UK outfit D-Kel and Los Bandidos launch their debut single and video with an unquestionable bang. Racket fires up with a purely vocal introduction, a breathless outpouring that later turns out to be the song’s return-to hook – its anthem-like moment of togetherness. That intro is merely a taste of what’s to come though; things go on to build up and bulk out brilliantly.
If at first it takes a second or two to capture every bar, the performance settles into its groove during the verses, and in the same instance this organic and infectious rock guitar soundscape bursts through to rhythmically guide things along – at which point the entire release becomes something else entirely.
Clearly leading with creativity and passion united, D-Kel and Los Bandidos fuse high energy with a genre-bending approach to songwriting. The instrumental backdrop is a blues-rock dream, hard hitting and brilliantly skillful. Meanwhile, that UK rap vocal adds a certain accessible level of personality, individuality, and concept. Though you may spend the first half swaying to that heavy rock vibe and trying to slow down the lyrical onslaught in your mind, you’ll almost certainly spend the latter half lost in the moment with the band – rocking away to the swagger of the sound, and hanging on every bit of character and story-telling the front man offers up.
There’s a hint of Rage Against The Machine to this style of performance, a welcomed nod to music’s past, though the UK twang and that classic hip hop confidence help take things somewhere decidedly refreshing. The future looks exciting for these guys – hopefully there’s plenty more music on the way.
Find & follow D-Kel & Los Bandidos on Facebook & Instagram.
