King Creature - Who's the new kings?

April 16th 2016

St. Austell, The Band Rooms, Cornwall, UK

*****

Crown themselves kings of Cornwall

King Creature ***** are fresh from recording their debut album at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, King Creature announced a gig in their home county. A mile from their hometown of Par lies The Band Rooms in St. Austell, Cornwall.

It was almost a homecoming gig after the bright lights of London, coming home to hundreds of adoring fans in the West Country. The minute your eyes focus on the band, it's plain to see that they just ooze Metal. The most down to earth guys offstage, but the ultimate showmen on it.

There aren't many bands around who produce such a wide array of material and still sound like themselves. Taken from their forthcoming single, tonight's opener 'Down in Flames' had the crowd moving in an instant. A nice straight Heavy Rocker that really gets you going.

The versatility of the band is shown early in the set, 'Everything' has a punchy chorus yet possibly the funkiest riff imaginable. Dave Kellaway's bass playing to harmonise the guitarists is phenomenal. From Funk Metal into the melodic, almost NWOBHM like, 'Fortune Teller', guitarist Dave 'EV' Evans shines as his melodies ripple over the top of the tune.

Matt K Vincent had a real stand out moment with his solo. A guitarist who is influenced by the likes of Zakk Wylde and Dimebag Darrell, his playing ability live, is as close to the aforementioned as I have seen in years. Matt seems to make his guitar an extension of himself, making it sing, cry and wail with absolute ease.

Jack Bassett on the drums played out of his skin. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist!) The guy never dropped a beat, even when he posed for a quick photo. His foot-work on the kick drum was particularly top notch, playing little bass para-diddles on drum fills.

The performance of 'Forgive Me' which is from the band’s forthcoming debut album is an absolute gem, nestled rightly in the centre of the set. Dave Kellaway and Matt K Vincent produce the most spine-tingling harmonies which you would not generally expect from a Metal band.

However, this is King Creature. Audience interaction to 'Lowlife' is one of the best I have witnessed outside arena venues. The band and fans in unison, as one. The band finished their set with a blistering rendition of 'Power', a song that is as loud as it sounds.

The crowd were going ballistic by this point, not a single person was not head banging or moshing. The only downside to the night was the The Band Rooms had to turn nearly as many away, as who had already bought tickets. The club was that full nobody else could get in. A fantastic SELL OUT!!! homecoming show from the band, welcomed home in style.

Review and Photos by Pete Webb