Review by Erin Winter
Kulpa
Kulpa are a young, upcoming alternative rock band originating from Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. After starting the band in 2021, Kulpa have formed a unique alt-rock sound inspired by the likes of Royal Blood, Foo Fighters, Nirvana and Biffy Clyro.
Consisting of Jack Kelly, Nathan Binns, Liam Smith & Corbin Jenkins, their broad range of music tastes makes for a great fusion spanning multiple genres such as Alt-Rock, Hard Rock, Indie Rock, Pop Rock and Grunge.
Kulpa have been played multiple times on their local radio stations and around the globe including, BBC Radio Introducing, Hard Rock Hell, Spark Sunderland & Amazing Radio/Amazing Radio USA, as well as racking in listeners from around the globe via Spotify and Apple Music.
Kulpa have played many important local festivals and venues across the North-East including Generator Live 22’, Consett Music Fest, Newcastle Uni SU, The Globe, Riverside, Bobiks, NE Volume Music Bar, Magnesia Bank, Zerox, as well as their headline gigs at Little Buildings, just to name a few.
The group were also selected by RISE Newcastle and the general public as one of the top 5 out of hundreds of alternative bands in the North - East to compete for a spot at RISEFEST 22’ alongside Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes and Creeper.
The young but hardworking band have gotten themselves off to a strong start within their local industry and spreading their music and energy far and wide.
‘Bloodshot’
As soon as I started listening to the track, I could already feel the energy and commitment put into the song. There is no sense of over complication within the track but still so much going on to intrigue you.
The diversity across the instrumentation allows the song to flow so smoothly with extreme tightness from the bassist and drummer locking in with each other; something I feel personally is one of the most important factors within a band.
The kickass riff really brings out the drive and power within this song accentuated by the dropouts and muting when necessary. The vocals are really something new, there is definite hints of the band’s influences, but the originality is really something else and really shows their raw talent and effort put into their music.
The chorus is extremely catchy and certainly helps tell the story of the song, the whole structure is extremely professional, and the bridge helps create and portray further that angst and aggressive expression a lot of newer alternative music leaves behind. Kulpa have undoubtfully found their sound and it is a sound the newer music scene really needs.
I think the band are destined for so much more and can’ wait to hear what other bangers they have tucked up their sleeve for us in the future. ‘Bloodshot’ will be released Friday 28th