What we’ve been up to - video special

Since I last wrote to you we’ve been up to a great deal, much of which is presented to you here in an audio-visual spectacular. Brew up a tea, put your feet up and enjoy the show!

First up is a reenactment of our first guerrilla gig on the South Bank for the NewMusic Live blog. So taken were they with our original efforts that they wanted to recreate it once more. We duly obliged and for those of you who missed it, the video below is almost a carbon copy of the Festival Pier experience; same stretch of beach, same tea lights, same ugly band et al. To mix things up we had the North Bank all lit up buildings behind us and no drunken crowd, but we did play Family in a rare acoustic outing which was a treat. I hope you like Ian’s trombone playing, and please check out NewMusic Live HERE. 

To follow this reenactment we felt that our second Guerrilla Gig was due, so on Friday 27th April at 9.30pm we gathered our invited crowd of forty at Bank station on the DLR platform. We then dominated the rear carriage of a designated train and played a gig in transit! Here’s how it looked -

This was just about the most dangerous gig we’ve yet played. Insurance claims could have been at a premium had anything gone wrong, but thankfully nothing went awry. Luckily for all concerned, the DLR is a driverless service with less than alert station staff so no-one complained and our party was not pooped on. My cello has never felt so fragile and exposed but a gig has rarely been as exciting or novel in all my time as a musician. We then disembarked at Cutty Sark for a longer set and were supported by the magnificent Edith Bentall. Check out her band HERE. Thanks again to Ian for organising it!

Alongside this Ralph is still entertaining guests and collaborating with them atop his balcony, and the latest results are as follows…

Also, our open mic night Play All The Things is on again tomorrow night. It’s changed location and is now once a month but this should help and not hinder proceedings. It’s gone very well so far so please come and see for yourselves!

That’s all for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed this audio visual feast!

^JP

Ralph’s balcony looks Feisty…

I won’t say much today as these videos do it all.

Below we have the latest installment from Ralph’s balcony which features Professor Penguin and their song ‘Pirate’.

Below that is the second in our Fortress Studios sessions where we present our take on ‘Let it Die’ by Feist. Enjoy them both and please spread them like a cyber wildfire. You won’t get done for internet arson, I promise!

^JP

To Kill A King @ Camden Barfly, Monday 21st May

                                                               +

                                                                    =

TICKETS -                                             

 http://www.hmvtickets.com/events/3727

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/region=gb_london&query=detail&event=504234&interface=barflynew

See you there!

Play All The Things / Ralph’s Balcony 11

As an a avid TKAK fan and a probable Facebook user, you may well have noticed us promoting something with the intriguing title of Play All the Things. If you failed to read all about it then here’s a run down of what happened there, and what to expect at the next one…

These days being in a band isn’t just about the music, money, fame, hordes of slobbering groupies and mountains of class A drugs. A modern band like us should also be a scene unto themselves, a multi limbed and multi tasking media-whoring entity with more fingers in more pies than the entire population of Wigan. With this in mind, Ralph and his mate Pumo decided to set up Play All The Things (which TKAK present), a bi-weekly open mic night at one Filthy McNasty’s in Angel.

The aim is to provide a friendly and high quality open might night with a slight twist; whilst the first half is open for all as is tradition, the second half sees a succession of acts hand-picked by Ralph. This first batch included Holly Walker, Ollie Friend, Jade Hopcroft, Youth Imperial and Bastille. The room was packed, the crowd was hushed and the performances were truly top drawer. Here’s how it looked…

Ralph opens the show.

A crowded public house.

Holly Walker unleashes her quirky urban pop.

Jade Hopcroft goes monochrome.

Robbie of Youth Imperial.

Co-host Pumo (left) with participant.

Ollie Friend.

Kyle and Dan of Bastille.

The next Play All The Things takes place this coming Tuesday, 17th April and features Professor Penguin, Catgut, Rachel Harker, Maud in Cahoots, Tom Sitton, assorted segments of To Kill A King, plus Emily and the Woods. It’s free and kicks off sometime after 7pm so we hope to see you there!

