Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Reviews

This Is The Kit Review

Jan 28, 2018
-
Posted by Jon Southcoasting

Is it wrong for Brighton Source to review gigs in Lewes? That question can probably be answered by the fact that This Is The Kit’s Kate Stables felt obliged to survey the audience as to whether the attendees at her gig at the Con Club had come from Brighton, Lewes or Other places. The Brighton and Lewes hands were probably equally split – although there was a sizeable response for those coming from further afield too.

The band’s reputation has mushroomed with the release of their most recent album, their fourth, ‘Moonshine Frieze’ so it was no surprise that this gig sold out in a matter of weeks after it was announced. The heightened attention is well-deserved and follows a successful gig at Concorde2 last autumn. Kate Stables couldn’t hide her enthusiasm for playing what must feel like home-from-home now, although she claimed she was lost for words to adequately describe her feelings.

This Is The Kit’s set began with some of the softer songs from the last album and its predecessors but then picked up the pace with the album’s title track and the beautiful ‘Misunderstanding’ from 2015’s ‘Bashed Out’. A short solo spot was followed by the mysterious ‘By My Demon Eye’ and ‘Two Wooden Spoons’ taken from her first album, now ten years old but recently covered by support act and band member Emma Gatrill.

This Is The Kit have carved out a special place for themselves, creating a sound that’s quite unique – drawing on traditional folk song but pulled through a modern lens and the inimitable musings of Kate Stables’ mind. Amongst a range of other indeterminate influences, these ears caught echoes of reggae in the almost effortless playing of the band, and elements of post-rock too. Stables has the kind of laid-back easy voice that can carry almost any lyric and manages to combine a special warmth with a deceptively simple intimacy.

The final three songs of the main set were played with extrordinary verve and vigour, at long last letting guitarist Neil Smith loose on some dynamic fretwork. ‘Cold And Got Colder’ (from ‘Bashed out’), the mesmerising ‘Solid Grease’ (“Things get said, things get don’t, hold it in, let it go”) and ‘Hotter Colder’ (also from ‘Moonshine Frieze’) provided a stunning finale but there was time for an encore starting with an astounding version of the band’s first album’s ‘Greasy Goose’. The band ended with a rousing electric ‘Bashed Out’ from the album of the same name, with its rousing lyrics of onboard travails providing an uplifting metaphor for life and a satisfying way to finish an enchanting set.

Support came from This Is The Kit sometime-cornet-player Emma Gatrill, along with her partner Marcus Hamblett who also contributed some stunning horn parts to the headliner’s set. Gatrill’s solo work is based around her atmospheric harp and beautiful vocals, providing the bedrock for her impressive songs. This evening, accompanied by guitar-based sonic effects from Hamblett, particularly noteworthy were the sensuous ‘Skin’ and the title track from her album ‘Cocoon’, released on the Japanese Flau label. Her set also included a superb cover of Bjork’s ‘Hyperballad’.

Lewes Constitutional Club, Saturday 27th January 2018
Words and photos by Jon Southcoasting

Jan 28, 2018
Email
Jon Southcoasting
Jon Southcoasting photographs all sorts, including music, writes about things, as often as not musical, and sometimes plays his own songs too. He lives in Brighton.
← PREVIOUS POST
FemRock Presents...IWD Special, Fri 2nd March
NEXT POST →
Zara McFarlane, Weds 28th February
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Brighton Psych Fest 2025 Review
    Sep 26, 2025

    The second Brighton Psych Fest was a beauty as we got down with Getdown Services as the evening sunlight glowed through the Concorde Stained Glass.

  • David Devant & His Spirit Wife, Friday 12th December
    Sep 23, 2025

    One of Brighton's greatest live bands returns for a pre-Xmas homecoming party.

  • Nick Cave To Play Exclusive Brighton Show Next Summer
    Sep 15, 2025

    Nick Cave returns to Brighton next Summer for an exclusive show with The Bad Seeds in Preston Park.

  • Death Comes to Pemberley Review
    Sep 3, 2025

    Set six years after the marriage of Elizabeth to Mr Darcy, a murder on their estate takes this story into thriller territory.

  • The Lightning Thief Review
    Sep 1, 2025

    A high octane modern musical coming of age adventure about demi-god teens, complete with committed performances, stunning voices, and brilliantly inventive staging.

  • Betty Boo, Sunday 23rd November
    Sep 1, 2025

    The legendary Betty Boo is going on her first ever solo UK tour and you can catch her at The Green Door Store in November.

  • Mutations Festival 2025 Line Up Announcement
    Aug 28, 2025

    FORM are treating us to a Bonfire Weekend full of warm goodness, bangers and fireworks!

  • Pride And Prejudice Review
    Aug 27, 2025

    A beautifully realised adaptation of one of Jane Austen’s best loved books: giving us a grounded, real and hilarious retelling in perfect balance.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
This Is The Kit Review - Brighton Source