Long Read // The K’s are putting their name on the musical map
The K’s have well and truly made a name for themselves in the past few years, with relentless touring and some excellent music putting their name on the musical map.
Ever since they caught the attention of listeners, there has been an undeniable call for the band to muster up a record. That they have done, in the form of their stunning debut: ‘I Wonder If The World Knows?’
Despite the group being snowed under, to say the least, frontman Jamie Boyle took the time to chat to me about all things The K’s, from the album itself and its reception, to their upcoming tour…
Kicking things off, it felt apt to ask the frontman how it felt to finally have the debut LP out in the world. He explained how the group have been toying with the idea of releasing an album for a long while.
“We signed our deal last June or July. So, for the last nine or ten months of our lives, all that’s been at the forefront has been this album. It’s finally come to a head now and we couldn’t be more excited. We’re so proud of it.”
Fans of The K’s will certainly appreciate this. The efforts put in by the band to get the music out to the people haven’t gone unnoticed. The record is an absolute triumph and is the perfect example of what the group are all about.
‘I Wonder If The World Knows?’ has soared in the UK charts straight from the get-go, and so it seemed obvious to ask if the band had expected this, or if it had come as a surprise, especially with the record being an indie debut…
“We know how good our fan base is, and we know it’s constantly growing. But to expect this chart position would be mental. A band on an indie label in our position, never had a record out before. We’re very grateful.”
The sincere gratitude and admiration Jamie Boyle and The K’s have for their fans is so refreshing to see. His immediate acknowledgement of the fans is evidence of the tight relationship between the band and listeners. On the relationship with the fan base, the frontman went on to say that “they’re the reason we’re in the position we’re in now”. With The K’s it does truly feel as though they have been propelled by ever-growing crowds, who love everything the band do and stand for. It’s incredible to see.
With the debut album has come a nation-wide tour. The K’s have embarked on their lengthy run of gigs, where they are set to play some of Britain’s most famous venues such as Nottingham’s Rock City. Yet again, it’s incredible that a group who have only just released their debut album are taking on venues of such stature already. Boyle spoke on the anxiety when the shows were first announced, with the huge step up in crowd size, going on to say:
“We’ve gone from Beckett Student’s Union at 1000 in Leeds, to 2500 at Leeds Academy. The jumps are significant in less than a year. We’re just excited, our fans never fail to surprise us with the amount of tickets that have been bought.”
The continuous progression in terms of venues is testament to the quality of The K’s. It’s no luck or chance that they’re constantly performing to more and more people, their reputation is so strong and it’s no wonder their fan base keeps expanding.
After discussing the touring side of things, it felt apt to return to the album itself. With it being the first record put out by the band, I asked if there had been any specific processes with the writing of ‘I Wonder If The World Knows?’
“This felt like the right time to release an album” the frontman replied, “we already had a load of the songs but then we did start writing for the album as well. There was a big pool of 30 ish songs to pick from. ‘Icarus’ the album starter was actually the last song that we wrote.”
The explanation of ‘Icarus’ being the last song written seemed truly intriguing. It feels to be the ultimate opening track for the record, and so it’s fascinating that it came last in the writing process.
Boyle went on to say that after Icarus was decided as the opener, the rest of the album and its order “picked itself”. As a record it flows effortlessly through a range of musical sounds and emotions.
On the writing of the tracks themselves, Jamie Boyle said: “We write the lyrics and then put some chords to them. What usually happens is I send them over to the boys and Ryan does his thing on the guitar and starts adding all his riffs. Before you know it, it’s turning into a K’s song.”
One of the tracks which seemed poignant to me after hearing the record was ‘Heart On My Sleeve’ with it’s brilliant blend of lyricism and sheer energy. Jamie spoke on the song and said: “It’s just energy from start to finish. It’s in your face, it just keeps building from start to finish. We love playing it live.” This couldn’t be truer, it’s the perfect example of a K’s song at live shows. Crowds lose themselves to the energetic number.
As my conversation with the frontman came to a close, I asked him if someone were to listen to The K’s for the first time, would there be any specific tracks they should listen to from the new record.
“Lights Go Down, Icarus, Throw It All Away, Hoping Maybe” he replied.
It feels pretty clear that there won’t be many who aren’t familiar with the group if they keep going the way they are, going from strength to strength at a constant rate. The K’s have smashed it with their debut album.
The final thing I asked Jamie Boyle was where he hoped the band would go from this point. He expressed his want to keep progressing, keep putting out music and keep performing for the fans.
What was most apparent in my conversation with Jamie is that the band are so grateful for their fans. It really does show, and their relationship with their audience is so refreshing to see. Not only are they a hit with the crowds, they’ve also achieved a stunning debut album.
‘I Wonder If The World Knows’ is an incredible record, and The K’s are truly destined for the top.
Feature by Matthew Caslin
