Concert News

King Charles

• 14th Dec 2012

08 | 04 | 13

The Kazimier
Liverpool

King Charles
Plus Guests

BIOGRAPHY
King Charles is an extraordinary man. He doesnt look like anyone you know, he doesnt think like anyone you know and he doesnt make music like anyone you know. How often, in these days of near fatal over saturation, days where you feel that, perhaps, theres just nothing new out there to spark your imagination, can you say that? Born and raised in Londons leafier corners – Wandsworth, Dulwich, Barnes – King Charles now lives with his best friend in North West London. We think that means Kensal Green, but we forgot to ask. We meet in a restaurant for lunch. When a waitress asks if were ready to order, King Charles asks for a skewer of fish. Or a banana. Or some cake. The restaurant has none of these things. He deals with the disappointment well. King Charles spent his youth reading and listening and thinking and playing. His first ever gig was as part of a fully made-up Kiss tribute band when he was very young (he was Paul Stanley – “no chest wig, sadly”). Now he has put a decent wodge of what he has learnt into a quite extraordinary record that draws down influences from Afro-beat, rock and roll, glam, folk, hip-hop and country. Hes rather good at opening lines. Bam Bam explodes into life with the observation, “That girl who is (is) but your beautiful daughter, she may be the cure, but for now shes the torture…”, Lady Percy exclaims, “If you would agree to be my love, Id build you a world that would fit like a glove…”, while the delightful Ivory Road declares, “Youre the nose in my bullet, the trigger on my gun, youre the sandbank in the ocean, oxygen in my blood…” The heart of each song is lit up by joyous pop and the edges are coloured in by wild and wonderful ideas. If you are interested in songs with some spirit in their belly, songs about love and about life and about people and why they do what they do, if you are the sort of person whose mind is still open to magic, wherever it comes from, then you will like it very much. But the best person to explain King Charles is King Charles. So, with that in mind, here is a thing called:

ON HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH KING CHARLES WHAT SHOULD WE CALL YOU? Call me Charles, seeing as were now best friends.

WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT THINGS IN YOUR HOME? My desk and my studio. I have a quite badly soundproofed room that I spend a lot of time in. My office is my studio and my desk. My home is everything surrounding that. I have a bath in my room. I wanted one so badly. But I dont like taking baths. I just wanted to be the sort of guy who took loads of baths with a glass of whiskey on the side table, an improving novel and a reachable record player.

WHAT MUSIC DID YOU LISTEN TO AS A YOUTH? I had just listened to classical music until my best friend bought me Bob Dylans Blonde On Blonde for my 15th birthday. That changed my life forever; he provided a stepping-stone towards my true identity. Dylan helped me evolve my musical tastes and formulas. I wanted to get into something, but I didnt know what, but Blonde on Blonde knocked my socks off. I exploded into this passion for country music, for Woody Guthrie and Alison Krauss and Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton, all of which provoked this ineffable excitement. It strummed my strings in a way that continues to surprise me. I realised the glory of the idea is in the expression. Bob Dylans guitar is still extraordinary to me. That sound represents who he is.

WHAT DID YOU LIKE AT SCHOOL? I liked squash. And Latin. WHERE DOES “KING CHARLES” COME FROM? Ive always been King Charles. I existed as King Charles before the music came along, but I had to create what King Charles is. I had to describe my kingdom. It all starts with the blue blood and this funny looking cloud of hair on my head. I want my kingdom to offer a fearless space where people can express themselves. Thats the purpose of mankind. My philosophy, in its purest form, is about the celebration of love and its a joyful enterprise. ARE YOU A ROMANTIC? Thats a tricky area. Romance to me is loves descriptions. Sometimes they are by fast-running waters with the girl of your dreams, the scent of wildflowers filling the air. I adore taking girls on charming outings and listening to charming music and wearing delicate clothes, but thats not what romance is.

LAST YEAR YOU HAD A NEAR-FATAL ACCIDENT – WHAT DID THAT TEACH YOU? That the universe is built for love. At the end of 2009 I was on holiday with my family in Lech in Austria. As the clock struck the New Year I was in intensive care with my family freaking out. I dont know what happened and my brothers never told me. I was in hospital for 10 days with brain trauma then transferred back to London. The subsequent 18 months were pretty unpleasant, but my family gathered around me in an almighty way. The power of that love is incredible. Ive never been that good with love – Ive only ever had one girlfriend and that didnt last very long, but I know it is the most beautiful way you can adore a girl is in love. Part of my kingship is being the King of Unrequited Love.

A FEW MONTHS LATER YOU WON THE GRAND PRIZE AT THE INTERNATIONAL SONGWRITING COMPETITION FOR LOVE LUST – DID THAT CHANGE THINGS? It gave me an amazing lift, six months later I was signed and toured with Mumford and Sons. Then I went to make the album; most of it was written and recorded in my bedroom. But I was still recovering. It took 18 months to get over the accident. There was a lot of neuro business, but the doctors could see there was no physiological damage. I got the all clear a month after, but Id had such a knock it upset my mental balance. I was fearless – I had bruised the part of my brain that dealt with inhibition. In thehospital I was forever chatting up student nurses at 2am. But I was terrified of everything too. I didnt understand anything. I would freak out, wondering whether I was dreaming or dead. All reality was fed through a filter of distortion. Ive never done acid, but I imagine thats what its like. They would wake me up artificially to eat. I grabbed the knife and tried to hack at the straitjacket I thought I was wearing. They put me back to sleep after that. All the different colours of fear were there. But still, an amazing experience.

YOUR ALBUM IS VERY POP. Yes! It is. The art is my passion – thats what Ive put my life into – but its for the people, its not just my own artistic expression.

WILL YOU BE TAKING IT EVERYWHERE? Oh, of course. And I hope it will be survivable. I love being on the road. I want to fulfil every minute. My dream is to have a sushi chef on the road with me. Tour the coasts, go to the fish market every day. I want to entertain as well and as authentically as I possibly can and do it all alongside the best artists of my generation.

WHATS THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE? That would be Bob Dylans Last Thoughts On Woody Guthrie. That is an absolutely brilliant piece that pushes aggressively at the doors of understanding, wisdom and love. That song has marked some important times in my life. I deliberately dont listen to it very often as I use it to put a stamp that reads, Im alive on wherever I am. That song is a challenge, it makes everything exciting. The important thing about all art is that it helps everybody to have courage in their own artistry. Art must inspire people, and this song certainly does. King Charles will release his single Lady Percy on 30th April 2012 his debut album LoveBlood on 7th May 2012 through Island Records.

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