King King release lyric video for new song “Waking Up”

Multi award-winning, blues rock band King King have just released a lyric video for a new song “Waking Up” taken from the new album Reaching For The Light (out now).

There’s a definite buzz surrounding King King’s highly anticipated third studio album, “Reaching For The Light”. At a time when the shuffled playlist holds sway, along come nine hot tracks that defy you to press skip.

In 2015, Reaching For The Light is the main event. “We’re really proud of this album,” says front man Alan Nimmo. “It’s faster, louder, more energetic and more exciting. It’s got the potential to blow the roof off.”

Opening with a gunshot drum fill, a stinging funk-blues guitar riff and a rabble-rousing opening gambit – “I’m in trouble!” – King King’s third album bursts out of the blocks and raises the bar.

“It’s short, sharp and exciting,” notes Alan of opening track Hurricane, “and it’s got that edge. Starting an album with that song, you know that we mean business.”

Indeed, Hurricane sets the tone for an album that hits hard. “I’d say there’s a natural progression from Standing In The Shadows,” explains Alan, “but on this album, we were delving more into a classic rock style. I grew up listening to bands like Free, Bad Company, early Whitesnake and Thunder. The influences were starting to show duringStanding In The Shadows and now they’re really coming through. We’ve always had tunes that were smoldering and soulful. Now, there’s stuff that’s a bit faster-paced, too.”

This new album is no one-trick pony. Tracking at the Superfly Studios in Nottinghamshire, snatching days between tour commitments, the band’s group songwriting ran the gamut, from the gospel-inflected beauty of Lay With Me to the funk-rock flavours of Crazy.

“Everyone puts in their input and influences,” says Alan. “Bob is a big Janis Joplin fan, Wayne likes Genesis, and Lindsay comes from the background of The Fabulous Thunderbirds and all these obscure country bands. So there’s a great mixture in there. And after spending so much time on the road together, we’ve got real chemistry too. This band is like a gang. And that’s how it has to be.”

The dynamic musicianship, meanwhile, is bolstered by lyrics that are heartfelt and raw.

“Each song has a personal meaning, drawn from my own experience,” explains Alan. “I actually wrote the lyrics to Rush Hour when I was sixteen, about the pressures of life, but then I didn’t touch it again until now, when I tracked it down and finished it off.

Hurricane is about when someone comes in to your life and leaves again, leaving you feeling like you’ve been bulldozed and you want more! You Stopped The Rain is a sadder story: I wrote the lyrics when my brother had cancer in his throat a few years back, and had an operation. The worry that came with that for everyone was distressing. Obviously, you find a way to ease things, and luckily enough, I get to write about these things through songs.”

In 2015, with so many bands seemingly content to settle for transient throwaway pop,Reaching For The Light is real music: an album to soundtrack the good times and soothe you during the bad. Of course, King King will take all the plaudits, sales and awards statuettes you care to sling their way – but that’s not the objective.

“We all want to take this band as far as we can,” says Alan. “You want to sell as many albums as possible, and anyone who says they don’t enjoy five-star reviews is lying. But most important is that we’ve got a great album that people can listen to and enjoy. That’s what really matters – and that’s the truth.”

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BURTON UPON TRENT, BREWHOUSE
Wednesday 21st October 2015

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BURY ST. EDMUNDS, THE APEX
Thursday 22nd October 2015

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COVENTRY, THE COPPER ROOMS
Sunday 25th October 2015

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University of Warwick, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL
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CARLISLE, THE OLD FIRE STATION
Tuesday 27th October 2015

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Old Fire Station, Warwick Street, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA3 8QW
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HOLMFIRTH PICTUREDROME
Thursday 29th October 2015

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CLITHEROE, THE GRAND
Friday 30th October 2015

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18 York Street, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 2DL
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GLENROTHES, ROTHES HALL
Saturday 31st October 2015

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16 East Fergus Place, Kirkcaldy, KY1 1XT
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YORK, FIBBERS
Sunday 1st November 2015

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CHESTERFIELD, REAL TIME LIVE
Tuesday 3rd November 2015

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HULL, FRUIT
Wednesday 4th November
2015
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62 Humber Street, Hull HU1 1TU
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FROME, CHEESE AND GRAIN
Friday 6th November 2015

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Market Yard, Frome, Somerset, BA11 1BE
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SHOREHAM, ROPETACKLE ARTS
Saturday 7th November 2015

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LONDON, ISLINGTON O2 ACADEMY
Wednesday 11th November 2015

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BROMSGROVE, ARTRIX
Thursday 12th November 2015

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Artrix, School Drive, Bromsgrove, B60 1AX
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SALE, WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE
Friday 13th November 2015

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1 Waterside, Sale M33 7ZF
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MORECAMBE, THE PLATFORM
Saturday 14th November 2015

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SHREWSBURY, THEATRE SEVEN
Sunday 15th November 2015

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Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury SY3 8FT
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About David Farrell

General Manager and 'THE' competition guy at planetmosh.com. Manager of The Goddanm Electric www.thegde.co.uk, Tour manager for Serpentine, and ex-general Dogsbody at Hammerfest.co.uk. Media partner to numerous bands. Also takes photos, writes reviews and likes classic rock, with a touch of thrash to get the blood flowing.