Kid Kapichi: Here’s What You Could Have Won album review — a caustic depiction of Britain

Following on the heels of the recent panoramic rhetoric — Britain, a land grieving as one, etc — comes a less reverent state of the nation address from Hastings band Kid Kapichi. “You’re such a fool, Britannia,” they chorus on “New England”, the opening track on their new album Here’s What You Could Have Won. Drums wallop in a one-two punch formation and buzz saw riffs grind away as singer Ben Beetham concocts a dyspeptic vision of an apathetic, consumerism-addled country voting for “the rich and heartless” out of habit. “Is it you can’t change, or that you won’t change?” he chants.

England, of course, will slumber on. Its deep sleep has proved immune to noisy outbursts like this from unruly subjects with guitars and amps; indeed, the original punks became a decorative part of the national tapestry. But Kid Kapichi, who take their cue from contemporary punk acts such as Slaves and Idles, fling themselves into the fray with energy and good humour. For an album with such a distempered view of its homeland, Here’s What You Could Have Won turns out to be a surprisingly entertaining experience.

“New England”, which features a caustic guest turn from agit-rap-rockers Bob Vylan, kick-starts it as though blowing the doors off. “Rob the Supermarket” is a pounding number about a modern-day Robin Hood on a stealing spree. “INVU” gives the sour topic of wealth and generational envy a jaunty, even funky, twist. “Party at No. 10” is a satirical account of Partygate, which shifts musical gear into Oasis-style acoustic rock (Liam Gallagher picked the band to open for him at a show earlier this year). “A volcano lying dormant will always erupt,” Beetham spits in “Cops and Robbers” amid big rumbling beats and hollered choruses that sound tailor-made for arenas. Everything else might stay the same, but Kid Kapichi are ready for their eruption.

★★★★☆

‘Here’s What You Could Have Won’ is released by Spinefarm Records