So, the third full length offering from Itch, Jamie and Co., ‘Punk & Poetry’ is a record many people have been curious about over the last few months, wondering what direction THE KING BLUES have headed towards. In truth, it’s not a great deal like either of the first two records and it’s to the band’s credit that they like to mix things up rather than trying to re-write ‘Under The Fog’ to appease some of the louder online critics.
And, across this album, mix things up they certainly do. A lot of people will be aware of the Enter Shikari-style ‘We Are Fucking Angry’ – a side-step from anything they’ve done before and exactly what the doctor ordered – but the emphasis is still very much on a mixture of aggression and laid-back stylings elsewhere on the album. ‘Set The World On Fire’ and ‘The Future’s Not What It Used To Be’ are as close to ‘Save The World, Get The Girl’ as this album comes. They’re heavy on the keyboards and heavy on the gang choruses, demonstrating all of the usual protest politics that the King Blues deliver better than anyone else. The personal, reflective touch comes from the autobiographical ‘Everything Happens For A Reason’.
‘Punk & Poetry’ is, simply, a very fine record. It will disappoint some, because the ska-infused element is spread very thinly across the 12 tracks, but it has a lot more staying power than ‘Save The World, Lose The Girl’. Ultimately, Itch hasn’t lost any of his talent for writing some of the catchiest hooks that this fair isle currently produces.