Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background.

Hi, my name is Adam Kidd. I'm the singer, songwriter, guitarist, and lately producer for Fragile Creatures. I've been playing in bands since I was 15 and Fragile Creatures have been around since 2012. We are based in Portslade, which is down the road from the city of Brighton and Hove on the south coast of England. Here we share a little studio space with a couple of other musicians.

What's your musical origin story? (when did you start? What inspired you?)

Fragile Creatures were formed after I got a recording and publishing deal. After spending 7 years at art school I clubbed together for a couple of days in a studio and recorded an album with my group known as Adam Kidd Band, which included Tom (lead guitar) and Aaron (keyboards). This album has never been released, but it got the attention of this independent music biz guy, who wanted to develop us. We recruited a new rhythm section (Adam W on bass, and James on drums) over the next year or so and became Fragile Creatures, named after one of my songs.

What were the driving forces or pivotal moments that inspired you to pursue music?

My Dad was in a cult 80s band called Red Guitars, so music had always been around me growing. Influenced by Marty McFly and then Blues Magazine my big brother had been learning electric guitar from about the age of 7. This actually put me off! I was determined to become an artist for Marvel Comics… but Britpop was exploding when we were teenagers, and my friends new music was in my DNA, so they recruited me. I couldn't play! But I learnt guitar very quickly from a poster of chord shapes. I didn't know any songs to play, so I had to write my own.

How would you describe your style of music?

Eclectic! The last album was called Punk Yacht because those styles are the two polar extremes of our influences. We combine punk ethics and approaches with the polar opposite… bands punk acts would hate like Queen, Pink Floyd or Phil Collins! My favourite punk band has to be The Clash, and their music was always about fusion. The Beatles too, at their best when they create something different by blending disparate ideas. That's what we try to do on a shoestring budget!

How is your personality reflected in your work?

I did a personality test online once and it said I was introvert/extrovert - somewhat paradoxical to be both, but apparently it's a thing. Our music is introspective and bombastic. Shy and outspoken. Complex and dumb.

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

I play the guitar until something new occurs. Then I improvise melodies until something works, and usually a line or two of lyrics. I'll then work on the lyrics without the music. Sometimes I transcribe an improvisation, use it for syllable count, and then rewrite the lyrics until they say what I want them to. Finally, I bring it to the band to flesh out everything, although sometimes I might also make a demo, if I have a strong idea of what the other instruments need to play.

What is the name of your latest release?

Garden of Eden

What was the inspiration for that release?

I signed up to do a PGCE to teach English. Because my degrees are in Fine Art and Music, I had to do a subject knowledge enhancement course: the government paid me to read books! At the same time, it was the pandemic. So I was reading Paradise Lost, and I'd just read Sapiens, and I was going through this global pause. It was a perfect storm for considering how humanity operates, and where we are going. The song explores a lot of territory, before deciding it's best to let go and not get bogged down in such overwhelming existential thinking!

What challenges or unexpected moments did you encounter during the writing/recording process?

We record ourselves in our little rehearsal room. I think this one went surprisingly well. I remember having low expectations when bringing it to the band, thinking it might be too weird and they might not get it… I thought the sections wouldn't blend and it would sound like three different songs awkwardly mashed together. I was wrong though… It just worked.

What strategies do you find most effective for promoting your music?

I've been thinking about this a lot. I think independent artists devote a lot of time, money and effort trying to grow on Spotify because it is the largest streaming site. But getting followers on Spotify, or being playlisted doesn't actually help in building a true audience in my experience. There's no way to reach out to your Spotify followers. Playlisters are often there to make money. It looks increasingly like payola to me. So, after taking a 9 month pause, I'm trying out promoting this album by focusing on Bandcamp, our YouTube audience, and our mailing list. Check back with me in a year, and I'll tell you if it worked or not!!

How do you engage with your fans online and offline?

• Social media: mostly threads and Instagram lately
• YouTube is where we post content like live sessions, lyric videos, song deconstruction videos, etc.
• We have a mailing list where we announce releases and stuff
• I just started to build a WhatsApp community

What upcoming promotional activities or releases are you most excited about?

We are releasing our Play Both Sides album on March 28th 2025. I'm super excited that people will be able to order a vinyl record through Elastic Stage. You can't call it Play Both Sides and not have a vinyl. There will be a single every three weeks in the run up, teasing the tracklist, and live sessions and other videos to support each of those singles.

How can folks contact you (socials/email/websites etc.)

Email adam@fragilecreatures.co.uk or DM me if you want to join the mailing list, include your phone number if you want to join the WhatsApp community.

We are fragilecreatures on Instagram, Threads, and YouTube. We are fragilecreaturesuk on Facebook (fragilecreatures is our old page, don't ask!!).