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Billed as an ‘interactive multi-instrumental extravaganza’- you get exactly what it says on the tin. Simple Kid? more like Billy The Kid, as he mosies on out complete with Stetson hat, to start an ode to the late Johnny Cash. Anyone just expecting a live reprisal of the album, could have no way been disappointed with this mixed bag of treats. The live version of Simple Kid takes his distinctive postmodern electronic folk stylings, and blends them effortlessly in to this Country and Blues inspired two part set, helped by his Hillbilly sidekicks (complete with cowboy hats, fiddle and banjo).
With the first half of the gig, the crowd respond well to favourites such as 'Kids Don't Care' and 'Drugs', the slowed down Country influence takes nothing away from the songs, only reinforcing Simple Kid's ability to not only write, but adapt and spraypaint his work on any canvas or street wall.
Brand new song, 'I'm Sorry Ma' - apparently written specially for this gig - is a melodic bluesy little ditty with harmonica and banjo, telling of small town lies and regret within a Dylan-esque stencil. Next single 'Staring at the Sun', is a catchy pop song replete with clued up social lyrics. It doesn't escape the Western touch though, neither does a brilliant cover of Motorhead's 'Ace of Spades'.
It would seem that the soothing country is the calm before the storm of the debauched insanity of the second half, where 'Average Man', is played alone on the drums by Simple Kid, who firstly has 
to warn the crowd, "The first one who mentions Def Leppard, gets a drum stick in the eye!". Then it’s played for a second time, only now accompanied by Black Sabbath's 'Paranoid'. OK, so now I’m half expecting Ozzy himself to leap, nah, stumble through the wall in a Stetson (in a Run DMC Vs Aerosmith style collaboration).
What could possibly follow Country, Metal, Pop and Rock? Why but the king of all pursuits... Karaoke! Taking to the right of the stage, Simple Kid gets two people up to take ten paces at dawn, all guns blazing, to sing the vocals to 'Supertramps', in true showdown style. To be honest though, by this point myself and the crowd just wanted to hear Simple Kid's own brilliant
version of 'Supertramps', a song Ray Davies would have loved to have written!
Simple Kid? Skiffle Kid? Billy the Kid? a Musician? a Showman? a Craftsman? a Comic? a Cowboy? There's nothing simple about this kid, he's simply street-smart and ace!
Photos by Helen Wilkie
