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The Review - MUSIC - grooves with CHARLOTTE CHAMBERS
Published: 20 March 2008

When hype dies, will we go back to Black?

REVIEW: BLACK KIDS
ICA

CAMDEN Town was empty. No one was to be seen in Hoxton. Late-night shopping at Urban Outfitters did not have its usual crowd of scarf buyers.
If you wondered where the cool kids, the kids who think they’re cool and the 30-somethings who still think they can be the kids that are cool were on Thursday, they had all taken their dubious hairstyles, stripey windcheaters and baseball boots down to the ICA to see The Black Kids.
With only one single – I’m Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance – doing the rounds, these boys and girls from Florida have the feel of a band surfing internet hype right now, benefitting from some major I-saw-them-first point-scoring.
The fear is when mister ironic haircut in the corner, too cool to clap at the ICA, loses interest as more are let in on the secret, where will Reggie Youngblood, his sister Ali and the rest of the band go next?
Hopefully, on this form, onwards on upwards. There are enough electro bleeps, American puffball chants and surprise guitar crunches to make them sound fresh, and the endless comparisons to The Go! Team doesn’t quite cover this sound clash of every party pop style from the past 25 years.
There is more on offer than just the single. I Wanna Be Your Limousine is a masterful disco whine, while Hurricane Jane could end up being the best thing from the eventual album release.
RICHARD OSLEY

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