Hailing from York, four piece indie band King No One have got their sound nailed. Producing track after track of raw, feel good slick pop (often with a deeper political undertone), the group have an established fan base, and played Brighton’s Latest Music Bar earlier this summer. With that in mind, I was expecting a decent, but pretty standard performance from the boys when I saw them last Thursday night at Komedia’s Studio Bar.
What I encountered was a little different. Bounding onto the stage, lead singer Zach Lount sported a long red, Peter Pan-esque style coat as he greeted the audience and the band launched into recent single ‘Systematic’. With heavy synth and strong bass lines, the track sounded sharp and polished, and sent the dedicated fans at the front of the crowd (all sporting matching King No One t-shirts) into a swaying mess. Working their way through a series of tracks including ‘Constellations’ and ‘Halo’, the band suffered through a number of technical difficulties whilst still managing to remain focused and engaged.
Stating that their name means that “literally no one is king”, a message of equality that the band bring to life through their tracks, the set list discussed themes of sexuality, age, and gender – all factors that Lount emphasized do not define who you are or what you can become. Mixing the tones of heavier songs such as ‘Millennium’ with softer sounding (and even new tracks such as ‘Toxic Love’), the audience were kept guessing throughout the night, and loved the interaction which was a big part of the performance, with Lount stepping off the stage and into the crowd at points throughout the evening.
However, despite having found their sound and clearly having gained a group of dedicated followers, it still feels like the band has a long way to go. Their style as a collective appeared a little all over the place, and despite the indie anthems that they have produced, there was a spark missing from their performance which was surprising for such an up-and-coming band. However, this didn’t stop their fans enjoying themselves as a funky guitar intro indicated the start of the groups biggest track, ‘Alcatraz’. With unending support from the crowd and some pretty impressive tracks under their belts, only time and the experience that it brings will enable King No One to evolve into the finished article.
