King King - Exeter Review

I am not quite sure why but, since live music started back up again here in the UK over the summer, the South West has turned into something of a hotbed of concerts. Traditionally, the region is rather poorly served by UK tours - but since August I have been to five gigs in Plymouth and three in Exeter. That is a lot for such a short space of time - and with another Plymouth gig on the horizon later this week that number is only going to increase. Part of me wonders if this is something of a post-lockdown boom, and bands are full of something of a temporary significantly increased drive to get 'out there' again. With overseas touring opportunities still somewhat limited, it might be that the void has been filled with more UK shows. It could also be that the area is now home to some new promoters with a bit more pull - but either way those of us in the South West who love hard rock and metal have been spoilt of late. I really hope that the South West remains on bands' radars, as the turnouts have been very good, but I do wonder if the bubble will burst once more traditional touring routes again open up. Either way, those of us in the South West have certainly been enjoying this increased activity - and the latest event in the region that I attended was a sold out gig at Exeter's Phoenix by the Scottish blues rock act King King. King King are a band that I had seen live a handful of times by default, but it was not until 2019 that I started to listen to them properly. I first saw the band live back in 2016 opening for Thunder; and I then saw them twice in 2018: once at Steelhouse Festival and then again a couple of months later opening for Europe. I had somewhat enjoyed the first two shows, but it was their set in Cardiff with Europe that turned my head the most. I added them to the long list of bands that I needed to explore properly, but it took me around to year to actually take the plunge - when I finally picked up a couple of their albums. Better late than never however, and this initial outlay has now led to me collecting all of the band's albums - including their latest album Maverick which was released last year. The next logical step was to see the band live on my own terms, and the Exeter show provided such an opportunity. The Phoenix has always been a great place to see bands, and it seems that many agreed as the King King show this past weekend was sold out. The Wildhearts show there last month was also very busy, and it is great to see the venue thriving again post-lockdown - as it has always been one of the region's best.

Before King King's set however, the large crowd was treated to half an hour of rootsy blues from When Rivers Meet. When Rivers Meet are a duo consisting of Grace Bond (vocals/mandolin) and Aaron Bond (guitar/percussion/vocals), who play a brand of blues that is very old-school and raw. Much of the set purely consisted of Aaron's dirty slide guitar and solitary drum - with Grace's powerful vocals over the top. She occasionally added some slide mandolin, and Aaron occasionally added some harmony vocals - but for the most part the duo's sound was very simple. Despite this, however, the two made a lot of noise on stage - and reminded me of similar duos such as The White Stripes or The Black Keys. When Rivers Meet are probably rootsier than those two bands however, and as yet are largely untouched by the slightly cynical, corporate sheen that those other two bands mentioned succumbed to. It is hard to remain so pure of sound when lots of money becomes involved, and I hope that When Rivers Meet retain their authenticity as they are certainly a band that have a strong identity. In truth, however, they were not really my thing - but their overall power cannot be denied. The guitar tones on display were full of real blues heft, while Grace is one of the most powerful live non-metal singers that I have seen for a while. She can really belt it out, and the chemistry between the two really works. As the set went on, however, it became clear that the band have their sound and that is what they stick to. Many of the songs played sounded quite similar to one another, so fatigue did start to set in a bit for me. That did not seem to be the case for many of the others in attendance, however, as the band received a strong reaction throughout their set. I sense that When Rivers Meet have quite a strong following of their own, and that I will soon start hearing a lot more about them. On the strength of their Exeter performance, such success would be deserved - and I say that as someone who was not massively into their sound.

Half an hour or so after When Rivers Meet finished their set the lights went down and AC/DC's Highway to Hell blared out over the PA. This was King King's cue to take to the stage, and the now-expanded five-piece walked out with huge smiles on their faces - and launched into the hard rocking (She Don't) Gimme No Lovin' from 2017's Exile & Grace. It has been the band's opening number for the past few years, and it works well up top as is it is one of the band's more riff-based rockers. It certainly helped to ease the crowd into a set that was heavy on new material, although in truth all of the new songs from Maverick played were treated like old friends. It was right that Maverick was featured so heavily though, as it introduced much of the band's current line-up last year. Only Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar) and Jonny Dyke (keyboards/vocals) remain in the band from those 2018 shows that I enjoyed - with Zander Greenshields (bass guitar/vocals), Andrew Scott (drums), and Alan's big brother Stevie (guitar/vocals) all joining the band since then. The expanded line-up allowed the band to sound bigger than previously, and having Stevie on guitar allowed Alan to focus solely his vocals at times. This made his performance during the quieter moments stronger, whereas having an extra guitar during the more rocking sections of the set allowed the band to sound more powerful. The rocking Fire in My Soul and the funky One World certainly benefitted from the expanded line-up, while standards such as Waking Up and Rush Hour felt more soulful due to Alan's more vocal-focused approach at times - although he still ripped into a number of fantastic guitar solos throughout each song. Alan is the star of King King, but for my Dyke is just as important. His keyboard playing, be it via his Hammond organ or his Fender Rhodes, was constantly featured throughout the set. One World is the song that it is due to his driving Rhodes playing, while Rush Hour has its depth thanks to plenty of warm washings of Hammond - which was the perfect bed for Alan's soaring guitar solos.

A Long History of Love has always been a live favourite for the band, and it was another highlight of the Exeter show. It featured some of Alan's best playing of the night, while the whole band often came together to create the rich sound that King King have become known for. This was also apparent during the upbeat You Stopped the Rain, another long-time favourite that the capacity crowd helped Alan and the guys to sing. Such was the band's confidence in their new material that they decided to end the main set with three new songs in a row. Two hard rockers in Never Give In and I Will Not Fall sandwiched the more emotionally-charged Whatever It Takes to Survive. All three songs really came alive on stage, but it was perhaps I Will Not Fall that impressed the most - as it turned into a real band showcase where everyone involved had the spotlight shined on them. Stevie, who stuck to rhythm guitar throughout the night, closed the song out with a ripping solo of his own - and the song had a real feeling of some good old-fashioned rock excess, which is always a lot of fun. There was time for a few more however, and a three-song encore followed. It opened slowly, however, with the piano ballad When My Winter Comes, also from the latest album, which was sung beautifully by Alan - with Stevie and Dyke harmonising during the chorus. It was a poignant moment, but it was not long before the full band was back on the stage and it was time for a couple of old favourites to be dusted off. The proper blues strut of Stranger to Love slowed things down somewhat, and allowed for some great old-school blues tones and soloing; while the joyous Let Love In proved to be a great closing cut. It prompted one last sing-a-long too, helped along by Alan, and it was the perfect way to end a set that was full of uplifting songs and emotional numbers. The reaction from the crowd seemed to even stun the band occasionally too, and when the set came to an end they took their bows to loud cheers. The setlist was:

(She Don't) Gimme No Lovin'

Fire in My Soul

One World

Waking Up

Rush Hour

Coming Home (Rest Your Eyes)

A Long History of Love

You Stopped the Rain

Never Give In

Whatever It Takes to Survive

I Will Not Fall

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When My Winter Comes

Stranger to Love

Let Love In

I am glad that I took the plunge with King King properly in 2019, as I have been really enjoying their albums over the past couple of years - and the show in Exeter was a great way to cap off this newfound fandom. All being well I will be seeing the band again at Chepstow Castle next summer, and if it is anywhere near as good as this Exeter show then it will be an excellent night. King King are a band that I am only going to like more as time goes on too - and I will be listening to their albums a lot more over the coming months.