Never has there been a better time for a band like The King Blues than now. Politically-sussed, constantly active but never dogmatic, they are the latest in a long tradition of well-read, well-intentioned British refuseniks representing the disenfranchised youth from the ground up.
With friends and supporters ranging from Tariq Ali to Hard Fi, The King Blues have defied convention through their music. Unafraid to mix up dub bass lines, doo-wop a cappella songs, ska rhythms, Lonnie Donegan-styled skiffle, British folk and gritty poetry, theirs is a stripped-down, hot-wired style where ukuleles, acoustic guitars and melodicas feature heavily. It is punk music as it was intended - engaging, forward-thinking, all-encompassing.
The early months of 2008 saw the Hackney collective holed up in the studio making album number two with producers Clive Langer (Madness, Dexy's, Elvis Costello) and Peter Miles. Two years on since they cut their debut album Under The Fog and The King Blues are a changing entity. If their debut was a slogan-strewn howl of discontent against all that's wrong with the world - albeit one jam-packed with uplifting songs - then the as-yet untitled second album, is a much more personalized take on social ills.
Recognising that pulpit-bashing preaching rarely extends beyond the converts of the punk scene, frontman Jonny 'Itch' Fox has poured his heart and soul into this new set of songs. Digging deep to draw on life experiences, the second album documents the rites de passage of a young man in the modern age. It is a polemical record with a conscience, a philosophy, a sense of humour and a concept - so much so that the band plan to make a video for each song, to be woven together to form a cohesive, album-length film.