In the five years since Kingdom Lost released their first album Desire Lines, the Salfordian teaming of Nick Bolan and Chris Mather has been firmly tested. They've endured a turbulent ride to pursue their passion; from life threatening illness to broken bones, as well as the usual band troubles such as temperamental musicians and equipment....Yet this has only served to inspire their second album, The Crucible of Kingdom Lost.
It's grandly presented as 'a situation of severe trial, in which different elements interact, leading to the creation of something new'. And it's hard to argue against; their music is joyous and euphoric from the first listen.
However, there is a subtlety and sub-text to the songs that makes them worth a revisit. Having enlisted drummer Jake Ryder in 2017, formally of Suzuki Method and The Happy Mondays, and vocalist Claire Palmer, they seem to have struck gold.
"The Kingdom Lost sound is inspired by the styles we're into: Rock, Indie and Dance, being the main staples, but the band believe all genres have great music in them, which lends to the diverse configuration of their songs" says Chris Mather.
Claire's vocals are a key component to the completion of the Kingdom Lost aesthetic. It sets them apart from other acts and adds a certain dance floor-chic to proceedings. Future single Lull extenuates this as it unfolds to deliver a classy floor filler. In true KL style it also has a dig at modern pop music; while Shudder, mastered by Stuart Hawkes (Amy Winehouse, Chase and Status, etc) has a dark underbelly and passes comment on terror attacks.
In a way similar to local heroes The Moods, Kingdom Lost are on bang on the zeitgeist and eager to voice their opinions on current issues. Chris feels it's a necessity in the current vacuous musical landscape...
"We're also inspired by the lack of inspiration that's currently out there - songs that are too afraid to touch on issues that are most prevalent in today's society or even cause the listener to think for themselves..." he explains.
Goodbye Summer is a personal favourite and provides a dreamy introduction to this multi-faceted act. Catch Kingdom Lost showcasing their varied and stylish collection of well-crafted songs on January 11th at Night and Day Cafe.
Kingdom Lost and The Charlemagnes
Thursday 11th January 8pm
Night and Day Cafe
Oldham Street, Manchester
For further details - click here
Take a couple of minutes to listen to Goodbye Summer...
www.facebook.com/pg/kingdomlost/videos/?ref=page_internal
To find out more about Kingdom Lost, take a look at their Facebook page - click here.
Words by Ian Leslie
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