Hackney Rude Boys
Coming out of the Hackney squat scene The King Blues are one of those rare breed of bands that have the ability to cross several boundaries at once, gaining plaudits from hardcore ska purists, punks and indie fans alike. They get a good crowd in the Rocksound tent today and get the front rows moving straight away.
Guitarist Jamie Jazz has his guitar slung just about as low as it can get and he never stops moving throughout but it's front man Jonny Fox that really holds the attention. Occasionally playing a ukelele he commands the stage expertly and interacts with the crowd constantly whilst giving a solid vocal performance. New song 'The Streets Are Ours' has a real old school ska vibe that gets a real dub groove going and it's infectious stuff. A rhythm break half way through has the whole band playing percussion and it's thoroughly entertaining before 'Taking Over' steals the show with a great mass sing along during which Jonny splits the crowd into two. Their whole set is delivered with an energy and passion that you can't help but warm to and they've clearly won a lot of new friends today.
Having just missed them at this years Strawberry Fair The King Blues prove that they are a perfect festival band & justifiably get the biggest crowd reaction of the day so far.