Welcome to the the reviews page. Here, you can read all independant reviews that have been added by ourselves or our devoted fans that have travelled near and far to our gigs. Just click on the image of the pub, bar or event that you have seen us at and there, you can read every review submitted for all available dates that we have played at that venue. Just click on the date link below each bar title and you can go straight to that review.
If you have a gig review that you would like to submit, then please click here. We like to here from everybody and promise that every review will be published.
Since the live music ban at O’Neil’s in Beckenham, there hasn’t been too much going on locally for ‘The Kick’, so a call from the Box Bar was good news. Good news because three of us live around Beckenham and so do most of our friends and family so a guaranteed a full house.
We all got there nice and early to have a good look at stage space etc (being our first time here) well, all of us apart from Richard our front man and lead guitarist. We hadn’t spoken or heard from the Cank all day. We were getting worried! (Jason was beginning to hyperventilate). Was he ok? Had he forgotten? Had he got tied up with a home install at work? So just as Jason was trying to think of some Shadows instrumental numbers to fill two forty-five minute sets, who walks through the door??…yep, the Cank. Poor chap had got stuck on the motorway for over an hour. Sometimes we forget how far he has to travel, so if you have a boozer in the Kingston area and want to sell loads of beer and listen to one of London’s finest cover band, get in touch, a local one for the boy would be nice.
By the time we had set up (and Jason's heart rate and blood pressure had returned to normal) we had our front man. We had plenty of room on stage, which is a bit of a luxury these days. Plenty of room for Mani to do his Pete Townsend windmills, Bob to do his flea scissor kicks, Richard to thrust his hips, and Jason to....er.....sit behind his drums.
The sound check was spot on, and about half an hour later we hit the stage. The place was pretty full, it’s a big old pub and could easily take about 300, but we had a good go at filling it. Mostly all our own lot, with the added advantage of having Mad James with us (see his page). There is no man alive better at getting a crowd going. (Considering the couple of weeks he'd had, hats off to him).
The first half was a good warm up for what was to come in the second. The second half got the locals on their feet (with a little help from our James) with a much faster set containing some new material. At the end of the second set the crowd were gagging for more. We were out of time! Five past eleven, even had to cut the set down! But the governor wanted more. So we gave them two old school classics, Born to be wild and My Generation. (Buy the way; Born to be Wild is now known as Born to be Mild by the band…something to do with Jason being a big Jessie in the curry department).
So what promised to be a singer-less disaster at the start of the night turned out to be a very good gig. A big hats off for the governor of the box bar (Scott) for having us. And also, as always, Lez and Dave for doing what they do best, Bobs mates, Mani’s lot and Jason's guys for their continued support, and James for being James! Steve Richards and his missus, thanks for coming and hope to see you all back at the Box Bar for some more on 21st December.
The Kick have played "The Crows Nest" more often than most of its other regular venues, so it feels like more of a second home than a pub now. To be honest, When we first played here on a dark, scummy night in May, we were all a bit unsure of whether it was all going to be worth it. For a start, travelling from South London to East Grinstead is a bit of a mare - a grand total of 230-odd miles of a mare, in actual fact...which made it a bit off putting... Secondly the Crows Nest lives up to its name. Imagine this - if you will - an hour-long drive, followed by having to lug power amps, monitors, drums, speakers, (plus Cank's many costume changes) up two flights of spiral staircases! So, if it's all so shit, why do we play here, I hear? Well, let me tell you why...
Tonight, as usual, we were greeted by the regular mix of bar staff and managers, but tonight the ladies are in mini skirts and knee high boots. Why?? Who cares!!!! Anyone who has been to the Nest on gig night knows that the place is 99% female staff and all up for a good laugh, they really know how to get the crowd going, and with our mad James on hand we were in for a good night. We were set up and sound checked in very good time, even with new sound equipment. Got started about nine thirty with a forty five minute set that went down pretty well. By the time we got going with the second half, the beer was starting to relax the crowd and the bar staff were getting involved. I have to say that keeping a drum beat when all around you is bumping and grinding has to be recognized as a fine art! Especially when it’s Sarah and her lot of what could quite easily be mistaken for a ‘Girls of FHM’ on their annual night out!
The last five or six songs set the place on fire, a lot to do with the couple of scantily clad barmaids on stage strutting their stuff perhaps (and Richards snake hips, of course!) As I said earlier, this is one of our best venues, not just because of the barmaids (I promise) but all the staff.They're really into their pub and they put so much into having a good time and making sure everyone else does. A lot of other places we've been to - playing or not - would do really well to take a leaf out of this place's book. Pay attention - if you employ people who enjoy their work, you'll get a pub full of people who enjoy coming there.
Most excellently, we're next at the Crows Nest on Christmas Eve, so if Saturday is anything to go by it should be a good one. Big thanks to everyone involved as always, and see you next time.
A first time venture for TK this, with sunny Addlestone the next stop on the world tour:-)
Making the short sprint round the M25 to the venue, the name "Addlestone" made thoughts turn to images of rural England - hop farms, oast houses, village cricket and the gentle thwack of leather on willow...hmmm, not quite. A great little pub this, slap bang in the middle of Addlestone High Street, with only a few chavs in sight.
