This Is The Kit’s newest album, Careful Of Your Keepers, is the perfect blend of classic folk influences, reflective lyricism, and the occasional sprinkling of funky brass. An album that is both delicate and impactful, beginning their Manchester set with the album opener ‘Goodbye Bite’ was the perfect introduction to the band. Followed by ‘Doomed or More Doomed’, the band tipped off the gig with a necessary ode to their newest album – overflowing with wit and introspection, it deserved its roses.
Dispersed between tracks from the newest album were inserts of 2020 album Off Off On, which regularly saw Kate Stable’s use banjo playing reminiscent of the traditional folk influences that are ever-present in ‘Found Out’ and ‘This Is What You Did’, with ongoing picking riffs that underlay the songs. At the back sat drummer Jamie Whitby-Coles, dressed as though it were the Arctic, in a thick winter coat and a wool hat. There was something un-uniform about the band, each member seemingly dressed for a different occasion, yet all equally devoted to their art.
Stable’s wit was not solely present in her music, as she chatted with the audience at frequent intervals between songs. There was a casualness to her performance, of which it felt should be met with somewhere small and intimate, rather than the bland walls of Manchester Academy 2. Nevertheless, Kate refused to refrain from her laidback manner, beginning the first lyrics of the next song before quickly correcting herself. “Wrong key” she laughed, going to reset, beginning the solemn fan favourite, ‘Bashed Out’. “It’s great isn’t it?” Kate asked jokingly, “these sort of clatterings on stage.”
Admittedly, Stables still managed to feed into the Manchester stereotypes, asking the crowd if there was anything they’d like playing: “Wonderwall, maybe?” It seemed this crowd didn’t overlap with Britpop listeners. Instead, Stables alongside Rozi Plain began a childlike nursery rhyme which then delved into the looming guitars of ‘Moonshine Freeze’. Lit with a bright blue light from behind, it was the perfect tune to accompany the sudden drop in temperature in Manchester.
As the crowd settled their cheers, Stables began to orchestrate for the next song, conducting the audience to sing a “Be ok” chant as the gentle riff of ‘Dibs’ started. As the prolonged bridge commenced, the crowd sang the chant in unison. Jessie D. Vernon accompanied with mesmerising violin interludes as we witnessed the unifying moment between audience and artist.
This Is The Kit finished the set with ‘Keep Going’, a pensive song fuelled with motivation. The reverb was emphasised on the guitars, and the repetitive riffs rang out over the crowd. At the end of the song, the band took to the front of the stage, arm in arm as they bowed to the cheers. As the audience chanted for more, Stables reappeared, alone this time. Stripped back solely to her vocals and her guitar, Stables performed ‘Two Wooden Spoons’, taking us back in time to the 2011 album Where It Lives before making her final goodbyes.
From the newest work of Careful of Your Keepers right back to their earliest material, This Is The Kit had taken us on a time-travelling journey through their discography.
