Review – The King Blues – Punk & Poetry

Following on from the success enjoyed by their more commercially sounding Save The World, Get The Girl opus, The King Blues struggle to make the same impact at times on Punk & Poetry; in short, it is a somewhat challenging listen, and at best an inconsistent set, which swings between hit and miss within a moments notice.

When it is good, it is very good; The King Blues are at their best when taking their unique style, adding in a catchy hook and chorus (effectively a huge dose of pop stylings) and aiming for the more commercial end of their sound. When they do this, as on the likes of the infectiously catchy Set The World On Fire, Headbutt and I Want You, they sound immense.

The problem is that there are a number of songs here that are just not up to scratch, and a few pointless interludes that don’t really add anything. We Are Fucking Angry, Sex Education and The Future’s Not What It Used To Be are unspectacular (even with the latter possessing a Skindred-style Ragga Punk influence), and fail to live up to the spectacular highs they do hit when they hit their sweet spot. 5 Bottles of Shampoo, an imperious and imposing spoken word number from their live set is thrown in, but amidst a terrible arrangement and poor musical accompaniment, just doesn’t work, losing all of its power. It’s a shame, because at its heart, it is not just a powerful message, but some incendiary lyricism from front man Itch; it is all lost when put with such a terrible arrangement.

Eveything Happens For A Reason possesses a nice little melody to close out the record, but the problem with Punk & Poetry is the inconsistency with which it delivers. At its best, the songs are majestic, but ultimately as a collection, this does not hit the highs of their previous offering.

6/10