Band of the Day: King Bison (UK)

With a new release on the very near horizon, King Bison frontman Karl Glover too the time to answer our Band of the Day questions. A chance to find out a little more about this up-and-coming UK act…

First things first, where are you from?

We are from Plymouth in Devon.

How did you meet?

Well, four of us have been playing music on and off together for best part of 15 years and Rohan (bass player) we met when our earlier bands gigged together locally.

How long have you been playing as a band?

We have been playing together with this band for about 18 months or so.

Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?

I can’t really remember how we got to our chosen name but I do remember a huge list of names being fired around on a daily basis for about 3 weeks and it being very tricky to agree on something. In the end King Bison suited perfectly.

What are your influences?

Growing up when I did and being surrounded by music which my Dad had was just amazing. From The Clash, The Ramones and Sex Pistols to Queen, Guns N’ Roses and Metallica there was always something blasting out of the TV or tape deck. Some of my fondest memories of growing up is just being sat with my Dad watching bands and thinking I’d love to be doing that one day. I’m influenced by any great vocalist who can deliver and entertain but I will be forever influenced by my father.

Describe your music. What makes you unique?

Our music is simply metal n’ roll. It’s aggressive in places , it’s southern as hell and it’s bloody catchy. It’s a perfect blend of heavy metal and rock n’ roll and yet I can’t really place it with anything anyone is currently doing so I think it is a little bit unique… maybe!

Do you have any particular lyrical themes?

I don’t really set out to write or follow any particular theme. I don’t write anything until I have some music to work with and then if a good line or a good idea comes to me I usually just go with it. I don’t usually write about experiences or anything like that. I kind of like making little short stories up to shout about.

What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?

Although we have only played a handful of gigs so far I would say Our live shows are fun with a little bit of attitude I suppose – I mean, come on, we are supposed to be rock n’ roll. We definitely don’t take ourselves to seriously but we always aim to deliver a hard hitting, entertaining live show and I think we are becoming known for that. People turn up to our shows knowing they are in for a good night and leave drunk and happy.

A funny thing I witnessed at a live show actually involved our drummer Hardin. He got on stage with One Minute Silence and was getting ready to stage dive, the crowd had their hands in the air as they were waiting for him to launch but unfortunately were left disappointed as Hardin misjudged the distance between stage and crowd and dived head on into the barrier in front of the crowd. I laughed for about 3 years after that, I can still picture it now.

What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?

I won’t attempt to answer this for the others as I’d probably get it wrong but I currently use a Shure 55 Super (Black Edition) as it sounds great but more importantly it looks bloody sexy.

What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?

Currently we are promoting our debut EP Snake Head Burial which is set to be released in early January 2018. It contains 4 tracks including our first single “B.B.V.S.”. We are very happy with how the whole thing is sounding and looking and can’t wait for its release.

What are your plans for 2018?

2018 we want to get out there and gig wherever we can and try and get on some festivals and show people what we are all about! The rest of this year sees us continuing hard in the studio. We are in a great position at the minute where we are constantly knocking tunes out and working on ideas. More than enough good tracks now for an album but whilst the riffs keep coming we will keep writing.

If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!

This is hard. I would love to open for Guns N’ Roses and I would like Monster Truck to open for us. Monster Truck probably wouldn’t be happy but I’m sure Axl would be delighted!

From previous Band of the Day Muscular Child: Dave Grohl, Mick Jagger, Prince – Who would you kiss, who would you marry and who would you kill?

Mick Jagger could fit a watermelon in his mouth so that would be an interesting kiss. Dave Grohl is obviously marriage material, everyone knows that. The legend that is Prince is no longer with us so that has saved me committing a crime.

From another BotD, Vanity: If you could go back in time and tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?

I would tell myself this week’s winning lottery numbers.

And from Charly&Faust: What’s your underwear colour?

Black

Header Image by Leigh Drinkwater Photography

King Bison: facebook | youtube