Reviewer: Tennyson Tinning

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King Krule (Archy Marshall) – by Jonty Carlin

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King Krule proves he’s one of the most eclectic musicians at the moment with his performance at The Croxton.

Is there any artist that can have a crowd in a bone-crunching mosh one, then brought to a complete, entranced stand-still the next? It was a continuous occurrence at King Krule’s gig at The Croxton last Thursday evening, and it was the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.

King Krule, the strange and absorbing project of London’s Archy Marshall, was in town touring his excellent sophomore album, The OOZ. Adjudged by many critics and publications as one of the best releases of 2017, the record sees King Krule dive deeper into his extensive tendencies. From the multiple rock-fusing sub-genres including jazz, slacker and psychedelic to intricate hip-hop influenced beat-making, King Krule covers various bases. His live show is a representation of his wide-ranging abilities.

The strange contrast King Krule’s music produces in his live performances is exemplified by the performance of ‘Ceiling’, followed directly by ‘Dum Surfer’. The second and third songs of King Krule’s live show respectively, there is a clear distinction between the tracks. On ‘Ceiling’, the instrumentation is scarce and there’s more focus on Archy’s uniquely raw vocals. The crowd stood motionless, entrenched in the performance. Then, as Archy announces the next song is ‘Dum Surfer’, there’s already a clear shift in the crowd’s behaviour. A mosh pit forms and bodies begin swaying from side-to-side like a violent metal gig. The audience even maintained the momentum when King Krule unveiled a “new song.”

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King Krule (Archy Marshall) – by Jonty Carlin

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But no matter how aggressive or passive the crowd was, Archy never responded. His audience engagement is quite refrained – sometimes he would introduce the song and that was about the extent of it. There were some characteristic shrieks and screams, thought-provoking phrases and hostile guitar playing, but nothing aimed towards the crowd. That was until some coward hit him with a plastic cup. Then there were some unrepeatable words delivered.

While King Krule gave an immersive performance, the live performance didn’t quite stand up to the recorded versions. Generally, live performances are the best showcase for an artist. But after seeing Archy and his band perform live, I feel his music is better represented through the recorded versions. One of King Krule’s most popular songs ‘Baby Blue’, was transformed into an extended rambling and probably the biggest blight on the show.

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King Krule (Archy Marshall) – by Jonty Carlin

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Another surprise was the song selection. I concede King Krule has produced a number of hits from his two albums so far, but the band missed a number of his most treasured tracks. A personal favourite of mine, and one that I thought would be a shoe-in to be performed, ‘Border Line’, was absent. I was also disappointed not to hear tracks like The OOZ lead single ‘Czech One’, opening track ‘Biscuit Town’ and his break-out track ‘The Noose of Jah City’. In saying that, it’s refreshing to see an artist perform the songs he wants to, rather than just ‘playing the hits’.

Everyone in the packed Croxton band-room was expecting quite a different experience – and that’s exactly what King Krule gave. Not only was Archy and the band’s performance interesting, strange and challenging, it was also a joy to finally witness.

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