It was possibly in 2017 when I should’ve bought tickets to see The Hunna; back when ‘Piece By Piece’ was really popular. But in actual fact, since then, the band have dropped some seriously scorching tracks, so 2022 has probably turned out to be the more appropriate year.

On the same night that both The Snuts and WARGASM were playing Leeds shows, it was a tough call — and one that needed a deciding vote. And that’s where Kid Kapichi came in…

Lucy Deakin actually opened, but it had been such a busy week and my ears were so bludgeoned from gigs that I took a view on it and rocked up, impeccably, when Kid Kapichi were just about to grab guitars and seize sticks. Now, this shouldn’t be the first time you’re reading about the Buckfast-swigging Hastings four-piece on Record Weekly — I’ve interviewed their frontman, Jack Wilson, before, and I’ve also penned various articles about their tunes. So much so, reviews of their gigs virtually write themselves, and that’s not just because I’ve seen them twice before either. Ultimately, they’re a modern punk-infused alt rock band that I’ve followed for years now and they just keep getting better and better. 

One thing’s for sure is, half an hour passes at serious speed when Kid Kapichi are playing. They’re fresh from releasing their second record, ‘Here’s What You Could Have Won’, which actually managed to raise the game from their debut. While they delivered fiery performances of old bangers such as ‘Glitterati’, they then drilled into some bombastic newcomers. KK’s energy was unrivalled, in the most captivating way possible. 

Colossal offerings such as ‘5 Days On (2 Days Off)’ and ‘New England’ (the latter of which was a collab with Bob Vylan) were expertly weaved into the band’s interlude political patter. They were absolutely spot on about the state of Britain, and very humbly mentioned that they had merch to sell but that they’d urge us to “heat [our] homes [and] feed [our] kids” first. It’s a crying shame that Kid Kapichi won’t run in a general election…

But the best part for me? Their final song choice: ‘Smash the Gaff’. It’s soaked in scuzzy, electronic riffage and it’s one of the most outwardly riotous belters to come out of this year. I’m obsessed with it though I didn’t think it would make the setlist, so that was especially cool. It was executed with such comfort yet severe skill, too. Roll on February, when they’ll return to take on the Brudenell. 

This tour saw The Hunna head out on the road, on the cusp of releasing their fourth record. Rather than getting the material out there for fans to learn the words of, to belt out at gigs, they sprang onto stage, started with the epic new one ‘Trash’ and then proceeded to play the whole new (fourth) album. The room was packed with a very young crowd, who fully embraced throwing themselves around to this as-yet-unheard material. When it came later to ‘Bonfire’ and ‘Can’t Break What’s Broken’, which both possess unbelievable streaming stats, lungs were fully in motion. 

The Hunna also shared, on a number of occasions, how much of an axe they’ve had to grind with labels and the music industry. And, more excitingly, that Charlie Simpson of Busted and Fightstar fame was the only guest to feature on the upcoming album. They more than evidenced that they could nail softly-softly, but then they could dial up the dangerous, too. It was just a gig of sheer enjoyment for everyone involved.