Saturday 19 September 2015

Gig Review: New Town Kings at Colchester Arts Centre 11/9/15



 
A New Town Kings hometown show is always a big deal in Colchester. Our finest band always put on a big performance whenever they play at Colchester Arts Centre and always draw a big crowd.

There was only one support act for the night: The Majestic from London. This was my first time seeing the five piece in a couple of years so I was interested to see how they have progressed in that time. I also had a feeling that the majority of the crowd had never seen them before as to begin with the crowd were quite static. That soon changed as The Majestic's roots and reggae music and message of one love, peace and unity quickly won over the Colchester Arts Centre. They were a fun opening band.
 
The New Town Kings have taken their modern take on traditional ska music all over Europe over the past few years but have never forgotten where they came from, frequently playing small shows and festivals all over the Essex area and this is one of the many reasons they are loved. Another, pretty big reason is that they are a group of some of the most talented musicians I've ever seen who work ridiculously well together. They are great recorded but to really feel the full New Town Kings experience you need to see them live. As soon as the Kings took to the stage they had the crowd in the palm of their hands. Opening with Luna Rosa they then played a mixed set of old and new songs as well as four or five unreleased tracks that sounded absolutely fantastic. Of course the biggest reactions were for classics like La La World, New Town Hop and encore song Fire In The Hole but it was great to hear front man Dabs’ first original songs with the band, Luna Rosa, Franceen and Grabbed My Hand also get a good reaction. Colchester has really taken him in and treats him like one of its own. The whole band are so incredibly tight as musicians that there never seems to be a beat missed or a bad note and always have the crowd skanking for the entirety of their set, always smiling. I love the New Town Kings, they make me proud to be from Colchester.


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