Birmingham's Of Kings And Captains, Broken Robots - EP review
They've supported Bon Jovi himself, tasted chart success and built an enviable online following.
There's not many bands you come across who are more likeable than Of Kings And Captains, from their always happy to help demeanour to their melodic pop-rock full of raucous guitars and thunderous percussion from the aptly named new sticksman Anthony Power.
They've been around a while now, with reports of their live shows stretching back to 2011. It's a long time for a local collective to keep plugging away, and their continued enthusiasm for what they do shows how much they love being a band.
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An assured confidence from spending so long working with one another shines through from the off.
The fading into focus percussion intro to Replay gives way to jagged and fun-filled guitars as the first of their new riffs hits you straight in the face. A hopeful chorus full of positive energy will have many feet tapping at one of their live shows with its shout-along-with-me vocals.
The accessibility continues in Lights. Sounding like the most pop-fused of Blink 182 tracks to start with, it settles into another neat slice of pop-rock that encourages audience participation. The walls of sound built by the guitars of frontman Luke Wassell and Joshua Lomas are neat and polished.
The production finish is perfect for this type of music, mixed and produced by Joseph Murray at Magic Garden in Wolverhampton. It's clean, well-furnished and allows the guitars to roar their message out without coming across as too brash or heavy which would risk turning off a lot of potential listeners.
This is again the case on Old Bones. The third and final track on the EP, it's immediately deeper than the other two with that incessant bassline from Dean Greatbatch that acts as both an anchor and a propeller for the rest of the song. Another big, melodic and shouty chorus completes the make-up, but there's a bit more oomph to the post-chorus rock melody here that should be heard.
A neat and tidy return for Of Kings And Captains, while never really threatening to push on any boundaries. If you like these guys, this will be right up your alley.
Rating: 6/10
Of Kings And Captains launch the new EP with a hometown show at Stourbridge's Claptrap The Venue with the Black Country's Flashhearts tonight. Tickets are £3 on the door
