Three young French brothers and a friend took their love of rock music and an ode to their boxing champion great grandfather to form the indie rock band Kid Bambardos in their hometown of Bordeaux in 2006. In no time, the band acquired an enthusiastic response from the local music scene.
The band is bassist Thomas Martinelli, 21, vocalist, keyboardist and guitarist Vincent Martinelli, 18, drummer Simon Martinelli, 16, and their childhood friend David Loridan, 19, on guitar, keyboards and vocals.
Kid Bombardos demonstrate a musical maturity beyond their years yet possess a refreshing, catchy sound that is hard to ignore. Plus, they sing in English, and very well at that. Yet they are practically unknown outside of France even though they opened for Vampire Weekend and Hushpuppies.
It’s not surprising that Kid Bombardos music is repeatedly compared to The Strokes‘ early music. Afterall, it was The Strokes, the band says, as well as The White Stripes, The Velvet Underground, The Kinks, Brian Jonestown Massacre and other bands that drove their passion and commitment to make their own special brand of power pop garage rock.
The following music video “I Round The Bend” demonstrates Kid Bombardos’ fascination with boxing (their MySpace page is full of boxing artwork) but it is also among their most popular songs. Call me crazy, but on this song Vincent’s voice reminds me of Editors’ singer Tom Smith. And check out the awesome alternative acoustic version of the song below.
“I Round The Bend” – Kid Bombardos from I Round The Bend (2009)
“I Round The Bend” (Tahiti acoustic version) – Kid Bombardos from I Round The Bend (2009)
Even though they call their music garage indie rock, the guys blend various influences including elements of gypsy, jazz, pop, rock and even punk. One good example of this blending is found on the song “I’m Gonna Try”. The tune starts of with a modern twist on classical Spanish guitar and progressively accelerates into a spirited, raucous jam. All things considered, Kid Bombardos have already made their mark on indie rock. Few bands can do that with just an EP.
“I’m Gonna Try” – Kid Bombardos from I Round The Bend (2009)
Bonus Track: “Love Song For High Kids” – Kid Bombardos
Watch the band perform an acoustic version of the song “Turnin’ Round”.
Kid Bombardos MySpace page