Punk & Poetry

I'm breaking the general theme of this blog because I want to talk about music, in particular The King Blues and Itch. It will eventually come back around to my book(s) if you stick to the end of the post.

I'm half dazed and just back from Slam Dunk North so if none of this makes sense, it's 'cause I'm only half awake.



I first heard about The King Blues at Leeds Festival. I was sat near the main stage waiting around for All Time Low. I'd heard of the name before, but never heard their music (or so I had thought). So I watched The King Blues and I liked them. Their music was good and it turned out I knew one of their songs (I've Got Love - though who doesn't know that song?).

Here's actual photographic proof

A year (or two?) later they played the Lock Up tent, and like an idiot I missed that day. But here's the thing, at that point I thought they were a good band. But that was all. I wouldn't have gone miles out of my way to see them play, even though they would have completely changed my outlook on life. Fate's a total bitch.

So it's a year after that, and I'm on the iTunes store browsing bands similar to Fireworks and The Story So Far. The King Blues happen to come up on that little recommend or similar-to bar. It was the artwork for Punk & Poetry that drew me in. It's black and white and atmospheric and, let's be real here, the guy on the cover is fucking attractive. And I recognised him from the set I saw at Leeds Fest.

So this is the story of how Itch's face changed my life. It's hard to type that and not laugh; it sounds pretty stupid, but it's true.

I listened to the previews of the first few tracks on the album, loved all of them, and happened to be flush with a bit of spare money so I bought the whole album. That's Fate being not so much of a bitch; I'm looking to forgive her. So I bought Punk and Poetry (I'll put this in perspective. In 2012 I bought three albums, two of which were The King Blues.)

I remember listening to the album for the first time and being completely moved by the lyrics. They were so raw and honest, and there was something about them that really resonated with me. I've never had much money or anything, but we struggled and we got by and we lived. That was the first thing that hit me - the connection of my situation and this band. It was like they were living on my estate, going through the same shit everyday as I was.

And then What If Punk Never Happened happened. The first time I heard it I honest to god sobbed. It wasn't the message as much as Itch's poetical delivery of it. The way he speaks (sings?) could make anyone stand up and listen. He could talk about waste disposal or something equally ridiculous and he would have a way of making it poignant and important.

After that I listened to the album every day, and I found myself changing as a person. I used to be kind of unassuming. I had all of this rage and fight inside me but I would push it down and do nothing about it. I would do whatever it took to get through the day. But the more I listened to this album, the more I realised I didn't have to do that. 

I didn't have to be what people expected me to be. I didn't have to be who people expected to see. Their music taught me it was alright to be completely me. And I have loved them everyday since.

 I saved up money so I could buy Long Live The Struggle, and I frantically googled The King Blues tour dates. And then I discovered that they were no more. I have pretty shitty timing, to get into a band after they're finished. And, I'll be honest, it broke me. I had their music swimming in my veins, but there would never be a live performance to ignite it. But I listened to Long Live The Struggle, and after a while I realised it was alright that they had disbanded, because their music would never leave, the message of it would never change, and neither would its importance to me.

Where Punk and Poetry told me it was alright to be myself, Long Live The Struggle told me I could fight for it. I didn't have to let this rage fester inside of me, and I didn't have to put up and shut up. If I didn't want to do something, I could say no. If I didn't want to go somewhere, I didn't have to. And if I didn't want to suffer through hours of torturous college, not eating and not sleeping and fearing every day, I didn't have to.

Thanks to Long Live The Struggle I quit college - I stopped doing something that was making me unhappy and ill just because it was expected of me. I started doing what I really wanted to do - write. And I have never been happier as a person, or healthier, or more stable minded.

But it wasn't all sad in the end, not that this is the end. I was disheartened that I couldn't see them live, but something miraculous happened in the form of Itch and his manifestos.

Itch continued to move and amaze me with his solo work. His music is incredible and it's everything The King Blues had, but more. It's fucking loud and fucking angry and fucking meaningful. Itch is an unbelievable lyricist and a talented musician and I feel so so lucky to have been able to listen to his music.

And yesterday I saw him live. I saw Itch the way I should have seen The King Blues - in a dingy venue with spilt beer sticking my shoes to the floor, sweat in the air, and like-minded people pressed against a barrier shouting and singing and screaming with passion. I was completely overwhelmed by everything, by being able to see Itch live after thinking I never would be able to, by hearing songs I love sung by so many other people. 

More photographic evidence, from a shit camera this time.

There was a point when everything stopped, when the room fell silent and Itch just ... you know I don't even know. No words will cover it. It's something like a mix of rap, poetry, and preaching, and it is unreal. Embarrassingly, I cried. I was enraptured and enthralled and any other word with an en- prefix. He blew me away and I felt another turning point in my life.

The turning point where I stop giving a shit about what people thing, where I do whatever the fuck I want and don't worry about what others will think. There's always been a part of me that hasn't cared, but now I'm done with holding back.

I actually met him. Itch. I was terrified but I forced myself forward, I fucked my fear of talking to strangers because this wasn't a stranger. This was Itch, whose words are as much a part of me as my own. Before yesterday I don't think I'd have been brave enough to do that. But I did. Because I needed to thank him. What I said, not that I can remember much of it, I'm sure will not have come even close to covering everything he, his band, and his music, has done for me. But I thanked him at least and that was what I set out to do. He was the nicest guy possible and I am so glad that I met him. 

And now we get onto the part that ties into The Forgotten, my book. I doubt anyone has got this far into the post, which is more of an essay by now, but if you have ... 

You may know that TF has a playlist which I listened to while writing it, and you probably noticed that half of it is made up of The King Blues. The thing with having a band change you so much is that they influence all other aspects of your life as well. The tone of The Forgotten was HEAVILY influenced by them. It's a bleak look at humanity, but it has flashes of brilliance, because as awful as people are they're occasionally brilliant. But mostly it's about fighting back and fucking the system, and I can't think of a better soundtrack to that than The King Blues and Itch.

So if you're planning to read my book, or even if you aren't, go listen to Itch and The King Blues. You will not, for a minute, regret it.

Long live the struggle.

~Saruuh