King Kong (British band)
Encyclopedia
King Kong is a Manchester
band active from 1995 to 1997 consisting of Nicola Rushton (Vocals) Nicolas Gibson (Vocals) Timothy Jackson (Guitar) Christopher Chan - "Channy" (Bass) Damien Allen (Drums).
The band were linked with Pop Star Jason Orange
during 1996 who mentored and assisted them after the split of Take That
. Often King Kong gigs in the city would be followed by the local media who had a keen interest in Orange's next career move. The Manchester Evening News
would report the fact that Orange was attending a King Kong gig rather than focusing on the band themselves, much to the annoyance of the musicians.
King Kong were musically different from their Manchester indie peers of the time, opting for a more rocky, funky sound driven by fluid basslines and heavy guitar hooks. The bands songs were written by Jackson and Chan, some formulating from extended jam session
s. The two had played together with Allen in numerous bands preceding King Kong.
They attracted a firm loyal support at local gigs, hosted a monthly gig at the Attic Club on Oxford Road, as well as playing Manchester's many other venues.
They headlined "Rock on the Quays" - the opening celebrations of the building of the now famous Lowry centre and development.
The band recorded two self financed EP's both containing four songs. But they were more notable for their energetic live shows, where the combination of the two singers styles and Rock fueled riffs would stand out from the "shoe-gazing" indie bands of the day.
The members split in 1997 with some of the musicians joining together again in various acts, however nothing has been heard since musically from Rushton or Gibson.
Jackson has been linked with Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family as a session guitarist, and even had a stint playing drums with HeadFunk who now go under the name of The Yellhounds.
It is believed that Allen and Chan still play together, although details are scarce.
Stand out tracks from the band were the anthemic "Bored and Crazy" which illuminated live shows with its Radiohead
-esque chorus, "Invsible Tears", a beautiful guitar part with a haunting vocal provided and written by Rushton, and "Rollin'" a blues rock
jam perfectly suited to Gibson's raw rocky vocals.
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
band active from 1995 to 1997 consisting of Nicola Rushton (Vocals) Nicolas Gibson (Vocals) Timothy Jackson (Guitar) Christopher Chan - "Channy" (Bass) Damien Allen (Drums).
The band were linked with Pop Star Jason Orange
Jason Orange
Jason Thomas Orange is an English musician and dancer. He is a member of the pop band Take That who gained popularity in the 1990s and are currently enjoying further success since their reunion in 2005.-Early fame and Take That:...
during 1996 who mentored and assisted them after the split of Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
. Often King Kong gigs in the city would be followed by the local media who had a keen interest in Orange's next career move. The Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
The Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
would report the fact that Orange was attending a King Kong gig rather than focusing on the band themselves, much to the annoyance of the musicians.
King Kong were musically different from their Manchester indie peers of the time, opting for a more rocky, funky sound driven by fluid basslines and heavy guitar hooks. The bands songs were written by Jackson and Chan, some formulating from extended jam session
Jam session
Jam sessions are often used by musicians to develop new material, find suitable arrangements, or simply as a social gathering and communal practice session. Jam sessions may be based upon existing songs or forms, may be loosely based on an agreed chord progression or chart suggested by one...
s. The two had played together with Allen in numerous bands preceding King Kong.
They attracted a firm loyal support at local gigs, hosted a monthly gig at the Attic Club on Oxford Road, as well as playing Manchester's many other venues.
They headlined "Rock on the Quays" - the opening celebrations of the building of the now famous Lowry centre and development.
The band recorded two self financed EP's both containing four songs. But they were more notable for their energetic live shows, where the combination of the two singers styles and Rock fueled riffs would stand out from the "shoe-gazing" indie bands of the day.
The members split in 1997 with some of the musicians joining together again in various acts, however nothing has been heard since musically from Rushton or Gibson.
Jackson has been linked with Liam Frost & The Slowdown Family as a session guitarist, and even had a stint playing drums with HeadFunk who now go under the name of The Yellhounds.
It is believed that Allen and Chan still play together, although details are scarce.
Stand out tracks from the band were the anthemic "Bored and Crazy" which illuminated live shows with its Radiohead
Radiohead
Radiohead are an English rock band from Abingdon, Oxfordshire, formed in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke , Jonny Greenwood , Ed O'Brien , Colin Greenwood and Phil Selway .Radiohead released their debut single "Creep" in 1992...
-esque chorus, "Invsible Tears", a beautiful guitar part with a haunting vocal provided and written by Rushton, and "Rollin'" a blues rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...
jam perfectly suited to Gibson's raw rocky vocals.