With their recent release of Woman on 25th May, The King’s Parade are due to headline London’s 229 tomorrow, June 14th, where they’ll be performing tracks from their new EP. Having previously been named as BBC Introducing’s Artist of the Week, the band have also been shortlisted for the Unsigned Music Awards. Answering our questions, lead singer Olly Corpe tells us how the band got their name, their single The Look and tour plans.
Your new EP Woman includes your latest single The Look, how has the release of The Look gone down with your supporters?
The Look has become a fan favourite! It’s one of those songs that gets you moving from the first riff and we love seeing our fans get into it. When we play it live, the bass face count increases massively.
Can you tell us about the music video for the single and where was it filmed?
The video has just been released! We’re so excited. It’s such a fun video and it was such a blast taking the piss out of ourselves. We hired out this awesome bar called Effra Social in Brixton. Anyone who’s been out around that area will know it. It’s an old bar that has just got so much character, it’s impossible not to fall in love with it.
Who designs the artwork for your releases?
We have an incredibly talented friend from Spain who’s been designing most of our artwork lately. She understands the music and that’s so key when you’re trying to express an idea or a concept. You can check out her work by typing her # on Instagram: #annamiro
Is there a main songwriter in the band or do you all write the lyrics together?
I write most of the lyrics but it’s always nice to have the guys around to bounce ideas around. I’ll often go into the studio with some alternate lines and variations and they help me pick the right ones. I love hearing how the guys interpret what I write.
How would you describe your sound for those who have not heard your music?
We call it Alternative/Soul at the moment. We find it hard to pigeonhole our sound so we prefer hearing what other people think of our music and how they describe it.
You were previously named as BBC Introducing’s Artist of the Week, how was this?
It’s such an honour. We know how many people send in music every day and to be picked out of those thousands of submissions is just amazing. We’re always thankful for the support we’ve received so far.
Have you ever considered doing a radio tour?
Why not!
How did The King’s Parade come together?
We all met at university in York. Sam (Keys) and I (Olly: Vocals/Guitar) were gigging around town to make some money and we’d heard of Tom (Bass) and Chris (Drums) from some musician friends. We managed to score a pretty well-paid function gig and got together for a rehearsal. When we eventually got bored of playing the covers, we started jamming and we all felt that we needed to pursue this. We got on a cruise ship as a house band to make some money to move down to London (random, I know) and we’ve been here ever since.
Can you tell us about each member of the band?
Haha! I could tell you a lot about each member of the band! It probably wouldn’t all fit in this interview though…! So, here are a few little things about each of them.
Chris: Chris’ life is his drums. I know all of us live for our music, but Chris has always been an incredibly determined musician. He practices every day for hours. He lives and breathes music. If he could drink it, he would. He’s always listening and tapping his fingers even when nothing is playing. The culmination of this passionate love for his art means that he never misses a beat (no pressure 😉) and, more importantly, the beats that he creates hit all the right spots.
Sam: I’m convinced Sam has a tiny alien living in his head (Like in Men in Black). The amount that guy is able to do with two arms is borderline impossible. His mind is split into so many different sections that he makes everything he does on stage look so simple. Next time you’re at a gig, have a look at how busy Sam’s hands are while he’s playing his three (yes, three) keyboards.
Tom: I can safely and happily say I’ve never met a bassist like Tom. He’s self-taught but knows basically everything there is to know about music and theory. He likes listening to bassists but prefers listening to melodies that interest him no matter what instrument. The result is that he creates bass lines that tell a beautiful story.
Me: I don’t really like talking about myself but I love singing. Guitars are cool too.
Is there a reason behind the name The King’s Parade?
We used to call Chris (Drums) The King because he would organise rehearsals at his house. As a joke, we would call ourselves his minions and when the moment came along to pick a name, The King’s Parade was the one that made us all smile.
What was the first venue you played as a group and have you performed there since?
I think the first venue we played as a band was The Rattlesnake in Angel… There were about three people including the sound engineer. Needless to say it kind of haunts us so we haven’t been back.
Have you got any tour dates coming up that you can tell us about and what music plans do you have for the remainder of 2018?
Very glad to say that we do! We’re heading to Germany in September followed by Spain later in the year. Hoping to get more UK dates after the festival season too. Make sure to check out our website for tour updates – https://www.thekingsparade.com. We can’t say too much but we’ve got so much music to share… It’s hard to keep quiet.
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