A leather jacket and some sloppy, jangling guitar chords are all very well if you’re intent on recreating the look and sound of punk’s glory days, but to tap into the spirit of artists like The Clash and Billy Bragg is a far more impressive feat. Step forward, The King Blues; a London collective that, over the past year, have wowed festival, club and squat audiences alike with their fiercely intelligent and compelling fusion of ska, reggae, folk, soul and punk attitude.
‘Come Fi Di Youth‘ is a fine indication of why the band have garnered such a loyal following and critical acclaim in their relatively short existence. A potent warning of the threat of the BNP to today’s youth, it features a sparse dub/reggae beat, laden with harmonica and singer Itch Fox’s impassioned vocals; resulting in an anti-racist anthem to make you think as well as dance. Check it out on the link above.
The band seem to have spent most of the past year on the road, and there’s no sign of them slowing down just yet. Catch them at the following shows:
11th Aug – Rebellion Festival, Blackpool
13th Aug – The Venue, Newcastle
14th Aug – King Tuts, Glasgow
15th Aug – Barfly, Birmingham
16th Aug – New Slang club @ The Works, Kingston
24th Aug – Reading Festival (Lock Up stage)
25th Aug – Leeds Festival (Lock Up stage)
16th Sept – Little Civic, Wolverhampton
23rd Sept – Concorde 2, Brighton