So, what to say about this gig. Two cracking 45 minute sets, kicking off the second half with the accoustic numbers which went down an absolute storm with the locals. Rumours of girly action in the ladies lavs, and 12 exceptionally well behaved bikers from the Boxhill Club in the far right corner were particularly notable. As was Mary being restrained from pulling out her famous Kung-Fu moves when she saw her fella being eyed up by a chav...priceless....Top marks too for the proprietors of the Addlestone Grill, opposite the pub, who agreed to provide the band with a stack of chips (no doner, unfortunately, all gone) after they had shut. Couple of photos available on the media page.
Hope to be back in Addlestone soon for more of the same.
A trip to the "Jolly Farmers" was the next adventure for "The Kick", also a first time gig here, a pub which you may have driven past a thousand times and never noticed on the roundabout in Purley (opposite the massive Tesco's) no stage here but seems to have a good number of bands," Bad Influence" next week, well worth a look.
We started our first set about 9ish with our regular selection of rock and acoustic classics, the pub was at this point beginning to fill quite nicely with friends and regular's just in time for the second half. At this point one of our technical PA operators had to make a sharp exit leaving Dave on his own to look after us!! Those of you out there not familiar with our set up it goes like this, Les (Bobs dad) and Dave are the two guys you see standing by the PA equipment throughout the gigs, they are responsible for all the noise we make and ensuring its all nice and level, but some times Dave has a little fiddle (with the PA settings) so Les keeps an eye on him. But with Les out the way was "The Kick" in trouble? The start of the second half was a bit shaky but after one or two songs Dave had it sorted and maintained a good sound so hats off to him for managing to keep his hands off those irresistible knobs! Anyway back to the second half, so the pub was filling up nicely with a selection of Croydon's finest and the gig was now in full swing.
Half way through the set we started "Mustang Sally" not one of the best songs we do but it always tends to go down well, so anyway Richard gets us started and just as he was about to hit the first verse he gets shoved out the way by this very excited young woman who's ambition must have bean to belt this song out on stage (even though there wasn't one but you no what I mean) so there we were now a five piece, and the look on Richards face was priceless in fact all of us were a bit shocked buy this mad woman now fronting our band. We let her do the whole song; I don't think we had much choice! So mad woman if you are reading this you are welcome back anytime. So after all that excitement it was back to business and it was the business, we were all on form and crowd were too, it was a very memorable night for more reasons the one (talk to Dave about the drunk milf next time you see him) So thanks to the "Jolly Farmers" for having us and see you soon.
Sometimes, you know you're onto a good thing just by looking at the outside of a venue. Those of you who know Croydon should have a fairly good idea of what the bars and pubs therin are like. Chavs, more chavs, high strength lager, more chavs, "I've got more ASBO's than yow" and the occasional ruck (apologies for the gross generalisation, but you get the idea) Anyway, walk through the doors of The Ship and it's like walking into an oasis. This is what a pub SHOULD be like. Decent music on the PA, decent beer, exceptionally friendly bar staff and the kind of visitor who just doesn't conform to the Croydon sterotype. So, being given the opportunity to play a one-hour set here was an absolute no-brainer. Yes please.
To be honest, this has to go down as one of the best gigs The Kick in its current form has played. Airing some new material in the form of Dani California, Mr Brightside and I Predict a Riot, the rest of the set consisted of our top ten favourite songs, which made the evening all the more enjoyable. An absolute cracker of a night, witnessed by about 75 punters and a drunken homeless man drinking a bottle of meths outside the pub, banging enthusiastically on the window outside throughout the performance. Come inside next time mate, much warmer.
A special mention goes out to the barstaff, to Chris, Liz, Duncan, Mad James and the boys for coming down (again - your support is appreciated guys), and to the two most polite Hells Angels we've ever met (look forward to your opening night guys, contact via the website if you need to). Oh yeah - to whoever it was (not an attendee, I hasten to add) who produced the biggest, most rotten pavement pizza I have ever had the misfortune of having to jump over outside the door - you should be ashamed of yourself mate. Afterbirth? My arse...that was like elephant jizz...Back at the Ship on 17th July for more of the same..
My misses and I by pure luck happened to pop into O’Neil’s in Wimbledon on Friday night for a quick beer after work. There was a band setting up for a gig. We ordered our drinks and got chatting to one of the regulars. He strongly suggested that we stayed to watch them. He had seen them loads of times (apparently they have a new lead singer now) He said they are one of the best bands to play here!
They done a sound check and about 15 minutes later got going. The place was a bit empty but they were giving it 100%. They had speakers all over the place and even two blokes doing the sound for them. The first half was over before it really got started, but it was still about 45 minutes long. In fact it left me wanting more, clever move. My misses was even enjoying it!! She was the one that really wanted to stay for the second half (mind you…I didn’t take much persuading) they do a mix of new and old covers, I know what your thinking, there are loads of bands doing this kind of thing. But there is something different about this lot. They look like they are really enjoying it and can also play. Nothing worse than watching a band that just runs through the motions.
By the second half the place was filling up. They got going again, I really wish I could remember all the songs but I was a little intoxicated by now. The second set was on fire, the lead singer/guitarist was the mutt’s nuts, some off the solos where bloody unreal, infact the whole band seem to come up a notch.
All I can say is go and watch this band; they have a kind of infectious enthusiasm on stage and play dam good music.
The Kick rocks!!
Steve & Zoey - Mitcham
Site designed by Aaron Morgan Web Design