“Guess who’s back and pissed off again, bastards in power and nobodies stopping them”
It could surely only be the London based three piece ska punk anarchists The King Blues. Led by the indomitable Itch and the unobtrusive Jamie Jazz they tore a path across the indie scene little under ten years ago with their debut album Under The Fog. More studio albums followed and a successful tour that peaked at the Camden Roundhouse. Fusing punk and ska with a genuine anger and passion they lit a spark in the hearts of politically charged young people, daringly flirted with a fan alienating commercial(ish) album before releasing another barnstorming social commentary in July 2012 ‘Long Live The Struggle’. However before that release in April the band had already called it a day:
“It is with great sadness and very heavy hearts that we must inform you, that as of today The King Blues are no more. We are all immensely proud of our body of work. We will be releasing the last The King Blues album entitled ‘Long Live The Struggle’ as the final chapter. The album will be released in early July 2012. We simply feel we have taken things as far as they can go and it would be unfair on you if we were to go through the motions like so many other artists do. We all believe strongly in what The King Blues stands for“.
The under rated album dropped and contained a loud and infectious message. This could be an important record, but the band that produced it had gone away. Fans would never get to see it live and experience it sung how it should be: live and in person. As I listened over and over again I felt a terrible sadness that this great piece of work would only ever be a CD in my collection.
Fast forward to November 2015 and the news that all seething activists with no soundtrack to accompany their cause had waited for. On their Facebook page they simply posted the words ‘guess whos back and pissed off again’ with a picture of Itch, Jamie and Mike ‘Fruitbag’ Payne. This writer for one did a little wee of excitement. Somebody was coming back with a message for the Bullingdon Boys currently in power. Somebody was coming back who actually gave a shit about our world today. Somebody was coming back that makes important music.
Dates began to creep through, firstly supporting slots for Enter Shakiri, then a couple of their own headline gigs incuding one at the Norwich Arts Centre this coming Sunday. I’m going by the way, I couldn’t possibly miss the return of the best band you haven’t heard of.
Today they surprised everybody by making their awaited EP ‘Off With Their Heads’ available to stream on Spotify and I Tunes, with a hard copy release coming in a week or so time. They are on their own label this time and you feel that they’re coming back every bit as relevant and required as they were when Tony Blair war criminal led us into war, to prevent war.
So its new material that surprises us on this cold Friday afternoon and it was worth the wait. The title track is exactly what you’d expect, a loud and thrashy tune accompanied by Itch’s unique vocals spitting his hatred in the face of those that oppress him and the people he sings for. Always cleverly written but delivered as an angry tirade they find the perfect balance between noise and message. I don’t expect to see it topping the charts, but neither do they. It’s not about sales and success, it’s about the message and that is why this band have always been s important.
The rest of the EP veers from melodic ballad style offerings to classic fast punk. I love Poems and Songs, a tune that reflects on the contrast between a lack of material wealth and the ability to produce songs and poems from the heart. The EP oozes anger but peppers it with a real life take on relationships and love. The song Pure Fucking Love starts with the words ‘I fucking love you, you dickhead, you drive me up the wall, you’re a pain in the arse, but you’re class when I fall’. That’s real.
Therein lies the appeal of this incredibly important band. They’re real, they don’t want to sell millions of records and buy a place in Knightsbridge, but they want to deliver a message and deliver it succinctly but with both wit and anger. Their back catalogue features tunes about unemployment, anti war and the riots of 2011. Whether it’s a ballad, raw ska or punk they deliver lyrically and they light a fire inside you that makes you want to stand up and be counted. Only yesterday I had the track ‘Modern Life Has Let Me Down’ on in the car and it made me want to throw my keyboard through the window at work, gather up a few pals and drink cider until we collapse. They infuse their passion in you in such a clever way, with great tunes but that unmistakably enraged vocal of Itch adding the cutting edge that makes them so unique. They value venues and pubs, they value communities and a fair society and they’re back to get you feeling the same way.
This generation has become lost in bland hip hop, dire pop and a watered down culture force fed to us through the idiot box night after night. In a world where we’re told what to think at every turn we’ve lacked a band that questions everything and spits back the unacceptable answers it is given. It seeks out the dim lights clouded by the darkness and looks to unite them so they shine bright. They’re anti racist, anti establishment and are hell bent on delivering a society that helps the poorest people and builds communities. If you’re pissed off, they want you to follow them in protest and trying to force change.
Sunday night will see this 37 year old company man stand in a room full of angry people and witness an outpouring of togetherness from the crowd and pure vitriol aimed at those controlling our society. I may cut an unusual figure close to the back of the gig simply observing and enjoying. In front of me affected young people will finally get to listen to their own Pied Piper deliver his bands new material and make a stand against the oppressive culture which we are forced to endure. I don’t care how I look, because finally the British scene has someone willing to break the mould and make music that actually matters.
When all said and done music should matter, it should say something and it should touch you and make you question what’s around you. It should express love that isn’t characterised by the relationships of the characters on friends, or some dire R n B song about what a good man, what a mighty, mighty good man is.
Welcome back.