KID KARATE
plus guests A Plastic Rose & My Pilot.
Kid Karate are a two-piece band from Dublin comprising of Kevin Breen (guitar/synth/vocals) and Steven Gannon (drums/percussion/backing vocals). Breen is the descendant of a long line of talented musicians, he spent his school years neglecting homework and practicing guitar for eight hours a day, every day; his demonic guitar-work and commanding vocals have been compared to that of Jack White (The White Stripes/The Dead Weather), among others. Gannon has carved out a niche for himself as the loudest drummer in Dublin. His furious drumming style and dance-driven beats compliment Breen’s frantic musicianship and ballsy vocals, thus the pair creates music that is intoxicating and catchy at the fore.
Since their debut gig in October ’09, a series of crazy gigs has seen Kid Karate carve a name for themselves as one of the best live bands in Dublin. The duo’s gigs have been described as manic and explosive, club promoters warning guests, “Expect to get the heads blown off you!” – (POD).
On the back of their highly-praised set at the HWCH festival in October, November saw Kid Karate release their debut EP, HEART, which was recorded at Pickering Forest Studios (Glen Hansard, Kíla) over a two day period with producer Jason Boland.
Having been tipped by various journalists as ones to watch in 2011, Kid Karate plan on taking their aural assault on the road with a tour of Poland booked for January/February and talks of making noise in the US in March/April. 2011 will also see Kid Karate commence work on their debut studio album.
Praise for Kid Karate:
Hot Press ‘Single of the Fortnight’ – “All four cuts on HEART are gritty, impatient and brutal…. Rage and resentment abound – HEART is an EP to pound your chest to.”
Jim Carroll (The Irish Times) -“Their music will make you want to throw yourself around a venue with abandon.”
Milo Cordell (The Big Pink) – “Kid Karate are my favourite band in the world! They are going to be massive!”
Dan Hegarty (2fm) – “Kid Karate’s ‘Heart’ EP has had me hopping around the place on more than one occasion. They have imagination, ability, and potent tunes, let’s hope that 2011 holds lots of good things for them.”
Shilpa Ganatra (Irish Daily Star) – “Kevin Breen can really sing… they’re that bloody brilliant they don’t need to show it off. Their debut EP has just been released and I’ll be disillusioned if it doesn’t lead to great things for them in 2011.”
Niahm Doolan – (State.ie) – “Kid Karate’s music is like getting punched and then stroked in the face. Their sound is sheer hedonistic sonic fury.”