KING 810
SCALA, LONDON Flint, Michigan marauders finally bring their A game to the stage
Flanking a stage covered in crime scene tape, two skeletons hang crucified to crosses, both dressed in SWAT vests and slung with bullets and replica guns. The mood feels agitated and confrontational, understandably so. The rumours and changes around king 810 have been exasperating. Their 2014 debut, Memoirs Of A Murderer, made them one of the most controversial metal bands for years but arrests, frequent gig cancellations and missing members have seen that momentum dogged by false starts. What’s needed is for the band to stop fucking about and get back to bludgeoning us with the full King 810 experience. Thankfully, that seems to be their intention. Despite their lyrical fixation with gangs and guns, we know K810 are a multi-faceted enigma. On their previous UK visits, frontman David Gunn’s dead-eyed lyrics, which chronicle the violence, poverty and death he’s witnessed on the streets of Flint Michigan, have been juxtaposed with hip hop samples and spoken-word prose. Tonight, however, is an assiduous assault of adrenaline and power that focuses on King’s meaty, knucklecracking, muscular side. Opener Heartbeats lumbers like a beast feeding on the terror of the hunt. War Outside and Vendettas are delivered with eyepopping intensity, turning the band’s recent frustration into their lethal weapon. It’s a show of force that couldn’t be more aggressive if they strapped themselves to an armoured tank and bulldozed their way through the crowd. Following the confirmed departure of guitarist Andrew Beal and drummer Andrew Workman earlier this year, King are now a duo. Tonight they’re joined by a masked guitarist and drummer who remain at the back of the stage, separated by the tape and feeling more like hired henchmen. It leaves David and bassist Eugene Gill to stamp and lunge across the stage like a rhino charging a bear during Braveheart and the message couldn’t be clearer: forget the drama, focus on the music. This is what we’ve wanted, and it’s great to see them coming out swinging.