Introducing Interview: Kid Cupid

Having already received support from the likes of BBC Introducing and Amazing Radio, GIHE favourite Kid Cupid are back to win your ears over with a brand new single.

Oozing euphoric layers of sound alongside Laura Shaw’s soulful vocals, ‘Easy’ is a truly blissful slice of electro-pop; a dreamy sonic delight that’ll leave you longing for more.

We caught up with the band to find out more…

Hi Kid Cupid! Welcome to Get In Her Ears! Can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Sure, we’re Laura, James, Ian and John and we’re an alt-pop band based in South London.

How did you initially all get together and start creating music?
Laura and James met on a TV set, both worked in TV production pre music.  James was in a band and they asked Laura to sing on a track. Ian was a close friend of Laura’s boyfriend and then we found John on a Gumtree Ad believe it or not.

We’re loving the new single ‘Easy’ – what’s it all about?
‘Easy’ delves into themes of addiction, I don’t think we’ve been so specific on a theme before. It’s something that we have experienced in some way or another.

You’ve been compared to the likes of Oh Wonder, but who would you say are your main musical influences?
We draw influence from loads of different places – anything from electronica to jazz to punk. I think the Oh Wonder comparison gets brought up a lot because of the vocals in our live show – John and Laura do a lot of harmonies together, which always seems to get audience attention. John’s really into falsetto singing, and Laura has more of a low, husky voice – so the harmonies are inverted in comparison to what you’d normally expect.

How is your local music scene? Do you go to see lots of live music?
The music scene in London is amazing, we try and see as much as possible and it’s always great playing with so many great bands.

And what can fans expect from your live shows?
We have a very bassy sound, and we all stand in a line. The line formation came about from playing on a tiny stage, but the audience seemed to love it so we’ve kept it ever since!

As we’re a new music focused site, are there any other new/upcoming bands or artists you’d suggest we check out?
We just supported Fours and Avec Sans, both are amazing!

And how do you feel the music industry is for new artists at the moment – would you say it’s difficult to get noticed?
Yes and no, it feels impossible at times as it’s so over-saturated but with so many ways to get your music out there these days you just have to be a bit clever to stand out! If you really believe in the music and work hard hopefully good things will come. 

Finally, what does the rest of 2017 have in store for Kid Cupid?
Weirdly for us, lots of acoustic stripped back shows and sessions which is really cool to try something different. We have a music video coming out for ‘Easy’ and hopefully some exciting announcements.

Huge thanks to Kid Cupid for answering our questions!

‘Easy’, the new single from Kid Cupid, is out now.

Track Of The Day: Suzie Stapleton – ‘Yesterday’s Town’

If “delay-laden guitar riffs and dusty vocals” are your thing, then Suzie Stapleton‘s new track ‘Yesterday’s Town’ is going to tick all of your listening boxes. Born in Australia, Stapleton relocated to London in 2015 and has kept a busy recording schedule on various projects between tours and opening for acts such as Mick Harvey, Mark Lanegan and Boss Hog.

Earlier this year, Stapleton appeared on Lydia Lunch & Cypress Grove’s unlikely covers album Under The Covers (Rustblade Records), lending her voice to several of the tracks. This project was spawned via Stapleton’s collaborations with Cypress Grove on The Jeffrey Lee Pierce Sessions Project (feat. Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Debbie Harry, Thurston Moore).

To celebrate the release of her new single, Suzie has made ‘Yesterday’s Town’ available as a free download for her fans, which can be accessed via www.suziestapleton.com. She will also be playing a London launch show on November 8th at The Old Blue Last, with more dates live dates to be announced shortly.

Until then, listen to ‘Yesterday’s Town’ below and follow Suzie on Facebook for more updates.

Photo Credit: Steve Gullick

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut

Video Premiere: Rookes – ‘The Heel Of My Hand’

Feast your eyes on the sharp new visuals from Rookes for thier latest single ‘The Heel Of My Hand’. The song is about losing the first woman she ever loved, which she describes as a “catalytic experience”. The shoot itself was completed in 12 hours at a studio in Dalston, with a cast and crew of just six people.

“I had to adapt to a lot of change very quickly, as well as attempt to process my sexuality – which I had been avoiding for a long time in strange and elaborate ways,” explains Rookes. “We made a story thread with my playing instruments a priority too. This is very significant to me, as I play all my live shows solo with multiple instruments, and I think it’s really important for girls and young women to see that”.

We admire Rookes’ insight and energy, both of which are clearly displayed in the video for ‘Heel Of My Hand’. She’s committed to changing perceptions about women in music too: “There is a stereotype out there that most women in the music industry are usually vocalists or backing vocalists, and it needs to die. The only way that’s going to happen is when people see more women doing other things on stage than just singing”.

Watch her new video below and follow Rookes on Facebook for more updates.

Kate Crudgington
@KCBobCut