MANCHESTER group Kid British have been hailed as the best band to emerge from the region in many years.
They mix styles including reggae and ska with hip hop and indie while singing about the lives of young men growing up with the realities of life in Britain’s inner cities.
The Base Sessions caught up with Kid British during their recent tour with another band who take an urban setting for the backdrop to their music - UB40.
Kid British got together in 2007, the band is not deliberately multi-racial, James, Sean, Simeon and Adio are just friends who make music.
They say being from the iPod generation of people who listen to music on shuffle gives them a blend of influences to create a diverse sound.
The band’s debut single, Our House is Dadless, took a sample from the Madness song about a domestic Utopia and added an upbeat rap with a grimy side reflecting modern UK living.
The single attracted support from the mainstream media and helped Kid British become hotly tipped for major success.
The title of their 2009 album - It Was This or Football, reflects a feeling among young people from deprived inner cities that their only way out is by becoming a sports star or an entertainment celebrity.
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