Alias Kid... The Delights Of Pure Rock & Roll
Alias Kid (aka AK) burst out of Manchester (with a little bit of backing from Alan McGee - Creation Management) a couple of years ago, and have been steadily cultivating a growing fan base and expanding their horizons over the last year since their debut album 'Revolt to Revolt' was released.
They've rocketed from obscurity to playing some of the biggest gigs they could have dreamed of, and supported the likes of Cast, Black Grape and Happy Mondays. And they've somehow managed to achieve all this without getting all rock-star diva-ish and keeping their heads level amidst the crazy hype that could easily have inflated a few egos along the way.
Currently the band are in the midst of their own headline tour, but still finding time to provide support for label-mates The Jesus and Mary Chain. This was where I caught up with Alias Kid for the first time since last summer's festival season.
The Forum in Kentish Town is one of the largest venues I have seen AK play and it looked from the beginning like it would be a pretty special night. The barrier filled up fast and the floor space also had a plentiful covering of happy looking gig-goers.
Sadly though, instead of the usual five piece, only four of the band were in attendance, with Sean O'Donnell, usually on guitar and vocals, missing due to illness. The remaining four more than made up for his absence with their lively back and forth bantering with each other and their quickfire quips (Maz Behdjet/James Sweeney seem to have a bit of a thing for each others' mothers ...).
But it's not all about the hilarity of the dead panning between the guys on stage. It's about rock. And roll. Dirty guitar and some banging tunes. The set was short, to the point and really put across the spirit of what AK are all about in a brilliantly well-executed 30 minutes.
One of my favourites from the album 'Smoke and Ashes' marked the middle of the set, and performed live in this beautiful space had just the right amount of melancholic dreaminess. It blew me away.
The last half of the set was just pure rock, from 'Shot Through' to 'Revolution Sometime' and finishing up with 'Messiah'. I spotted Alan McGee in the audience looking like the cat who got all the cream, and deservedly so. He certainly picked some winners with AK when he spotted them and signed them up after they'd only played three gigs!
Without a doubt, this was the best that I've seen Alias Kid perform. And I have a feeling that their meteoric rise is set to continue. If I were you I'd definitely catch them on this tour, and you too will be able to say "I knew them when ..."
COMMENTS
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Interesting to know they have kept their humility through it all. I keep hearing good things about the Forum too, definitely a venue I need to look into visiting!
