Laura Kidd is a record producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, formerly known as She Makes War. After releasing five full length albums between 2010 and 2019, She Makes War was formally disbanded in December 2019 with the release of And Peace. Kidd cited a desire to “keep putting out the most honest, thoughtful and brave music I have inside me long into the future” with the new project expected to be launched in Spring 2020. Her fourth album, Brace For Impact, was released in October 2018. She has released three previous albums Disarm, Little Battles and Direction Of Travel. She Makes War's indie rock sound combines grungey riffs with orchestral soundscapes. She's been described as "a modern musical Boudica", and as "The emotional resonance of Elliott Smith colliding with the barbed vigour of Sleater-Kinney". Her music has been influenced by early Echo & The Bunnymen as well as Belly, The Breeders, PJ Harvey, Blur, Elastica and Suede, Bikini Kill, Nirvana, Hanne Hukkelberg, Cat Power, Carina Round, Radiohead and My Brightest Diamond. She has been critically acclaimed by BBC6 Music's Steve Lamacq, Marc Riley, Chris Hawkins, Lauren Laverne and Tom Robinson, Radio X's John Kennedy and Kerrang!'s Alex Baker plus The Independent, The Sun, The Line of Best Fit, Gigwise, and Songwriting Magazine among others.
History
She Makes War's third album Direction of Travel features guest appearances from Tanya Donelly and Mark Chadwick. Kidd plays most of the instruments herself, with guests including Clive Deamer and Andy Sutor on drums, The McCarricks and Nicole Robson on strings, and Cajita on piano. The album was produced by Kidd and mixed by Dan Austin. Tanya Donelly's, guest appearance on the song 'Paper Thin' was described as "the perfect augmentation to Laura’s beautiful lyrics". Tanya Donelly also features in the music video for the song. On 19 May 2017, She Makes War announced the release of political protest song "I Want My Country Back" and published an accompanying manifesto. In 2015, She Makes War released Disarm: 15 an EP of "tender reworking of songs" from the first album. She Makes War's first two albums Disarm and Little Battles, share stories from the personal to the political, dealing with matters of love, loss, birth, therapy, murder, abandonment, and hope. In November 2017, She Makes War launched a Pledge Music campaign for fourth album Brace For Impact, fan funding the recording and release of the album the following year and securing a No. 15 UK Independent Albums Chart placement on 12 October 2018.
In 2012 Kidd launched her regular Breakfast with Apollo music nights in London, seeking to improve the gigging experience for bands and audiences by creating a coherent and cohesive format, encouraging collaborations between bands, educating both parties on sensible gig pricing and the consequences of this and promoting the shows with endless enthusiasm and attention to detail. The events were well-received, continuing into 2016 in Bristol, London, Coventry and beyond.
Stand Up
In 2015, she wrote and appeared in one-woman show Shit Girlfriend at Edinburgh Fringe, a blend of humorous spoken word and melancholy music performance, sharing tales of real life on the road and Kidd's ill-fated attempts at finding love along the way. Her show was described as 'a charming hour of biographical storytelling and music…perfectly executed acoustic gems' -The List.
