King King - Exeter Review

Over the past few years, the Scottish blues rockers King King have become one of those bands whom I now seem to see on every tour. I first came across the band back in 2016 when I saw them opening for Thunder - and then saw them twice again in 2018: at Steelhouse Festival and opening for Europe. I always casually enjoyed seeing the band in those days, but it was not really until 2019 when I started to listen to King King properly - with my fandom secured with the release of fifth album Maverick in 2020. Maverick was where everything truly fell into place for me, and since then I have gained a full appreciation of the band's catalogue - and have seen them twice of my own volition. They were one of a handful of bands whom I saw in 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were starting to lift, and I also saw them again last year in Chepstow Castle with Cats in Space. Both of the 2021 and 2022 shows were excellent, and showcased why King King have become such a popular band in recent years. They are best described as a blues band, but King King do not play your grandad's blues - as there is plenty of hard rock in the band's sound, as well as the love of a pop hook and a soulful vocal delivery. This mix of sounds is a big part of what makes King King appeal to me - plus I think that it is fair to say that my appreciation of blues has only increased over the years. As such, then, when the band announced last year that they were going to undertake another UK tour in 2023 I knew that I had to go. Luckily, King King have managed to build up quite a following here in the South West - with Exeter now being a regular tour stop for them. Exeter was the location of the aforementioned 2021 show which I attended. That show was busy, and last night's was no different - with the room once again packed with loyal fans. As was the case in 2021, the venue for last night's show was the excellent Phoenix - a multi-purpose arts centre in the city which has been a pretty regular gig destination for me over the years. My trips to Exeter seem to have increased in recent years, too, so it is great to see that more and more bands are making the effort to head down the M5 to the South West. Pretty much every show that I have been to at the Phoenix has been great, too, as the venue always seems to create an atmosphere - with the sound there also generally being pretty good. It is always nice to see a show locally, too, so after work I headed up to Exeter for the evening - grabbing a bite to eat in the local Wetherspoons before walking up to the venue. The Phoenix was already pretty busy by the time I got there - so I filed into the main auditorium just before the evening's support started their set.

Providing support for the night was Squeeze frontman and songwriter Glenn Tilbrook. Squeeze are one of those legendary British bands whom I have been aware of for years, but they are not a band that I have ever really listened to. They always seemed like a band hard to categorise - with a quirky overall approach and something of a power pop sheen. Based on Tilbrook's set, my thoughts were confirmed to be correct - but I actually enjoyed much of his performance. I think that most of the songs that he played were Squeeze tracks, which certainly went down well with the crowd as there were lots around me singing along, although he did include a couple of 'out there' covers, too, including a bonkers version of The Human League's Don't You Want Me - where he encouraged the crowd to sing the second verse. What struck me about Tilbrook's performance, too, was how he seemed to be playing as if he was fronting Squeeze. None of the songs played seemed to be re-arranged for a solo performance. I had expected him to strap on an acoustic guitar and play through his songs in a fairly sedate manner - but instead he played a Telecaster throughout and brashly thrashed his way through the set. This was a bit strange, but it worked well - and the set was pretty endearing, especially as he seemed to be battling through a nasty sore throat. Despite this, though, I enjoyed much of Tilbrook's set. It confirmed to me that Squeeze are a band that I probably need to check out. They seem like quite a diverse band, but there were a lot of hooky choruses throughout Tilbrook's set - and the lyrics (generally courtesy of bandmate Chris Difford) were certainly not filled with the general rock and pop clichés. There was a lot of substance to the songs played, and Tilbrook also proved himself to be a pretty capable guitarist too - with a few snappy solos and plenty of busy riffs and melodies. The song that probably stood out the most to me was Pulling Muscles (from the Shell), which had an excellent chorus, but other Squeeze favourites such as Up the Junction and Goodbye Girl also proved to be a lot of fun. As such, Tilbrook's time on stage flew by, and the large crowd certainly had fun with the veteran singer-songwriter whilst waiting patiently for King King's set.

Given that there was not much gear to clear from the stage following Tilbrook's set, it was not long after he finished that King King took to the stage. As this show was part of King King's second lengthy UK tour following the release of Maverick, I was glad to see that the band had switched up the setlist quite significantly for this run of shows. Whilst a few favourites were still included, there were quite a few different songs played, too, showcasing more of Maverick and the band's other more recent album Exile & Grace. Instead of opening with a big, riffy number as is typical of the band's style, King King instead opened with the upbeat and groovy Dance Together - a song from Maverick which was not played on the last tour. The poppy track is a great representation of King King's feel-good side, with Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitars) sounding fired up from the off - whilst Jonny Dyke (keyboards/vocals) created the song's warmth behind his bank of retro instruments. In fact, this upbeat vibe continued on throughout the opening few numbers. Long Time Running, with its big riff and backing vocal-driven chorus, showcased the band's love of acts like Bad Company, whilst Heed the Warning opted for a grander approach - but one that still showcased the might of the five-piece band's sound. There were plenty of changes of pace throughout, though, and the slower By Your Side was the first example of such. Alan sung much of the song alone against Dyke's piano backing - but the band gradually bulked the arrangement out, with Alan delivering one of his many excellent guitar solos of the evening during the song's instrumental section. Lose Control then returned to a harder rocking path, with both Alan and his brother Stevie Nimmo (guitar/vocals) laying down some tough blues rock riffs throughout. For me, King King have become a more powerful live act since becoming a five-piece, with Stevie's rhythm guitar riffing and occasional leads bulking out the sound. Stevie's presence also allows Alan to focus on his singing at times, such as during the quieter moments of the lengthy ballad A Long History of Love - although, of course, Alan still let rip during the mid-section. From this point on, the set was largely made up of fan-favourites. The funky Waking Up and the poignant Whatever It Takes to Survive, dedicated to Thunder's Danny Bowes, went down well, but for me the real highlight of this latter part of the set was You Stopped the Rain - which included quite a bit of singing from the audience. A lengthy I Will Not Fall, with lots of funky piano playing and a great guitar solo from Stevie, was another memorable moment - before the main set came to a close with the blues rock juggernaut of Stranger to Live - with some of Alan's more ferocious guitar playing of the night, and more than a few nods to the bluesier side of Whitesnake. There was time for one more, though, and after a brief step off stage the band came back for a great, and elongated, version of Eric Clapton's Old Love. It featured a lot more soloing, and the spotlight was turned over to Stevie for a really lengthy, traditional blues-based solo - before Alan closed things out with one of his own, bringing the night to a guitar-heavy and powerful end. The setlist was:

Dance Together

Long Time Running

Heed the Warning

By Your Side

Lose Control

A Long History of Love

Waking Up

Whatever It Takes to Survive

You Stopped the Rain

Rush Hour

I Will Not Fall

Stranger to Love

-

Old Love [Eric Clapton cover]

Despite having seen King King twice fairly recently, it was great to see them again so soon - and it was also great to hear a few different songs in the set this time. The band have established themselves as one of the best modern British blues bands in recent years, and I can only see them pushing on further from here with their busy touring schedule and strong catalogue. I am hoping that album number six is being considered, too, as it would be great if the band could capitalise on the excellent momentum of the last few years with another strong album - but I am sure that whenever album number six comes it will be worth the wait.