KID KAPICHI + SNAYX – DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL 21.5.21 & KID KAPICHI + BLABBERMOUTH – DE LA WARR PAVILION, BEXHILL 22.5.21
A poignant cobweb hanging a metre-or-so down from a light above the De La Warr Pavilion balcony was a telling reminder of just how long venues have been mothballed.
Tonight’s Kid Kapichi ‘album launch’ comes over three months since ‘This Time Next Year’ hit the racks with a glowing four-star NME review that called it “a snarling debut full of grit, determination and blood-curdling fury…”
Those with an eye for detail might have pointed out to the NME hack that the band’s first release was way back in 2016 – but this is their first long-player, so we’ll not split hairs over semantics.
But back to the present, and although the venue might have been a bit dusty, none of the bands were in any way rusty, effortlessly remembering which end of the guitar was which and what all those funny switch things at their feet do…
Due to demand for tickets and the need to still maintain social distancing this (almost) home-town return to the live stage was split over two nights – offering opportunities for both SNAYX and Blabbermouth to take turns at opening the shows.
However, the big elephant in the room was the looming question of how bands like these would work in the rigidly controlled setting that current rules dictate.
All seated, masks when not drinking, no jumping around, and all that jazz. And indeed, the amount of space around each little sofa-island of fans was enough for a pretty big elephant to have navigated its way down to the non-existent mosh-pit.
Did it work?
Well, yes – pretty much.
But it still wasn’t the same, and served as a telling reminder of how far we still are from any true return to normality.
As SNAYX hit the stage the first impression was of how the Pavilion appeared to have taken on the proportions of a stadium, given the distance from the band to the seated front row.
And there was a palpable wave of relief that rolled across the (admittedly sparse) crowd as they got their first dose of proper live rock in what felt like an eternity.
With bass-heavy riffs, SNAYX are reminiscent of early Red Hot Chili Peppers, but with a contemporary twist – and this is a good thing.
Their set was a perfect appetiser to whet appetites for the main course.
And the same could be said for Blabbermouth, who opened the Saturday night show.
