Madding Crowd
14a Commercial Road, Bournemouth
Sat
October 9, 2021
7:30 pm
BST
(6:30 pm DOORS)
The K's, Galaxy Thief
GBP10.00
“The world needs us, it just doesn’t know it yet. We’ve got to the stage where we’re a sleeping giant. It’s ready to explode – everyone knows it’s going to happen, it’s just a question of when.” Ryan Breslin, The K’s
The K’s: Jamie Boyle (vocals/guitar); Ryan Breslin (guitar); Dexter Baker (bass); Jordan Holden (drums)
Welcome to the world of The K’s. If you’re familiar with one of the biggest underground success stories in rock & roll, make yourself at home. If you haven’t encountered their impassioned bangers, catch up: these four young men are a word-of-mouth phenomenon that’s rapidly becoming too huge to ignore.
The K’s have sold out the 1,500-capacity Manchester Ritz and will headline the 2,300-capacity Academy in the city on their next tour. They’ve caused the tent to be closed at Kendal Calling, with hundreds locked out trying to join the 2,000 fans within. Their streams are comfortably in the millions. Not bad for a band who’ve only released four songs on streaming and have swerved the attentions of the mainstream music press.
The K’s began in earnest when Jamie met Ryan Breslin, who’d already shared stages with huge bands including The Who, The Killers and Aerosmith as a session guitarist in his older brother’s band Slydigs. Although Ryan was living the dream of “enjoying one big piss-up while playing arenas and the biggest stages around the world”, he wanted to seek out his own creative outlet. The missing piece was Jordan Holden, a dream drummer equal parts John Bonham powerhouse and Reni fluidity. “Jord smashed it at the audition, nailing four tracks we’d only played once to him,” recalls Ryan. “We had nine other drummers due to audition that day, but there was no point seeing anyone else. As soon as Jord played, we were ‘How has he just done that?’”
Jamie’s laughing as he describes the mayhem of a typical The K’s gig, but it’s a well-earned passion that has been able to develop out of the spotlight. However big The K’s get, it won’t have come about from hype. The band are level-headed about smashing it to the fans rather than courting journalists, as Jamie explains: “We’ve been able to have time working in the shadows to develop. I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but some bands explode out of nowhere and there’s nothing to identify with. You don’t think ‘Oh, great, that must be them!’ when you hear their songs.”
Instead, The K’s have worked at jobs from strawberry picking to warehouse nightshifts to help fund their dream. Jamie recalls: “I’ve been a labourer. I’d lug blocks around all day, then play to thousands of people at Neighbourhood Weekender, thinking ‘How do you make this work in the modern-day music scene?’ I think all bands should have to do it, though. You can tell if a band is pushed straight into it, because their tunes don’t reflect normal life.” The ridiculously catchy Landmines was inspired by teenage life in Earlestown, as Jamie remembers “Having to wait around outside an off-licence until someone would buy your beer, then going to get wasted over the park, trying not to get twatted by the older lads while you’re doing it.” Ryan adds: “Landmines relates to so many kids’ lives. Well, it does around here, anyway.”
It's clear The K’s are going to keep growing, a cult sensation ready to blossom in the mainstream. It’s an irresistible, irrefutable spirit, welcoming to anyone who wants to escape into a better, more hopeful world. Come on in, just watch out for the landmines.
The K’s: Jamie Boyle (vocals/guitar); Ryan Breslin (guitar); Dexter Baker (bass); Jordan Holden (drums)
Welcome to the world of The K’s. If you’re familiar with one of the biggest underground success stories in rock & roll, make yourself at home. If you haven’t encountered their impassioned bangers, catch up: these four young men are a word-of-mouth phenomenon that’s rapidly becoming too huge to ignore.
The K’s have sold out the 1,500-capacity Manchester Ritz and will headline the 2,300-capacity Academy in the city on their next tour. They’ve caused the tent to be closed at Kendal Calling, with hundreds locked out trying to join the 2,000 fans within. Their streams are comfortably in the millions. Not bad for a band who’ve only released four songs on streaming and have swerved the attentions of the mainstream music press.
The K’s began in earnest when Jamie met Ryan Breslin, who’d already shared stages with huge bands including The Who, The Killers and Aerosmith as a session guitarist in his older brother’s band Slydigs. Although Ryan was living the dream of “enjoying one big piss-up while playing arenas and the biggest stages around the world”, he wanted to seek out his own creative outlet. The missing piece was Jordan Holden, a dream drummer equal parts John Bonham powerhouse and Reni fluidity. “Jord smashed it at the audition, nailing four tracks we’d only played once to him,” recalls Ryan. “We had nine other drummers due to audition that day, but there was no point seeing anyone else. As soon as Jord played, we were ‘How has he just done that?’”
Jamie’s laughing as he describes the mayhem of a typical The K’s gig, but it’s a well-earned passion that has been able to develop out of the spotlight. However big The K’s get, it won’t have come about from hype. The band are level-headed about smashing it to the fans rather than courting journalists, as Jamie explains: “We’ve been able to have time working in the shadows to develop. I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but some bands explode out of nowhere and there’s nothing to identify with. You don’t think ‘Oh, great, that must be them!’ when you hear their songs.”
Instead, The K’s have worked at jobs from strawberry picking to warehouse nightshifts to help fund their dream. Jamie recalls: “I’ve been a labourer. I’d lug blocks around all day, then play to thousands of people at Neighbourhood Weekender, thinking ‘How do you make this work in the modern-day music scene?’ I think all bands should have to do it, though. You can tell if a band is pushed straight into it, because their tunes don’t reflect normal life.” The ridiculously catchy Landmines was inspired by teenage life in Earlestown, as Jamie remembers “Having to wait around outside an off-licence until someone would buy your beer, then going to get wasted over the park, trying not to get twatted by the older lads while you’re doing it.” Ryan adds: “Landmines relates to so many kids’ lives. Well, it does around here, anyway.”
It's clear The K’s are going to keep growing, a cult sensation ready to blossom in the mainstream. It’s an irresistible, irrefutable spirit, welcoming to anyone who wants to escape into a better, more hopeful world. Come on in, just watch out for the landmines.