BLUES giants King King are rocking into the Artrix this Thursday (November 12) and are promising a blast of a show.
Be-kilted band leader Alan Nimmo has been taking the four-piece outfit on a hectic UK tour promoting their latest release ‘Reaching For The Light’ a disc that is sure to bring their brand of blues rock further into the mainstream.
Speaking from his Glasgow home he explained that the band, which started as a spin off from the Nimmo Brothers, had now become so successful it had taken over as the main project.
“King King has just got bigger and bigger and this latest CD has brought us tremendous reviews and put us even more in the spotlight,” he said.
Nimmo started rocking more than 20 years ago, fed on a diet of Blues and classic rock, and cites Peter Green, Muddy Waters, Free and Thin Lizzy as seminal influences in his development.
Certainly the opening track of the latest CD, ‘Hurricane’ with its classic hooks and driving rhythm could have been written 40 years ago, but then, if that wasn’t enough, something rather wonderful happens as the listener hits the really uptempo track two, ‘You Stopped The Rain’ which finds King King taking the genre firmly into the 21st Century.
Nimmo agrees: “Yeah, we did rock out on the first track and then for the rest of it, well, it’s not a conscious decision it’s just the way I write the songs but we do move things on,” he says.
The result is an album which brilliantly combines two worlds and is their more accessible work to date.
“We just want to play the music that we love, and that’s what we are doing, striving to be better all the time.
“Times change which is why Blues is almost a niche market now, but we hope we’ve opened things up and expanded what’s on offer.”
And when they play the Artrix Nimmo will be there on stage in his trademark kilt.
“Yes, of course I’ll be wearing the skirt – I did it once years ago and it’s just kind of stuck, now I wouldn’t be without it – it’s become a focal point of the band,” said Nimmo.
So if anyone want a high energy show of blues and rock by one of the best bands in the business, head to Artrix on Thursday.
Tickets are £19, including booking fee with support from Ben Poole. To book visit www.artrix.co.uk/ or call 01527 577330.
