Last Sunday, the Scottish band King King was in Heerlen to treat the Nieuwe Nor to a delightful set of top-notch blues rock. Connoisseurs have known it for a long time: this is always a treat. 100% real music, plus a few new songs that will hopefully be released on an album early next year.
To warm up the crowd, the Nieuwe Nor brought in the local band Chris & Davina and The Roadhouse Collective. They’re a nice little band, but personally, I think they still need to put some more miles on the stage. It was all a bit static, with the musical genres feeling disjointed. It jumped from almost jazzy to Motown to somewhat rock-oriented. Singer Davina has a good voice, but she needs to be careful not to lose control of her high notes in her enthusiasm. Unfortunately, that did happen a few times. All in all, a nice warm-up, but personally I think the band enjoyed it more than the audience, who had really come to see King King. There was absolutely no common ground in that regard, and I don’t think the band managed to convince many people to attend their next concert.
electrified
After a brief stage setup, it was finally time for the guys from King King to take the stage. A while back, it was announced that the band would once again be a four-piece, as brother, guitarist and backing vocalist Stevie Nimmo had left the band for personal reasons. Health issues certainly played a role in this decision. So it was exciting to see the band now with just four musicians, and I hoped it would still sound just as good as when they had an extra guitarist.
Well, I can tell you that keyboardist Jonny Dyke really stepped up his keyboard parts during the guitar solos, and there were definitely no gaps there. The sound was great, although lead singer/guitarist Alan Nimmo did have some trouble with static electricity during the show and regularly got zapped while singing. I know from experience that it’s not pleasant, but halfway through the show, this problem was also resolved.
a chat and a photo
In any case, the crowd of approx 250 people got to ENJOY King King in capital letters once again. Drummer Andrew Scott seems to be feeling more and more at home in the band and is taking a bit more space in his insanely tight and powerful drum parts; together with bassist Zander Greenshields, he lays the foundation for Alan and Jonny.
The great thing about this band is that you can really see them enjoying their performances; King King doesn’t just go through the motions—they want to put on the best possible show for the audience and, certainly, for themselves. And that’s exactly what this band excels at. Alan’s bluesy voice was on point as always, and his guitar playing was to die for. Pure passion—and of course, that energy rubbed off on the audience.
New songs like “Moving Away Day,” “Cried Out For Love,” and “Strong” are effortlessly woven into the set alongside older favorites like “Rush Hour,” “You Stopped The Rain,” and “I Will Not Fall.”
goosebumbs all over
For me, the personal highlight is always when Alan announces the song “When My Winter Comes.” Normally, Stevie joins in for a beautiful backing vocal part. But even this more stripped-down version—with just Alan’s vocals and Jonny on keys—was absolutely top-notch!! Goosebumbs all over again.
King King put on another amazing show in Heerlen, and the audience left the Nieuwe Nor feeling very satisfied. The band was also quick to stop by their merchandise booth for a chat and a photo with their fans.
Great band & great night.
See you next time and hopefully the long-awaited new album will finally be ready by then, because the new song already sounds very promising.
Setlist:
Moving Away Day
Fire In My Soul
Cried Out For Love
Waking Up
A Long History of Love
Strong
Too Late
You Stopped The Rain
Rush Hour
Never Lose Your Faith
I Will Not Fall
Encore:
When My Winter Comes
Stranger To Love
Report & Images by Raymond Helebrand
