
Listen to them on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/