Forget ‘The’ bands, 2008 is all about ‘Kids’ bands. There’s London electro punks Dead Kids, Floridian indie-meisters Black Kids and New Kids On The Block.
OK, so the latter are reforming and the only time they ever get close to anything to do with kids is probably late at night in tour hotel rooms (changing nappies, obviously, what did you think we meant?) but they still count. Honest.
Returning to Black Kids though – this year is, we’re told, really going to be a big one for them. They’ve already been marked out as ones to watch by the BBC and rock behemoth Rolling Stone, and all this before their debut album has so much as sniffed a shelf.
The record in question, Partie Traumatic, has been produced by indie stalwart and ex-member of Suede Bernard Butler, and will be released on July 7 for your listening pleasure. In the meantime, you can catch the Kids at Glastonbury, T In The Park, and pretty much every other festival this summer before they head back stateside to make more waves.
Before they become everybody’s new favourite band though, they’re headlining the bill at the University of London Union with two bands from New Zealand: Collapsing Cities (whose Fear Of Opening My Mouth is darned good) and Cut Off Your Hands, who have been championed by Steve Lamacq, possibly explaining his presence at the back of the hall.
Also wandering around solo is the aforementioned Bernard Butler, who is getting busy with the Cut Off Your Hands album as well as the Black Kids.
It seems very good of Bernie to just mix it with the proles down in the crowd, but we may hear more from him later.
Anyway, after what seems like an age, Black Kids finally arrive. Led by the already unmistakeably gangly figure of lead singer Reggie Youngblood (yes, it is a cool name,isn’t it?) with his sister Ali in charge of crowd relations, the five-piece make a slow start.
After a little dark, disco-tinged indie, things move up a gear with I’ve Underestimated My Charm (Again), and the ‘Robert Smith covering The Go Team with Arcade Fire’ sound of their debut EP Wizard of Ahhs is in full fantastic flow.
It’s not until they’re joined by producer Bernard Butler though (told you he’d be back) that they really seem to start enjoying themselves, and as he gets stuck in on guitar, Youngblood relaxes into his surroundings and goes to town on Hurricane Jane and crowd favourite I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You.
These are the tracks that everyone was waiting for, and it does seem like a bit of a release for the band, who are all suddenly sporting huge grins and saying how happy they are.
The feeling, it’s safe to say, is mutual, and the Black Kids experience has been as uplifting and fun as we were told it would be. Time, perhaps, to start believing that hype.