This is a brilliant song – and is also a great example of how knowing the back story and every detail being available online can really harm your appreciation of music. I first heard this, sight unseen, and assumed it was some incredible new band that had somehow acquired, by osmosis, the spirit of The Specials/Fun Boy Three with a bit of that skronking Sax-led Jazz punk of Pere Ubu, The Cravats, Blurt and The Ex.
I then find out yr Man King Krule went to the bloody Brit School. That’s the Pop Academy that churned out Adele, Jessie J, Leona Lewis, The Kooks, Felicity F, &=@@{}, Rainy Milo, Jungle Jones, Katie Melua, Tristram T, Josh Allen Key and all manner of tasteful Mercury Nominated/Guardian Friendly popstrels (some of whom I have made up) ..you know those people that get interviewed by Steve Lamacq about recording their new album on a barge, and experimenting with Gamelan?. That hissing sound you hear is my enthusiasm for this artist leaking away.
When I were a lad, Rock stars went to the School of Hard Gigging, the University of taking bad drugs in a squat listening to The Stooges – or maybe they went Art School where they studiously avoided Art, and indeed school and formed a band. Whatever it was that the great musicians, singers and bands of the last 50 years had – they didn’t learn it at Stage School or Rock School. You can’t teach this stuff – and the people that shaped music over the last 50 years weren’t the types to sit down and be told how to do it. Anyway- hopefully King Krule can unlearn all he’s been taught at The Brit School as this is a mighty fine tune.
If I understand correctly, you enjoyed this, but you hope he ‘unlearns’ what he learned at The Brit School that enabled him to create the song? Isn’t it odd that if you had never found that out you could have continued to gain pleasure from it? I kind of still understand what you mean though – I once told myself that I hated any song with guitars on it. And once I got past that self imposed rule it was something else, some other self imposed rule that stood in the way of my enjoyment [this one’s too happy – this one’s too miserable – but this one’s just right]
But what do I know, one of my favourite songs is ‘Afternoon Delight’
Tristram T is a genius! Looking forward to his next collab with Tabitha H (pronounced haitch, of course)
Josh Allen Key’s album ‘Screwd River’ is great – he’s found the right balance between loose and tight, only available in Ikea tho
Does this help – he’s from Peckham so quite ‘street’. (On and off he was/is ‘going out with’ a friend of mine’s daughter.) Very nice boy, by all accounts.
Does anyone still say ‘going out with’ ?
Now lives in Bermondsey though I think, which is rapidly becoming the ‘new Shoreditch’.
The scare quotes indicate my age and incomprehension.
I think you could say “gentleman caller”.
It was “beau” in my day. They were courtly times! The glimpse of a well-turned ankle – the dainty flourish of a kerchief – the girls weren’t bad either.
Small Faces & Humble Pie singer/guitarist Steve Marriott was a stage school boy.
Italia Conti Academy Of Theatre Arts from age 14, having already performed for a year in various roles in Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” stage show at the New Theatre. Also sang lead vocals for 3 Artful Dodger songs on the show’s official soundtrack album.
Of course Phil Collins was another stage school kid.
And let’s not forget that “Sid Vicious” (real name Cosmo Ormsby-Gore) was a Carthusian before RADA, and also took woodwork evening classes.
Oi, the Ormsby-Gores were above such. Precious little around John Julius Stafford of that ilk on the web, but I was acquainted in a safe way and remember him favourably
Aha – yes good Call Mike_H on Marriot and Collins. That’s what The Afterword is for! Still have a beef with the idea of specific ‘Rock Schools’ but point taken.
Amy Winehouse went to the Brit school, too, and it didn’t stop her being talented.
I couldn’t care less if a musician I like went to Brit School; as long as I enjoy the music they release their education is irrelevant.
Same here. I’ve always got a bit annoyed with that Jimmy Page canard about “when you take music to school, you kill it”, and the idea that formal grounding in how music works is somehow cheating. It’s true that it’s possible to make wonderful music without any training, but it’s equally true that training can also help you make even more wonderful music.
Or is the objection to Brit School that it’s a privilege thing? The Brit School is selective on musical ability, but it’s a state school. I guess you could argue that it’ll self-select middle class kids because they tend to be the ones whose parents put them in for lessons etc, but then pop has always been a middle class pursuit.
“I blame society!”
Well George Gershwin was classically trained, which explains why all of his songs were crap.
…er…