Liverpool Sound and Vision rating * * * *

History has its fair share of Kissing Fools, whether through their actions causing the downfall of families and empires, or in the personal, the very human act of lips that caress one who is not worth of the attention, of allowing your mind to be controlled by a very basic urge, it all can end, for the majority of times, in disappointment, in reckless sorrow or in leaders losing their heads.

Kissing a fool may have its historical warnings, but it is also a ritual we go through, and should continue to do so, for being foolish is a rite of passage, we lose our minds over that one special person we believe can make our lives that much better, and a brief statement of intent, to quash the fears of those that fear that will never have the touch of someone’s painted lips touch theirs, so it is to Kissing Fools that we fondly understand that someone will always thanks each and every one of us for being their first kiss.

The sublimely talented Kerri Watt excels in her thoughts on how Kissing Fools is to be seen as that special moment, and it is a distinctive instant, to play the fool in love, to seek out the heart that sees beyond the outer layer we show to others, and instead understand that underneath the fool’s face, is a heart that beats true and is looking for validation, searching for an answer. 

With a video that includes Placebo’s Brian Molko’s son Cody, the romantic gesture encapsulated in both the visual scene and the music nostalgia of films where we remember the foolish hero being kissed, brings the lyric smartly into view, whilst never betraying the sweetness of the tune that accompanies it.

Sweet memories never hurt anyone as they explore the emotional and the recklessly beautiful, but to reminded of such a moment is to fondly recall how we were all fools once, and how Kerri Watt uplifts the soul to make us relive it.

Ian D. Hall