LIVE FROM THE PIT: Kid Bookie and Weller

Low ceilings, sticky floors and a bass that you can feel in your bones: Kid Bookies headline show in London at The Lower Third was the epitome of all things grunge. Kid Bookie is a familiar name to many fans of metal in the UK right now as he's moving up in the new genre splicing metal community. Bookie has been active in the scene since 2009 and worked with massive names including Slipknot's Corey Taylor, Wheatus and Good Charlotte.

His own music blurs the lines between genres including elements of metal, pop punk and rap it draws in fans of all different genres making his audience incredibly diverse. The ‘Dead or Alive’ tour has been marketed as a funeral of the old era of Kid Bookie asking his fans to wear black to mourn with him whilst simultaneously welcoming the new era.  

The venue slowly filled as the openers Weller took to the stage, the crowd stepping forward to give the band their attention. Weller have been releasing music 2020 and have been catching attention across the UK with their singles ending up on BBC radio stations. Their music follows Bookies genre bending footsteps and blends the likes of punk and metal which worked perfectly to hype up the crowd and bring up the energy. 

Lead vocalist Charlie Weller took a moment to mention how the band had only been given three days notice for the show but this did not show at all in their performance. Charlie showed impressive range vocally from singing to screaming to rapping, switching effortlessly.

Weller brought crazy energy to the stage making the crowd despite being small give them back that energy tenfold with head banging, cheering and applause.  The band definitely gained a few new fans that night. 

The venue started to fill as the time slot for Kid Bookie approached, the energy from Weller still in the air as the fans started to grab their spots to see the set. Kid Bookie trampled onto the stage getting straight into his first song, much of the crowd jumping along with him instantly. 

Bookie has a song for every type of fan as he switches between rap tunes, to more vocal pop punk then to heavy head banging, mosh pit opening numbers. The best part of seeing such a genre bending artist is not knowing what to expect next especially as he played newer unreleased songs, giving fans a taste of what's to come. 

The rap sections of Bookies sets are truly impressive as he spits lyrics rapidly without slipping and keeping rhythmically perfect. Rap is a large part of Bookies music with his earliest collaborations being with Dot Rotten who was the first to recognise his talent and bring him onto a BBC performance at the age of only 16. His experience and time in the industry pays off in his performance. 

Between tracks Bookie took the time to give the crowd motivations, reiterating his out with the old in with the new mindset and urging fans to leave behind anything and anyone holding them back from chasing their dreams. It was clear to see the fans in the room were not just there for the music but to talk and socialise with people that have mindsets like their own, Bookie has done a great job at creating a tight knit community that is welcoming and kind, polarising the popular opinion that fans of these genres are anything but that and kicking those opinions out the door.  

The accompanying band at this show had no issues keeping up with Bookies energy and brought the heat and noise that his set needed, all of them looking the part and playing their instruments without fault. 

As the show continued the fans got more and more rowdy with drinks being spilt and mosh pits beginning to open up, they hyped each other and offered back the enthusiasm they were given. No part of the stage was left unexplored and Bookie paraded up and down singing directly with his fans making sure every person in the room was involved. 

Bookie continued to push boundaries, his screams echoing through the room as the crowd sung back every word, the cheers after each song overwhelming to the ears despite the small room. 

However the set purely wasn't long enough as the crowd demanded an encore and of course Bookie had to deliver, his song ‘Love Me When You're Angry’ having everyone in the room reciting the lyrics along, clearly one of the favourites of the night. The largest mosh pits of the night opened up for this one until Bookie left the stage with the words “Have long in your hearts for those who stand next to you” an inspiring message that is sure to stick with those fans for time to come. 

As the house lights finally rose the room burst into conversation with everyone explaining how fun the show was and what a good time they'd had, there was a special sense of community in the room that was great to see. 

Kid Bookie is definitely a name to watch moving into 2025 with his name appearing more and more, we can only expect him to move into bigger and better things.

Words: Amy Smyth

Photos: Claire Cabanac