Wa12 forever, fucking buzzing

“We’re proud of where we come from,” The K’s are a young indie rock band from Earlestown, “we’re even prouder of where we’re going,” with a string of singles under their belt, they’ve been making serious waves recently and don’t show any signs of stopping.

Despite the quick success and where their music is taking them, they confess the sound of home is still embedded in every song that they write. “Earlestown is nothing special to anyone who isn’t from there. It’s just another northern English working class town. But to us it’ll always be home. I’ll always write about stuff that’s real to me… so I suppose it’s got to be embedded and it always will be. WA12 forever.”

There are a number of things that contribute towards the band’s success. Firstly, the exciting vocal melody. There is no consistency in the speed that lyrics are delivered at, and yet they remain consistent with the rhythm of the track and fit perfectly. It sounds like spoken word at times and makes every song exciting to listen to.

“I think part of the reason some come out like that was because I’m not following a process, I’m writing and composing in the moment. Sometimes I just get into a zone where it just flows into, like you say, almost spoken word.”

The way the music is put together draws the ear too. Despite having a pretty cohesive sound, they don’t use the same formula for each song. Some are a lot heavier than others and certain tracks are gentle, it keeps listeners on their toes when entering into a new tune. One of the main highlights of the music are the killer guitar solos, infused with classic rock but brought into the 21 st Century.

“Ryan is a fucking wizard on the strings. He grew up learning from the likes of BB King and Keith Richards so his playing naturally takes on a more rock and roll style, but it changes from song to song. The lad can do it all. He has a few in our tunes like TV and Aurora that literally take the song to the next level and very few people can do that. I heard a Lathums tune (Say My Name) the other day where Scott absolutely nails one and again, it takes the song to the next level.”

The K’s have also been welcomed onto the live scene with open arms, which isn’t a surprise. The tunes encourage singalong and connection, to the point that the only thing missing from introductions is the sound of a can being cracked open.

“We’re very much a live band. That’s the reason we do it. It’s mint watching new releases get millions of streams and get into the charts and stuff, but nothing comes close to walking out on stage with thousands of people screaming. We know that no one can out do us live and it shows when we are up there having the time of our lives on stage.”

They’re not all talk either, as The K’s are already getting asked to hit the big stage. They’ve taken to the thousands at festivals like Neighbourhood and Isle of Wight, plus it was only recently announced that they’re going to Albert Hall as part of Teenage Cancer Trust supporting Kasabian and The Snuts.

“We’re fucking buzzing. Teenage Cancer Trust is an absolute honour to be a part of. It does so many great things for so many amazing peo- ple. We were honoured to be asked to play our own shows for them in smaller venues but to be asked to play The Royal Albert Hall with Kasabian and The Snuts is next level. I don’t know how to put it into words other than fucking buzzing.”

So, what’s next? The band have started amazingly, there’s no doubt about it, but where do they go from here? If you ask The K’s, the only way is up. They want to create more than music. They want to create a community and lifestyle, separating themselves from “mindless dribble” that gets a lot of backing thanks to major labels and deep pockets. They put good tunes and their fans at the forefront of this plan.

“It’s already more than music. One of the best things about what we do is the community our fans have built around us. There are fans from all walks of life and corners of the earth but they come together because they share a common interest. Seeing everyone help each other out and support each other is amazing. Whether that’s travel to shows, sorting tickets, meeting for drinks before it for people who are attending alone, the list goes on. It’s absolutely class to be such a positive thing in people’s lives. Our fans are fucking amazing, and we love every single one of ‘em.”