After reading last week that Manchester band Alias Kid had been signed to Alan McGee’s Creation Management, the time felt right to get down to a gig and check them out. They were playing the always impressive This Feeling club night which showcases new music and rising stars to the nation with the help of XFM radio.


After reading last week that Manchester band Alias Kid had been signed to Alan McGee’s Creation Management, the time felt right to get down to a gig and check them out. They were playing the always impressive This Feeling club night which showcases new music and rising stars to the nation with the help of XFM radio.

The location was Manchester’s Ruby Lounge which has improved a good deal as a venue over the past few years and is currently “one to play” on the Manchester scene. Alias Kid, although not named as the main event of the evening, clearly were just that; at least to the gig-goers who were in full chime of expectation for the twenty or so minutes prior to Alias Kid taking the stage.

Alias Kid comprise of five band members; two of whom (Maz and Sean) lead the gig, swapping as they do the band’s main vocal duty. Within thirty seconds of the first chord rasping out, the crowd were bouncing to the front rails. Energetic from the off, a rudimentary mosh pit developed and the show kicked off with a bang.

Sean and Maz had great chemistry with the crowd and with each other. However, this band was certainly not just about these two singers. For instance, the drummer was fantastic and the songs themselves were consistently anthemic throughout the gig. It was also particularly entertaining to hear a two minute paraphrase of “Anarchy In The UK” tagged on to the end of one of the band’s numbers.

This in turn tied in very well with a stage invasion at the end, which if a certain gig goer’s words are to be believed, “..happens all the time at their [Alias Kid’s] gigs love.”. It looked for a moment like a few of the invaders wouldn’t make it onto the stage (probably due to intoxication rather than a lack of athleticism) but once one was up, each was helped by a friend, until the stage was full and you could barely pick out the band. The crowd was rowdy but friendly and it felt like this music meant something real to everyone.

Once home it was time to do a bit more research on the band (okay this means read back over their Facebook and Twitter accounts). The Twitter feed consisted of the usual promotional material along with the odd attack on an MP while the feed on Facebook had posts about playing in Manchester, Liverpool, USA, Amsterdam, London and being arrested and thrown out of hotels a few times along the way.

On the face of it, this seems to encapsulate the traits (or qualities depending on your point of view) that Alan McGee is keen on in his prodigies. Mr McGee seems to favour rough diamonds; maybe to mould them or maybe because he feels their music “means” more. Maybe the lads in the Alias Kid are just that; a bunch of lads in a band, and this is the natural consequence of this fact. There are indeed lot of “maybes” which hopefully one day can be posed directly to the band and their illustrious manager.

So this is not a new type of music, it is not even re-inventing the wheel but it is exceptionally well executed. It is punk, it is rock and roll, it is anthemic, it is fantastic and it is a riot in both senses of the word. There are lots of bands knocking at the door but Alias Kid seem to have an edge to them that could steer them ahead of the pack and into our lives. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

W: http://www.facebook.com/aliaskid

CONTACT

Camilla Hickman
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United Kingdom
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