Deftly bridging the gap between old school soul and rock n roll, Sydney seven-piece Kid Confucius will be hitting the road this September/October on a highly-anticipated tour of Australia’s East Coast. To celebrate, they will also be releasing a special Tour Edition of their acclaimed 2008 album, ‘The Let Go’ including exclusive bonus material!
This exciting re-release will be highlighted by an unfinished, previously unheard b-side called “Daydreaming”, as well as remixes and the band’s self-produced music videos for all of the album’s singles to date. This includes Kid Confucius’ brand new single, “Big Black Cloud” – a relentless, rock-fuelled gospel spiritual (video here). The track embodies the new Kid Confucius: guitars up front, drums roomy and dirty, horns distorted, vocals unbridled and overdriven.
With a strong reputation for its live show, Kid Confucius went through a radical shift in style and sound while touring and playing the 07/08 summer festivals. The spark came on stage and in rehearsals once they reduced their sound to the bare essentials of a guitar driven rock band – the sugar on top provided by horns and Rob Hezkial’s soulful lead vocal.
A new guitarist (20 year-old James Manson) also contributed to the new energy, and without thinking too much about it, the band tore rapidly through two months of intense writing sessions and rehearsals for the new album. They recorded live to tape, using only pre-1970s original mics and gear at Electric Avenue Studios in Sydney, tracking most of the album in only four days.
From a recording perspective, The Let Go’s brief was to revamp the band’s cleaner 1970s soul sound into a dirtier rock-soul sound; basically The Stones meets Phil Spector. The band’s producer, Tony Buchen (Andy Bull, Gin Wigmore, The Kahn Brothers, Macromantics) was once again at the wheel, steering the boys towards their vision.
Hitting shelves on 22 August 2009, ‘The Let Go: Tour Edition’ is unlike anything else being produced in Australia today. A bold ode to garage soul, it will act as perfect preparation for when Kid Confucius’ Big Black Cloud rolls around the country with their signature, fever-inducing live show. Tour dates are as follows:
Sydney – 13 September @ Beach Road, Bondi
Brisbane – 19 September @ Troubadour
Sydney – 23 August @ Annandale (All Ages)
Canberra – 24 September @ Transit Bar
Sydney – 26 September @ Oxford Arts Factory
Melbourne – 8 October @ Toff Of The Town
