Live Review : King King + The Damn Truth @ Academy 2, Manchester on February 17th 2022

The last time Glaswegian blues rock stalwarts King King played here was exactly 3 years ago; and a lot has changed since that date- the comings and goings of various members, an album, and the welcome addition of a certain big brother into the fold. Having last caught the chaps back in October at the Leeds Stylus, I knew just what a treat the crowd of mainly middle aged folks were in for if they hadn’t seen the new expanded line up before. First though, we needed to welcome The Damn Truth to open proceedings and it was quite a stir they proved to make.

The Canadian rockers had been eagerly anticipating this tour, and they took their chance to impress upon the audience with their brand of hippie soaked rock and roll. In fact, that’s a pretty good description- dressed in rather colourful psychedelic outfits that perhaps could have come straight out of an Austin Powers movie, this dynamic 4 piece of Lee-La Baum on vocals and guitar, Tom Shemer on guitar, PY Letellier on bass and Dave Traina on drums, wasted no time in making their presence heard. Kicking things off with ‘This is Who We Are Now’ the lead single from their 3rd album “Now or Nowhere”, it’s a powerful start, and the first thing that springs to mind was just how alike Lee-La Baum is to Janis Joplin with her phrasing and vocal delivery, so it was hardly surprising then to find out later she’s actually featured on her official FB page! She cuts a confident figure in fronting the band and plays a mean rhythm guitar too. This latest album forms the main backdrop to their seven song set. It’s powerful and dynamic ‘60s and ‘70’s influenced rock and is rather good. Bassist PY thumps and underpins the heartbeat on tracks like ‘Full on You’ and ‘Too Late’ which are fired out in quick succession, and show why the band has gathered such critical acclaim over the past 10 years or so nicely. They impress with their songs about love and life and all things hippy which in today’s climate is so refreshingly nice to hear! ‘Only Love’ is a captivating song and also their latest single. It’s infectious, ridiculously catchy and has a distinct flavour of ‘60’s psyche about it. Tom Shemer plays some great guitar and by the end she’s visibly moved and thanks Planet Rock for their support in exposing the band to UK audiences.  A large cheer goes up; they’re growing on the crowd who are clearly enjoying their set. A well-crafted drum intro leads into the Joplin soaked intro of ‘Look Innocent’, a great power ballad and before we know it they finish with the storming ‘Tomorrow’ with its distinct guitar intro and sing-a-long chorus, it’s a perfect finish. They’ve probably found a few more fans in the UK as a result and rightly so The Damn Truth- Damn Good. 

It’s not long before the house lights dim, and the familiar opening bars of ‘Highway to Hell’ welcomes the long awaited return of King King to the stage. Originally planned 2 years ago and unfortunately postponed; and yes, you’ve guessed correctly why- here we finally are; back on the road to promote their latest album “Maverick”. It doesn’t take long for the masses to worship at the feet of the king. Wearing his all too familiar kilt  and black shirt, Alan Nimmo unleashes one of his infectious grins and smiles upon the gathered subjects in front of him, greets us with a warm ‘hello Manchester’ and launches into ‘(She Don’t) Gimme No Lovin’ . With its catchy chorus and stomping beat, it’s one of those perfect openers, deserving the rousing response it creates, launching them nicely into ‘Fire in My Soul’ and then ‘One World’ from the latest offering.  Both are typical of the band; well written, catchy and feature those trademark hooks Mr Nimmo is fond of writing. “Maverick” is a great album and rightly so features prominently tonight. There’s a nod back in time to the anthemia ‘Waking Up’, before that definitive crowd favourite ‘Rush Hour’ and its gentle piano intro and soulful vocal. Speaking of piano, there’s no way I can continue without acknowledging the man Jonny Dyke- a finer keyboardist you’d be hard pushed to find and tonight is almost a showcase for his talents and is such a huge part of the bands definitive sound. The Hammond organ almost strokes your spine, tapping into your higher consciousness as ‘Long History of Love’ almost speaks to your soul. It’s a haunting, outstanding slice of not just beautiful song writing and playing, but shows exactly why Alan Nimmo is held in such high regard as a guitar player. His voice throughout this evening is outstanding, yet it’s his brilliant phrasing and tone, and control in the solo that leaves you open mouthed and aghast in admiration. The addition of his big bro Stevie has lifted the band firmly onto the pedestal it was always destined to become- it’s almost like playing the ace in the pack. He co-wrote many of the songs on “Maverick”, officially joining the band prior to its release. An established solo artist in his own right, not only is he a great guitar player, it’s his soulful vocals that not only sound great; they harmonise perfectly with what Alan does, and it lifts the songs old and new to that higher level. Throughout the set there’s little nuances and tweaks to songs that definitely weren’t there before which shows just how well this band are playing together, morphing them into perhaps one of the greatest blues rock outfits around in the UK and beyond. Sure, it’s not the same band that Alan set off with on the journey back in 2008 and some puritans may object, but maybe its real evolution that’s brought them to where they are now- and rightly should be. The rhythm section of Zander Greenshields and Andrew Scott are faultless and really drive the set brilliantly, pushing and pulling every song with energy and passion. It’s great to see the Academy 2 as full as it is and the boys are giving full value for money. The brilliant ‘You Stopped the Rain’, ‘Everything Will Be Alright’ and then a glorious ‘Coming Home (Rest Your Eyes)‘ swiftly follows; a gorgeous well-crafted commercial ballad that you could imagine being played on Radio 2 all day long.  ‘Whatever It Takes to Survive’, possibly the best track off “Maverick” is mean and moody and features some glorious harmony guitar from the Nimmo boys. One of the things more noticeable with the newer material is, like his Scottish counterpart Justin Currie from Del Amitri, Alan Nimmo has this ability to really tell a story through song, and this track is a great example. They end the set with the rousing ‘I Will Not Fall\, with Stevie playing some stinging guitar, the boys leaving the stage to applause ringing in the ears.  The encores start with the vocal and keys on the atmospheric ‘When My Winter Comes’ before Alan’s Les Paul makes its first appearance replacing his trusty strat for set staple ‘Stranger to Love’. This is what having an audience in the palm of your hand really means. It’s wonderful to see a hushed crowd fall into total silence where not even a pin drops as Alan does his signature thing of taking the volume down to almost nothing before the band bring it back up into the crescendo finish of this magnificent song. Old favourite ‘Let Love In’ ends the night. This is one seriously good band. King King are well on the way to becoming the band they were always destined to become. It’s been a night jam packed full of well crafted, glorious blues rock anthems which, if you aren’t familiar with these guys, then what the hell are you doing? Go out and listen, see them, feel the energy and then say their music doesn’t lift you to another level. Truly exceptional.