Speaking of Emily and the Woods, here’s the latest edition of Ralph’s balcony, featuring herself and our own Ralph.

Enjoy this and your weekends!

^JP

Guerrilla Gig #1

Last Friday the first of our Guerrilla Gigs took place. Ian chose the beach beneath Festival Pier on the South Bank of the Thames as the location, which usually looks like this –

However, when we King Killers collaborate we can transform a soulless concrete sandpit into something far more inviting, like so –

I was the first to arrive (standard), hopping over the locked gate with sheer reckless abandon, my cello having carefully scaled the wall moments before. I was soon joined by the others as we set about decorating the arena with an array of tea lights, lanterns and candles in half wine bottles that Ben had cut with his own fair hands!

As the guests arrived (this was invite only, darling) from the password point by Foyles bookshop, the beach acquired a distinct hubbub which set the tone perfectly for Melodica, Melody and Me and their wistful, world-music inspired songs. 

Melodica, Melody and Me (photo c/o Ralph Pelleymounter)

After a quick change over we played a set we’ve become accustomed to over the last few weeks, where we’ve played in more living rooms than a hybrid of Ikea and DFS could ever throw at us. Highlights of the set included a cameo from our latest balcony accomplice Emily Wood, who sung ‘We Used to Protest/Gamble’ with Ralph. Imagine the below but on a beach…

The cavalcade of noise that was the demand for an encore was the perfect affirmation of a gig well played.

TKAK on the beach (photo c/o Olivia Hobbs) 

TKAK on the beach #2 (photo c/o Abbie Phillips) 

I’d like to thank the Metropolitan Police for not shutting us down, the weather for obliging, Lucy for her able assistance and professional lantern hanging, Holly Clark for her exquisite directions, MM&M for their support set, Emily Wood for her lungs and Ian Dudfield for organising the whole show. He’s not just a guitar hero you know!

To be in with a chance of an invite to our next Guerrilla Gig keep your eyes online. We’ll shout about it there and show you where to apply. At this point I’ll leave it to the immortal Status Quo to explain the complexities of the application process with their words of wisdom – ‘You’ve got to be in it to win it!’ 

 Enjoy the long weekend.

^JP

Bastille ft. Ralph Pelleymounter…

As the bank holiday gallops into view I thought I’d share Ralph’s latest dalliance with you all. Whilst the abbreviation ‘ft’ prefixing the name of a recording artist normally denotes an affiliation with R ‘n’ B, Hip Hop or Dancehall (see ft. Sean Paul, ft. Tinie Tempah etc…), Ralph has not jumped genres and joined the urban music world. No, this collaboration features our great leader singing on a track with our very good mates Bastille, on a free album of theirs called ‘Other People’s Heartache’.

You can download it HERE, where you can hear Ralph on the track ‘Falling’. Please do so as it sounds grand, and give Bastille a mention to all and sundry while you can still say ‘I heard them first’ (aka smug exclusivity) because believe me, they are about to be bigger than their frontman’s hair!

More bank holiday fun will be posted tomorrow so until then, enjoy!

^JP

Ralph’s Balcony

Ralph has been thoroughly busy these last few weekends, ably assisted by Ben and whichever artist they’ve ensnared for a balcony session. I posted the first two before tour and I’ve been slacking ever since. Now that spring is sprung I thought I’d dust myself down and allow you to view what he’s been up to since in one dose.

Spread the word and enjoy!

Many more in the pipeline, so keep this page in your sight line!

^JP

Winter Tour 2012

Good afternoon all!

We’ve just got back from our debut UK headline tour and have had an absolute blast! Twelve days, ten shows, a bathtub full of houmous, one broken bass, five broken strings, no broken bones, a Dutch lesbian, a drunken Swedish banker, a semi professional ten pin bowling taxi driver, a blind drummer, Mario Kart, tiny pubs with unnecessary smoke machines and Scouse girls on stilts represent merely the tip of a tremendous, tumultuous and at times torrid iceberg that was the TKAK Winter Tour 2012…

We’d like to thank Matty for his tour managing, Martin for his sound sculpting, every promoter, every support act and every fan who came along and made the experience such an unforgettable one for the five of us!

