Getting You Ready To Lead The Charge
Music and politics have always gone hand in hand, it’s been a happy marriage between the two for years now and one that doesn’t look likely to end anytime soon, especially with bands like The King Blues at the helm. Ranting their way out of Hackney four years ago, The King Blues have worked on the assumption that if you throw enough things into the mix at once, then something is bound to stick, and it’s a formula that most definitely works. Ska, punk, reggae and folk, amongst a legion of other genres, vie for attention on the band’s second album, ‘Save The World Get The World’, brilliantly weaving their way around lead singer Jonny ‘Itch’ Fox’s unpretentious working class ethos as he brandishes lyrics dripping in everyday phrases, social awareness and simply talking to the disenchanted youth in a language they can relate to. It’s a political message but not one that’s stuffed down your throat, rather one that is spoon fed to you, letting you take as much from the songs as you want, no more, no less.
Taking things back to their own roots, ‘Save The World, Get The Girl’ finds The King Blues concentrating on the things that have impacted on their own lives. As ‘My Boulder’ sparkles to life, bouncing with a blend of catchy hooks and a gigantic chorus that refuses to leave until you are grinning insanely, it’s immediately obvious that The King Blues are here to make sure that their message goes down with a spring in its step. Depicting their views on peace and harmony, the Hackney trio proceed with ‘I Got Love’, a track that for all sense and purposes resembles a love song as it shimmies along, a style used also for the balladesque, ‘Underneath This Lamppost Light’, albeit with a drunken twist. Their hearts may be boldly stapled to their sleeves but The King Blues still know how to have a good time; ‘Let’s Hang The Landlord’ is an autobiographical romp that stomps and thumps in all the right places as an infectious chorus zips in to generate a tidal wave of chant out loud singing. Elsewhere there’s the South American carnival of ‘The Streets Are Ours’ that pounds with menace, escalating riotously as it relentlessly beckons everyone to join in, revealing a call to arms wrapped in a party atmosphere. Anarchy with a lethal fist full of fun.
But The King Blues haven’t gone soft; the venom is still there with ‘The Schemers, The Scroungers And The Rats’ injecting equal parts anger with melody, whilst title track, ‘Save The World, Get The Girl’ tenderly starts out life before unleashing an attack on the political agenda of America. Yes the anger is still alive and well with the Hackney band, allowing them to vent their thoughts to all, but for all the anger, the fun and the melodic musings, in the end it’s the six and half minute album closer, ‘What If Punk Never Happened’ that guarantees everyone will pause for thought. As Fox’s half spoken, half sung tale progresses from a fun filled glance at what music would be like without punk, the almost ode to punk expands to take in the wider implications, acknowledging the social factors that would have ensued, backed by a rousing rush of inspirational atmospherics that brilliantly captures the philosophy of the band and fittingly brings the album to a spine tingling conclusion.
With the modern climate as it is, with knife crime escalating, unemployment rising and the country seemingly going to rot, now seems the perfect time for a band to stand up and speak for us all and The King Blues appear to be the ideal candidates. ‘Save The World, Get The Girl’ won’t preach at you, this is an album that prefers to talk to you, unmasking the problems of today in such a way that won’t have you reaching for the razor blade but instead will have you ready to lead the charge.