From: London, UK
Genre: Ska Punk
It was 2010 when this bunch of London towners came together in hope of giving the world its next round of meoldic Ska Punk mayhem. A void left by the likes of Lightyear and Jesse James needed to be filled and where Milton Keynes has previously been the breeding ground for some of the top acts on the UK scene (see: Capdown and Random Hand), it was London’s turn to take a stand against the Californians, showing them it doesn’t take sun and beaches to write contagious, brass-fuelled dancefloor anthems. Three years on and the band who would come to be known as King Punch released their debut offering Punch Drunk, a self-released 6-track EP chock-full of the reggae, swing, ska and punk rock vibes that until now have been exclusively reserved for Mad Caddies records. If you like the So-Cal legends, then you will have no problem familiarising yourself with what these English counterparts have to offer.
Kicking off with high-energy skanker No Win No Fee, the septet waste little time getting down to business as the horny intro evolves from an upbeat Chinkees rhythm into a heavier Skacore breakdown, taking the listener back to the days of Link 80. The aforementioned similarities to both Random Hand and Capdown are evident as well, as vocalist Liam Creech raps his way through, not short of any “hups” or “pick it ups” leading into Another Bomb, which sounds a lot like early Mad Caddies in almost every sense of the camparison.
Many of the same influences continue to resonate throughout, although far from being repetitive the record stays fresh as Orange County Kush, with Hip Flask drawing character from Cherry Poppin’ Daddies‘ rock and swing elements and Try Before You Buy‘s fluttering trumpet giving anyone who ever saw Lightyear live flashbacks of drunken naked dancing. Airs And Graces‘ deceiving Greg K bassline quickly turns into a Bosstones-worthy brass intro and further party fun before the EP rounds off with the aptly named One For The Road; fast Skate Punk drums and, of course, plenty more horn action.
King Punch continue to play around the UK and recently went off to Canada on their first overseas jaunt. Keep your eyes and ears open for when the band are in your town and be sure to catch what is probabaly one of the most fun live shows you’ll have seen for a while. In 2014 they released a short single, entitled Royal Flush, sticking to the usual formula for success, which is also available below via their media pages:
Click here to listen to Punch Drunk on Spotify
Click here to listen to the Punch Drunk on Bandcamp
You can connect with the band directly on Facebook and Twitter.
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