Multiple Band Members Quit, But Group Insists ‘This Is Not the End’

Kid Kapichi is promising to bring “fresh energy, ideas and attitude” to the stage following the shock departure of half of the band.

The Hastings-formed English punk rock band announced in May that guitarist Ben Beetham and drummer George Macdonald are leaving the band after more than a decade. The group will play their final show as their original lineup at the De La War Pavilion Saturday, after which Miles Gill and Lee Martin will take over on drums and guitar, joining frontman Jack Wilson and bassist Eddie Lewis.

“After dedicating the last decade of their lives to Kid Kapichi, Ben and George have taken the difficult decision to step down from the band,” the group announced in a statement shared to Instagram on Monday, May 5. “We’ve experienced all the highs and lows of being in this project together, and nothing can take away from all the victories we’ve shared. But the time felt right for them to go on and explore pastures new. We wholeheartedly wish them the best and our friendship will remain strong going into this new chapter.”

In a joint statement, Beetham and Macdonald called the group “a band, a family, a brotherhood” as they explained that “the truth is if you treat a band with the energy and focus it requires it doesn’t leave much room for other things; and that means when you venture into fresh ground and give your all to something new, you owe it to the project to let it carry on without you rather than dilute yourself and give it less than it deserves.”

“The 4 of us have shared this band for a long time, but beyond that we share a friendship, a history, a community and so much more that carries on even though our time in the band is ending,” they added.

Kid Kapichi was formed in 2013 when Wilson and Beetham began writing music together. They were soon joined by their friends and schoolmates, Lewis and MacDonald. The group released their self-titled debut alum in 2017, and have followed it with several others, including 2024’s most recent release, There Goes the Neighborhood.

Although Beetham and Macdonald’s departure marks a massive shakeup for the group, Wilson and Lewis vowed that “this is not the end for Kid Kapichi” and they “welcome this new era with arms akimbo as we move forward into these new and exciting times with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and passion.”

Following their final performance with Beetham and Macdonald this Saturday, Wilson and Lewis will welcome Miles, former drummer for ROAM, and Lee, who has played with groups including Blue Stragglers and Saint Agnes, to Kid Kapichi. Announcing their addition to the band, the remaining Kid Kapichi members said, “the Apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree as we’ve known them both since we first started in Hastings in our teenage years and have been best buds ever since.”