Kid Carpet And The Noisy Animals, The Old Market, Hove, May 19 (From The Argus)

Kid Carpet And The Noisy Animals, The Old Market, Hove, May 19

11:48am Monday 21st May 2012 in Festival Reviews By Louise Ramsay

Despite his hip credentials as a support act to the likes of Arcade Fire and Badly Drawn Boy, Kid Carpet shows have always been more fun than cool.

Now he's properly embraced his barely hidden inner child with this lo-fi punk-pop hip-hop musical for kids. Blending animation, theatre, comedy and music, the simple set was decorated with “found” children's paraphernalia – dolls, a mini-disco ball, while tunes were picked out on child-sized keyboards, and close-ups of the more dramatic toy moments shot “live” with a hand-held digi-camera and screened on to a backdrop.

The story followed the adventures of small plastic animals Badger, Bear, Hedgehog and Gorilla, who make friends, make mischief and then make a band – fronted, of course, by charismatic Kid Carpet.

Highlights included Have You Ever Had a Poo In The Forest? and the climax of the show, the dance competition.

Literally hordes of children hit the stage touting a range of dance moves that would have seen Simon Cowell wet his pants. This time round though it was Badger's decision about who should win – though how he could pick anyone out as more special than another was anyone's guess. Animal magic, perhaps?