King Krule [Live]

BY EMMA BOYLE
THURSDAY, 17TH OCTOBER 2013

As we approached the entrance of Oval Space, as expected, the normal array of London hipsters were sitting on the curb finishing their “tinnies” before going in and having to pay the grand total of £4 for a beer! For anyone that has previously been to see King Krule you will know that this is the normal sight before one of his gigs…

First on was the four-piece band from South London, Filthy Boy. They did themselves proud, especially for a support act, managing to haul a huge crowd into the 1000 capacity room. Listening to this band live you get a real sense of the filthy story behind each track complimented by the lead singer, Paraic Morrissey’s, soothingly deep voice and the well-suited guitar solos from Harry Weskin. Listen to ‘Waiting On The Doorstep’ if you are new to this band.

It was now time for King Krule to make his appearance, which he obviously did in style. Cruising onto the stage with his band all suited and booted, there was a slight feeling of arrogance from the young Londoner as he took a swig from his can of Red Stripe, but to be honest, he has every right to be pleased with himself after the success of his long awaited debut album, ‘6ft Beneath The Moon’. Banging out track after track, it was clear that he had the attention of everyone in the slightly dingy warehouse.

Having seen him before it was nice to be able to see the difference a successful album and a huge increase in support can have on your live performance. The last time I saw him, although he was still great, it was a shy and reserved performance, a long way off the charismatic and energy filled gig I saw on Tuesday evening. This newly found charisma was not only shown in his performance but also in the way he connected with the crowd. In between getting samples of his new-found talent for the spoken word, we also caught a glimpse of his sense of humour introducing the track ‘A Lizard State’ as “this is a song about reptiles” swiftly followed by a brief smile at his bassist. Funny stuff!

My favourite track from the evening was ‘Bleak Bake’ which isn’t on the debut album but from the self-titled EP from back in 2011. If I had to choose one from the album it would be ‘Easy Easy’, both of these are perfect to listen to if you are just getting into his music as they both represent what he’s all about.

King Krule is an artist that I really feel people should try to see live, purely because it makes you understand and appreciate the raw talent and originality this guy has. All in all, a cracking gig.

By Emma Boyle

Video for 'Easy Easy'