NEW ALBUM: ‘The Gospel Truth’ by The King Blues
- Meganne Gerbeau
- Apr 26, 2017
- 3 min read
After going quiet for a couple years The King Blues returned last year with ‘Off With Their Heads’. They played several shows and festivals since, however the boys received a mixed response from their fans.
Due to a scandal involving the lead singer, Johnny ‘Itch’ Fox, many fans have boycotted or protested at their shows due to allegations of Itch abusing women in a series of blog posts. Their Saturday set at Boomtown 2016 is a good example of this:
Itch has since apologised and explained his actions in a Facebook post proving there are always two sides to every story.
Despite this The King Blues are back with their new album ‘The Gospel Truth’ and a set of exciting upcoming shows around the UK. One of which was at The Haunt, here in Brighton on the 24th April.
After the allegations about Itch were made public, a lot of people posted on the events Facebook pages calling to boycott or protest the show. However, we’re pleased to report that the atmosphere at the Brighton show was in “high spirits” according to Patrick Mclean.
WATCH: The King Blues play 'My Boulder' live @ The Haunt, Brighton
The album, released on the 14th April, is something completely different to any of their previous work. In an interview Itch revealed that he doesn’t want the band to keep on releasing the same stuff and with 13 tracks totalling at 38 minutes, ‘The Gospel Truth’ is much meatier than their last album so there’s plenty of space to experiment with different sounds.
If you’re looking for the lovey-dovey Itch you remember from 2008’s ‘Save The World, Get The Girl’ you’re out of luck. ‘The Gospel Truth’ is bitter, fierce and a little rude.
‘Wish You Weren’t Here’ is funny and they’re clearly saying a big “fuck you” to a certain someone, with Itch chanting: “I know what you’ve been doing / I saw the name flash on your phone / This holidays been booked for months / So I’ll enjoy it alone”.
As the title suggests ‘Not Another Love Song’ is another anti-love song, its fast chatty lyrics coupled with the sexy guitar riffs and heavy beat sets it apart from the rest of the album.
I like the way The King Blues opened and closed this album. Their first track ‘The Truth, The Whole Truth’ opens with a girl saying: “Alright, so where do I start?” followed by a mashup of people talking about what their year was like. Their final track ‘And Nothing But The Truth’ is an audio of a girl talking about heartbreak with a dramatic backing of guitar which ends the album really well.
The theme of truth and honesty is key throughout with the title of the album and many of the tracks. It’s clear Itch and The King Blues are trying to say something with lyrics like “Only God can judge me / And clearly he hates me” in ‘The Truth Comes Out’.
‘Getting Better’ is fast paced and fiery. The guitar solo in the middle is dope and you can defiantly pick up the ska and punk influence. I know The King Blues are trying to sway away from their older stuff, but this track is typical Blues – which isn’t a bad thing.
Top tracks:
1. 'Wish You Weren't Here'
2. 'Heart of a Lion'
3. 'Nike Town'
4. 'You've Taken My Spark'
5. 'The Bullingdon Boys'
The King Blues are set to continue playing across the UK, with shows in Kingston and Bournemouth. They’re also booked to play a few festivals this summer. They’ve secured a pretty decent slot at the Electric Ballroom at the Camden Rocks festival, and they’re set to play Kerrang’s Avalanche stage at Download, both this June!
The last time I saw The King Blues live was at Slamdunk last year (let’s just forget Boomtown ever happened) and their set at the Desperados stage was mental! Securing a slot at Download is such an upgrade and it’s safe to say along with many other Blues fans, we’re all excited to see what’s next for the boys.
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