King Prawn (band)

King Prawn are a prominent band of the UK ska punk scene during the 1990s to the current day.

King Prawn
Promo Photo of the new line-up of King Prawn
Background information
OriginLondon, England, UK
Genres
Years active1993–2003 2012-present
Labels
Associated acts
Websiteking-prawn.co.uk
Members
  • Al Rumjen
  • Zac Chang
  • Nikolai Jones
  • Devil Hands
  • Dr Nelly
  • Alex Gordon
  • Matt Dowse
  • Nick Horn
Past membersBabar Luck

History

The band's formation was in London, 1993. The first major recording was First Offence three years later, produced by Martin "Ace" Kent of Skunk Anansie.[1] They were nominated for a Kerrang! award in 1998 for Best New British Band, and in 2000 for Spirit of Independence. King Prawn toured regularly with a broad range of bands, varying from hardcore to traditional and 2 Tone ska bands. King Prawn songs often contained political lyrics that, along with the band's blending of genres, led to comparisons with bands such as Rage Against the Machine.

The band called time on their first incarnation in 2003 and decided a 10 year holiday was in order.

In the summer of 2007, Al Rumjen joined Asian Dub Foundation as their new vocalist. His first performance as a member of Asian Dub Foundation was at The Womad Festival in Singapore and his first album with the band was Punkara.

In 2012, the band confirmed they will be reforming playing festivals and a club tour afterward featuring an extended brass section with a keys player but without Babar Luck.

In 2013, the band played at Boomtown Festival[2] and Reading & Leeds Festivals[3] and competed a UK tour in November 2013.

The band released two tracks on the Bandcamp platform in 2014.[4] A fifth LP was released in April 2019 'The Fabulous new sounds of' on Cherry Red Records. EP Rockas an' Them is to be released on 31.07.2020 from which the single Hide From Tomorrow was released on 10.07.2020 The band are currently working on their 6th studio album scheduled for release in 2021.

Style

King Prawn blend elements of punk, hardcore, metal, ska, dub, reggae, and hip hop into their music,[1] which they dub "wildstyle". In 2016, Jones stated that The Dead Kennedys, Crass, Public Enemy, Rage Against the Machine, and Bob Marley all influenced the band.[5]

Members

Current members:[6]

  • Al Rumjen - vocals
  • Nikolai Jones - drums
  • Devil Hands - guitar
  • Zac Chang - bass guitar
  • Dr Nelly - cornet
  • Alex Gordon - trumpet
  • Matt Dowse - trombone
  • Nick Horne - Keyboards & trumpet

Former members:

Discography

EPs and LPs

Singles
  • "Poison in the Air" - 1995
  • "Felled/Depths of my Soul" - 1997
  • "Not Your Punk" - 1997
  • "Day In Day Out" - 2000
  • "Someone to Hate" - 2000
  • "Done Days / A Solemn Man" - 2014[4]

Music videos
  • "Depths of My Soul" (1997)
  • "Day In Day Out" (2000)
  • "Someone to Hate" (2000)
  • "The Dominant View" (2003)

References
  1. Biography by Mario Mesquita Borges. "King Prawn | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  2. "BoomTown Fair 2016 Line up". Skiddle.com.
  3. "Line up". Reading Festival. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  4. "Done Days | King Prawn". Kingprawn.bandcamp.com. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  5. "Not Your Punk – An Interview With Nikolai Jones Of King Prawn". Thenorwichradical.com. 10 April 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2020.
  6. "King Prawn Fansite". Kingprawn.info. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
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