That’s enough idle chit chat though. The last pictorial tour diary went down a treat, so if it ain’t broke…

23rd February - OXFORD

Sound check at the Bullingdon. This venue bore no relation to Oxford University’s famously debauched drinking club. The black-clad chap on the left is called Osprey. So is this type of bird -

and this type of plane -

(‘Is it a bird? Is it a plane?’ subtly avoided there, almost…) 

The first set of tour.

24th February - LIVERPOOL

Jon in sport mode at the Travelodge. Running has never looked this sexy.

Liverpool’s finest caligrapher…

Checking some sounds at the Shipping Forecast. I call this technique Sleep Bass.

Our soundman Martin, who made everyone’s ears like us even more. Thanks buddy!

A life-changing sit down.

25th February - NOTTINGHAM

The Wok ‘n’ Go chronicles, parts one to three.

1.

2.

3.

Backstage, Jon dresses as our tour manager Matt. You had to be there.

This dog has learned to write. Britain’s Got Talent awaits…

27th February - MANCHESTER 

The Deaf Institute get their Carnival on.

Later that night…

28th February - NEWCASTLE

This made us feel like pros.

St James’ Park from the roof of the Academy.

Another in-spire-ing view. Oh dear.

29th February - LEEDS

All the gear and no idea.

The Brudenell take a guilt-based approach in their attempts to tackle theft.

My bass rumbled this light out of its socket. I felt so omnipotent I wanted to change my name to Zeus.

Faces in places.

The morning after.

1st March - WOLVERHAMPTON

An early entry for Pout of the Year 2012.

Tour takes its toll on my mental health.

Key note speeches.

The backstage piano made my night…

almost as much as this guitar case.

The ‘in’ in bin escapes the people of Wolverhampton.

2nd March - REST DAY IN LONDON

After days away on tour, Ian resumes his regular job of boring his girlfriend into oblivion.

3rd March - SOUTHAMPTON

Positively Mancunian weather en route to Southampton.

4th March - BRIGHTON 

***All photos c/o Fox Irving at www.consequenceofsound.net. Click HERE for their review of our show!***

Stage fright never looked so good.

Ralph takes control.

Ian Dudfield - pain or porn?

Ian took his role as a the face (and pits) of Sure for Men very seriously.

Blue Steel or Magnum? I can’t decide.

5th March - BRISTOL

‘Would you care for a slice of cheese with your citrus fruits sir?’

Pre show prancing.

The hottest chewing gum orgy in all of Bristol.

Ben and his gorgeous gob.

Back in London delirium finally strikes. Here Ian is seen seeking his bandmates approval of his ‘urban swimmer’ look before hitting the streets of  Brixton.

                                                               ***

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this round up of all things tour. If you missed us then fear not, for there are more gigs in the pipeline, including a flurry of festivals…

Keep you eyes here and on facebook and your ears tuned in to our sounds, more of which will be appearing in April…

See you soon!

^JP

Ralph’s Balcony

Hello all.

Aside from rehearsing and gigging we like to keep ourselves busy in other ways too. In this vein we present Ralph’s Balcony, episodes one and two.

Every Saturday when possible, Ralph will be teaming up with a fellow musical friend (bar episode one) and spending the afternoon rehearsing a tune of his and theirs, before Ben films them, all from the stunning panorama of Ralph’s balcony.

After that succinct summary, all you now need do is enjoy these and keep a look out at www.facebook.com/tokillaking every Monday for the latest instalment.

Over and out!

^JP

To Kill A King live in Glasgow!

To every reader north of the border in 

If you live here - 

then you should come and see us here -

on Sunday 22nd January.

To Kill A King @ Oran Mor for the Celtic Connections Festival!

Get your tickets NOW.

It’s gonnae be brilliant and we cannae wait to see yous there!

^JP