Interview - The Ks

The K’s seem destined for big things. Without releasing an album the band are already becoming a must-see on the live circuit and have a fanbase on social media that’s growing by the day. Only a handful of singles, the latest of which was released on Creation23 last year, are all singalong anthems. Judging by the crowd reaction for the new songs performed recently at the long-running Department S club night in Bristol, many more are to follow.

Jamie (singer, guitars), Dexter (bass) and Ryan (guitar) all live in Earlestown, with drummer Jordan making the effort to travel in for rehearsals from Blackpool. I caught up with the band a week after their biggest gig yet, a sold-out show at the Ritz in Manchester…

How did you meet?

Jamie: Me and Dexter had been in the same class since reception. We all went to the same school. Jordan lives in Blackpool and we got him in.

Dexter: Ryan lives down the road and we used to play football as kids. Me and Jamie have been in a band since we were dead young. Then we split up for about two years. Jamie and Ryan met at a house party and Ryan said he could play guitar.

Jamie: We’ve known each for years, we didn’t meet at a house party! It had been about five years by this point!

Ryan: I was playing in another band and these boys were playing elsewhere. Then we got Jordan in and it kicked off.

What are the main musical influences on the band?

Ryan: Loads of different bands. It’s hard to say when people ask that because there’s loads.

Dexter: The Clash, The Jam, Stiff Little Fingers.

There’s been a handful of sporadic singles up this point, what does the next year look like in terms of new music?

Jamie: We’ve recorded (the next single) and we’re looking at producers now because we want to change bits of it. We recorded it at the same time as ‘Glass Towns’. It was recorded quite a while ago and we’ve done different bits so we want to get it re-recorded. Not fully, we just want to add some bits.

Dexter: It was a long time ago and we’ve recorded a lot more demos since then. Because there’s a back catalogue that’s still our next single. We’ve got singles for the next two or three years! But if we miss this one out then it’ll get missed.

Ryan: We’re just strategically planning out songs in line with tours the agent’s planning at the minute, so it’s hard to say. We know there’s one coming out in March. We’ve got lots of songs to release, it’s just planning it around when’s best to do it.

What about an album?

Ryan: We’ve got the songs.

Jordan: The demand is there. Whenever we put a post up saying, ‘news coming soon’ everyone always says, ‘album?’. They’re ready for it. We’ve started to put some new songs in the set, ones that no-one has heard before. We’re just testing them out, see how the crowd reacts then we work out where to put them in the set.

Obviously playing live is important to the band…

Jamie: It’s at the stage now were we just get in a van and go where we’re told. We’ll play anywhere. Half the time we don’t even know where we’re going.

So what’s on the agenda on that front?

Jamie: A mini-tour and then straight to festivals. The first festival is in April. We’ve got a tour in March and then we’ll be doing festivals until October, and then back on tour in October. We’ve got loads in the diary.

Presumably the Ritz show was the best yet?

Jamie: The Ritz was the best one we’ve done, but Kendal Calling (last year) was mega.

Ryan: We didn’t expect anyone, and it was mobbed. It was good because it wasn’t our crowd.

When I caught The K’s live it was all tub-thumping rock songs delivered by a gang of young men with an absolute belief in where they are going. It rarely failed. Tight without being too slick, their debut single ‘Sarajevo’ now has all the hallmarks of an indie disco staple, while ‘Glass Towns’ filled the venue. Onstage, the band looked like what they are; a bunch of friends who happen to be creating music that resonates. Many more venues will feel their force in 2020.