Sometimes a musician comes along who produces something a little different from the norm. They're an artist that stands for what they believe in and aren't swayed by what is necessarily trendy or not. With this they deliver a refreshing change from the arguably humdrum musical society that we currently live in. They're not fazed by anything and are genuinely into the music, as opposed to the fame. Now, although this may sound hard to believe; if all of the above was moulded together to create a nail, Kid Harpoon has taken a huge industrial sized hammer and smacked it straight on the head.Kid Harpoon is a number of things. He's an extremely talented songwriter, gifted musician and a great performer. He has an ability to write catchy rhythms that appeal to the mainstream whilst keeping the real music heads tapping their feet. He's a true musician in every sense of the word. And he's been doing this for longer than you may think. You see, Harpoon is hardly a new kid on the block. For sometime he's been busy playing live up and down the country carving out a loyal following; a following in which he has been teasing relentlessly with the threat of his debut album. However, enough is enough. The teasing has to stop. Now is the time to take all that potential, record it into one of those big machines that you get in studios like Abbey Road; and then click, drag and drop it onto an album. And thank sweet Jesus he has.
I was lucky enough to get an exclusive opportunity to speak with Kid Harpoon just after the release of his debut album, Once. We spoke about the past, present, future and exactly where the hell he got the name Kid Harpoon from.
CSW "Your debut album Once is now on sale to the mass market. How does it feel to let the world finally hear you music, back to back, on an album?"
Kid Harpoon: "I really made the album for myself, and to have finally finished it is great for me. I'm really proud of it, and the work I put into it. The world was already hearing my music via blogs, Limewire and gigs, but an album feels like a rites of passage for me".
Technically, Once isn't the first piece of music that Harpoon has ever released. The First and Second EP were distributed on The Young Turks independent label in 2007 / 2008 respectively. It was hear that the ears of the music world started to pick up to his unique folk sound. In the build up to the release of Once, Harpoon had penned many tracks ready for the album. However, like most things, all was not as easy as it seemed.
CSW: "If rumours are true, you scrapped the original album in order to wipe the slate clean and start again. What was the thought process behind this?Kid Harpoon: "I had 9 songs recorded, and it just didn't feel like an album. I was really struggling to make it work, and didn't have a great deal of guidance. I'd got to a point where I'd worked out what I should have been doing all along. So sometimes, the best thing is just to scrap what you have and start again. Which is what I did".
CSW: "At second time of asking, you swapped Holloway for the sunnier climbs of LA to work with Trevor Horn. What impact did working with such a legendary producer have on both you as a musician, and your album?"
Kid Harpoon: "Trevor is an incredible person, and we both really enjoyed the experience of working together. He signed my publishing a couple of years ago, and when I went to him for advice on restarting the album, he offered to produce it for free. And I jumped at the chance. He's got such a supportive team inside and out of the studio, that it really made making the record an easy experience. I also learnt a lot from how he works WITH people, which is a really important element to being a musician".
CSW: "In comparison to the first album that you starting making, did the musical direction of the second version change?"
Kid Harpoon: "Completely, it was very raw, with lots of different instruments. Some of it was great, but a couple of the musicians weren't up to scratch. We had a lot of issues with the drums. The way we re-approached it was with a great bunch of LA musicians who've played with many people, and played almost all of it live".
CSW: "What, if any, tracks made it onto Once from the original material?"
Kid Harpoon: "A lot of the album is old material. Back From Beyond, Stealing Cars, Burnt Down House, Once and Marianna were not on the original version though".
Once has been beautifully put together. Each track flows from one to the next perfectly. It sounds complete like a proper album should. However, as I stated previously, this album malarkey is arguably new territory for Harpoon. He originally made his name and built his fan base surrounding his live shows.
CSW: "You’ve been playing live for as long as I can remember. In addition to performing your own shows, there was obviously Nambucca. And more recently you’ve toured with the likes of Larrikin Love, the Mystery Jets and The Kooks. But what really gets you going; playing your music live, or writing it in the first place?"
