The subject of sovereignty provided the plays of William Shakespeare with numerous and popular protagonists, the politics of royal courts and the quest for power providing rich dramatic background to many of his greatest works. But whilst the Scottish Thanes and Danish Princes that fill the playwright’s folio invariably meet with tragic, often gruesome endings, somewhat higher hopes are in order for one of the more recent Kings to be ushered into the Bard’s esteemed company.
A couple of years back, Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre commissioned Brighton’s very own King Porter Stomp to co-write and perform the music for director Raz Shaw’s production of “The God of Soho”; a bawdy, contemporary meditation on the subject of divinity, celebrity and sex. For the band themselves, the commission not only helped their public profile to grow considerably, but also provided the opportunity to connect with a whole new audience.
However, whilst the development of their musical jurisdiction no doubt paid important dividends in terms of reaching new ears, for a band such as King Porter Stomp, who more commonly find themselves the focus of attention, playing off centre stage for once proved to be an eye opening experience. It was, they reported at the time, “quite strange doing the incidental music rather than big numbers all the time. It’s strange for us to be in the background rather than throwing a party.” And that’s because throwing parties is exactly what these lads do.
For anyone who has seen the ‘Stomp’ play live before, this statement will need no further explanation. For the uninitiated however, this 7-strong motley crew of hirsute, horn-toting funk-dub provocateurs bring a highly infectious, larger than life party atmosphere to every one of their gigs, with countless enthusiastic performances having gained the band a raft of positive critical responses from a host of titles, including Timeout, the Evening Standard and the Independent. Whether busking on the street corners of Brighton, packing out tents at festivals across the country or treading the venerable boards of Shakespeare’s beloved theatre, the massive horn lines, heavy bass and intricate guitar work of King Porter Stomp have pulled on heart strings and won over the dancing feet of crowds across the UK.
With the band about to descend upon the Blind Tiger to take part in a horn-led lyrical head-to-head with fellow party primers First Degree Burns, the opportunity to catch an act who many believe are at the top of their game is one not to be missed.
Starting at 8pm, £6.50 (£5 NUS) in advance.
Their latest album, ‘Shuffle’ is out now.
For more info and tickets, visit kingporterstomp.co.uk
Follow them at Facebook on facebook.com/kingporterstompofficial
Words Ed Kirby
