We've Got The Blues

Sarah Marsland discusses Politics and Music with the vocalist, Jonny Fox, from reggae activist band, The King Blues.


Bopping in and out of a tatty old blue van, Jonny Fox the front-man of the King Blues, a six-piece acoustic rebel music band, struggles to carry instruments into a small run-down youth centre in the South of London. Fox, who prefers to be called “Itch”, with his cap partially covering his tired face yells, “You wanna get started, yeah?”

The King Blues are an up-beat reggae/folk band, combining catchy riffs, meaningful lyrics and a two-tone beat. The band started off with just two members, best friends, Jonny “Itch” Fox and guitarist “Jamie Jazz”. The band propels the sound of a cheerful ukulele mixed with percussion and guitars giving tunes that will no doubt make the audience want to dance. The powerful lyrics that are blasted over the reggae riffs, are heightened by the vocalist’s strong East London accent. The accent is prominent when the front man talks and sings, giving the songs a raw, gravely edge that contradict with the high pitch of the ukulele.

The vocalist is currently performing some intimate, solo shows, around London in smaller venues where he normally would not get to play, to pass the time. “I have no desire to be a solo artist or anything like that; I was just given a week off!” These intimate shows differ greatly from any protest or concert where The King Blues perform. When attending their concert, there is no doubt that the reggae/folk six-piece will evoke the feeling to dance, laugh and contemplate.

The King Blues have toured with the likes of Hard Fi and Gogol Bordello, a huge gypsy folk rock band who have many similar views on democracy and the growing popularisation of corporate businesses, Itch declares, “It was really good playing with Gogol Bordello and watching them being utterly professional every single night for two hours straight.”

On first impressions; nose ring, baggy trousers, tartan converse and all, Itch seems to be the typical musician with a grudge against the world. It’s not until the end of the interview that it’s clear that he has a passion that many other bands can only strive for. With similarities in beliefs, about the government and state of the world, with popular political activist bands; “Rage Against the Machine” and outrageous, “Selfish Cunt”, it is obvious that The King Blues are not playing to deaf ears.

Itch exclaims, with a gleam in his eye, “We wanna be the biggest band in the world, you know, we wanna be a band that manages to change the world”. Although they may not be there just yet, The King Blues are certainly making an impact on the British, especially London’s, punk scene as well as British politics. They’ve played at numerous festivals including Glastonbury and the Reading and Leeds Festivals, receiving great reviews for their catchy but meaningful music.

He sits cross-legged, playing with his shoes and constantly rearranging his hat and scratching his short hair underneath. In the background, the artists accompanying Itch on his solo tour rummage around with equipment and are talking about the antics of the night before. Half way through the interview, someone brings over a huge plate of food, (surprisingly, not a burger, but vegetables and bread) the acoustic front-man couldn’t have been happier.

The King Blues, consisting of six members and obscure instruments such as a ukulele create often light-hearted music that provokes a re-evaluation, to the listener, of their thoughts on the government and the world. But it wasn’t always this way as Itch goes on to explain, “No one really wanted to touch us with a barge pole”, he laughs. Originally a two piece, coming from the Hackney underground punk scene, The King Blues struggled to find gigs anywhere, “We had to tell people we were an acoustic two piece and it kind of conjures up pictures of James Blunt and the likes.” They began to create momentum by playing to queues outside other band’s gigs and at squat parties because they believe, “A gig shouldn’t have to be in a venue where people have to be over eighteen, or whatever else.”

London, specifically Hackney is at the heart of The King Blues, emotionally and musically. Front-man Itch and guitarist, Jamie, both consider themselves working class but feel that if they grew up anywhere else, they would be a completely different band. Itch exclaims, “It’s such an intrinsic part of our sound that I definitely don’t think we’d sound like we do and we probably wouldn’t have the same kind of attitudes and views that we do.” Growing up around numerous pirate radio stations, different cultures and beliefs; created such an eclectic sound that blurs the lines between genres. Their sound varies from acoustic to ska/reggae to punk reaching to a heavier, hardcore sound after their recent collaboration with the hardcore band Gallows on the song, Mr Music Man.

After making their first album, “Under the Fog”, with an independent punk label called, Household Name, they moved onto bigger things and signed with Field, a branch of Island Records. The proud vocalist explains, “Field just seemed right. They understood our politics and what we were doing and where we come from.” Field Records naming themselves, “Home for dysfunctional artists”, is run by three industry professionals, one of these being Rollo from the dance band Faithless.

With the punk music being known for its anarchic nature against Tony Blair and the government, when front-man Itch explains he is not Blair’s biggest fan, it’s hardly surprising. But, The King Blues are so over-active about their beliefs against the recent Iraq War, they almost gained themselves an ASBO. The most recent activity occurred on April 3rd, “Tony Blair did a speech on “Faith and Globalisation” and we went down with the sound-system and literally tried to drown out his speech and make as much noise as possible.” With constant reminders on MySpace and Newsletters, The King Blues made sure that they had enough people to make noise to create a stir. Tony Blair commented on the situation and said, “It’s a really new thing for me for people to be frustrated because they can’t hear me”. Job, done.

However, The King Blues are very reluctant in defining their politics, “We don’t believe in “ism” or “schism”, we are The King Blues and we are a movement in our own right” Itch states, whilst making very little eye contact. The one thing that the passionate front-man does believe is that; music is powerful and can bring people together no matter who they are. They have strong beliefs against racism and communism, but when approached about the links between punk and racism, he very rightly says, “I think there are far more racists wandering around with shirts and ties rather than boots and braces.”

It is easy to tell, from this point, that Itch is a very passionate man with thoughts that he wants to get across in the music of The King Blues and through the protests in which he partakes. As a person and in a band that feels that human rights are top priority, the China and Tibet Olympics debate sparks up a deep conversation, very close to Itch, the front-man’s heart. Despair hits his face, head in hands, vigorously shaking, he explains his anguish. “As I’m half Chinese, I’m utterly ashamed of everything that their government does, it’s basically all about money and Tibet’s resources. I believe for independence for Tibet, true independence” This comment may not be expected from Itch on first impressions; however, it is apparent that he truly cares about people, the rights for humans and current events. This is something not often found in a musician nowadays.

Clearly, music is in the heart and soul of the front-man of The King Blues, “I don’t consider myself an egotistical musician; I do it because I have to, if I’m not doing music or creating something, I get terribly depressed”. It is refreshing to see a band and a front-man with such strong opinions and who are active in their beliefs. Some people might not like their style of music, but you cannot deny they have a lot of heart.

The King Blues are now recording their new album which is due to be released in September, with a new single in July. You can see them play live at various festivals this summer including Glastonbury in June as well as Reading and Leeds Festivals in August and most probably at a protest near you. 