Kid Harpoon: "All of it really, I love live shows, but the waiting around and sound checks can be very tedious and painful. The gigs themselves I always enjoy. Writing music and achieving a finished recording is a rewarding experience, but then people hear it and have opinions and it gets taken away from you and lives in a new place. So I like both, they are both great and hard at times".
CSW: "Many artists when performing just turn up and play their music whilst hiding behind their instruments. Then they’ll just slip out the backdoor unnoticed. However, your live performances have won you many great plaudits as a result of your energetic stage presence and interaction with the crowd. Is this something that you do consciously, or is it just natural?"
Kid Harpoon: "For me music is all about communication, and I want to interact with the people who've come to see me and give them something back in return. I suppose its a natural thing as I've always just been like that, but at the same time, I don't feel the need to change it".In terms of the his live shows, Harpoon has now opted away from playing with backing band The Powers That Be in order to perform solo. This showcases Harpoon in his best light; just him and his guitar. To see Kid Harpoon hold the attention of a room through the use of just six strings and his voice is really quite something. Witnessing this would lead you to believe that he'd been studying the greats from an early age. Well, apparently not...
CSW: "You’re obviously a naturally talented singer/songwriter. However, who did you take influence from growing up that created the Kid Harpoon that we know today?"
Kid Harpoon: "I honestly don't know. Your guess is as good as mine. My influences are vast, and I wish I could pin them down".
Harpoon talks about music with a great passion. You can tell it's his first love. The vibes in which he sends out are untainted, whilst his attitude is both confident and honest. You can really feel that this means a lot to him.
CSW: "Is the long term vision for Kid Harpoon shared between yourself and your record label XL? If so, what does the future hold for Tom Hull the musician?"
Kid Harpoon: "I can't speak for XL, but I know they believe in me. Kid Harpoon is a long term vision for me and I am already working on LP2. I'm also writing with a lot of new people, and am looking for new artists to work with in a writing/production sense. So I'm really excited about the future".
CSW: "Finally, Kid Harpoon is a fantastic moniker. Where the hell did you get it from?!"
KidHarpoon: "It’s a story that I wrote, where Kid Harpoon is sailing on the sea one night when a comet flies over his head. It says to him that things are pre-destined to appear in life and they travel in one direction and there is nothing you can do about it. KH doesn't like that so he fires his harpoon into it, and swings the comet in another direction. From then on Kid Harpoon controls his own destiny".
So that's that. It's obvious to see that Kid Harpoon has got a massive future in front of him. The release of Once has given him a platform to go on and achieve whatever he wants. And by the look of things, he's giving it a right good go.
I would just like to thank Richard Onslow at XL Recordings for making this interview possible.
CSW: "Is the long term vision for Kid Harpoon shared between yourself and your record label XL? If so, what does the future hold for Tom Hull the musician?"
Kid Harpoon: "I can't speak for XL, but I know they believe in me. Kid Harpoon is a long term vision for me and I am already working on LP2. I'm also writing with a lot of new people, and am looking for new artists to work with in a writing/production sense. So I'm really excited about the future".
CSW: "Finally, Kid Harpoon is a fantastic moniker. Where the hell did you get it from?!"
KidHarpoon: "It’s a story that I wrote, where Kid Harpoon is sailing on the sea one night when a comet flies over his head. It says to him that things are pre-destined to appear in life and they travel in one direction and there is nothing you can do about it. KH doesn't like that so he fires his harpoon into it, and swings the comet in another direction. From then on Kid Harpoon controls his own destiny".
So that's that. It's obvious to see that Kid Harpoon has got a massive future in front of him. The release of Once has given him a platform to go on and achieve whatever he wants. And by the look of things, he's giving it a right good go.
I would just like to thank Richard Onslow at XL Recordings for making this interview possible.
