I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Kid Kapichi at Leeds Beckett’s Students’ Union once before, when they supported The Hunna, but never before have they played there in a headline capacity. In spite of the rainy Monday evening scheduling and a nasty bout of tonsillitis for frontman Jack Wilson, the show went on — and it was massive.

The event was opened by the pair of live wires that go under the moniker of Dumb Buoys Fishing Club. They possessed much of the fun and energy of an outfit like Chromeo, just with with modern, grittier garage tunes behind their dual mic responsibilities, and less of a spoof nature to their lyrics. The two guys didn’t have live instruments, though their crunchy R&B, catchy hooks and upbeat rap had everyone on their feet. That’s not to mention their token segments of dance choreography. Consider them on my watch list again for the future — a round two is in order! They have oodles of hits up their sleeves, but get brand-new ‘Pull Up’ on rotation ASAP.

I kindly had press access to review the gig through Dead Pony’s management*. I’ve been following the Glaswegian band for years now, and since seeing them blow the roof off at Belgrave at a previous RIFFFEST instalment, I couldn’t afford to miss out on them supporting the mighty KK. Off the back of their recently released debut album, ‘IGNORE THIS’, and incidentally on frontwoman Anna’s birthday, they came and absolutely conquered.

Wheeling out ferociously shredding new bangers from their new record as well as older hits, such as ‘23, Never Me’, Dead Pony were an unstoppable freight train of angsty alt-rock — a deadlier fit than the charismatic Dumb Buoys Fishing Club but a shoo-in for the Hastings headliners. Their shredding riffs had them summoning mosh pits, and plenty of the crowd had evidently heard of them, so they cemented their spot instantly.

It’s hard to keep count of how many times I’ve had the privilege of witnessing Kid Kapichi now. I’ve definitely been tracking their journey and staying present in their crowds, so being there to celebrate their third album, ‘There Goes The Neighbourhood’, was a must. ‘Artillery’, ‘Let’s Get To Work’ and ‘Get Down’ had fans in raptures — rightly so. And ‘Tamagotchi’, the song about turning 30, was a particularly impactful pick for me, too.

But it wasn’t just a showcase of what they’ve produced lately; there were many playful elements to their performance. Not least the chat around how the local “Yorkshire, Yorkshire, Yorkshire” chants were humorously first misheard by the band as “your shit” heckling. And, of course, there was the really slick, slowed-down, spooky transition from an interlude to the fiery ‘Working Men’s Town’. Dumb Buoys returned for a cheeky verse on ‘New England’, and an air raid siren blazed before an encore that served up perhaps their wildest renditions of ‘Sardines’ and ‘Smash the Gaff’ yet.

I’ll be back for more!

*With thanks to Machina MGMT for the press access