Review by Gary Spiller for MPM
Tonight means an awful lot to the headliners, you can see it etched on their faces from the moment we enter Swansea’s Hangar 18. No poker faces this evening as we’re gathered here to celebrate yet another fine slab of Welsh metal being untethered in all its regal glory. There’s, understandably, a touch of nervy anticipation within the ranks ahead of doors opening and a sensing of wanting to get right in there and get the job-in-hand underway afront a sold-out crowd.
Decanted from the furnace, 24 hours previously, on the day that fellow rockers Those Damn Crows hit the number one spot in the album charts, King Kraken’s sophomore long-player ‘March Of Gods’ is, itself, rattling the bars and seeking to wreak havoc. Chockful of behemothic groove and more than a mere dash of bedevilment come the end of the night it is a most tangible contender for my album of the year with less than a third of the calendar elapsed.
Alongside the much-awaited release of their second album in the live arena King Kraken are working up a sizeable head of steam too. Following on from an industrious 2024, going from headlining Station 18 Festival, in this very venue, to taking Bloodstock by force with a storming set nestling in between the gargantuan Stateside presences of Hatebreed and Clutch all comers have been taken head-on.
Appearances at such festivals as Love Rocks, Stonedead, and Breaking Bands await this summer as the quintet look to further expand their net worth. Opening for Venom at Bloodstock’s Winter Gathering plus supporting Acid Reign on Swansea’s ‘Day Of Reckoning’ will further bolster their already burgeoning reputations.
Midlanders Tattoo Molly get the night underway in decent style. Their no-nonsense railroading balls to the wall approach gets heads nodding but this evening the metaphorical nut proves somewhat stubbornly impervious to the quartet’s particular brand of sledgehammer. In fairness to these likeable lads, it could be Pearl Jam or such like up there and the response would still be patchy at best. The Hangar 18 crowd are assembled for one thing and one thing only.
From the hard driving Motörhead crushing Primal Scream fusion of ‘Road To Ruin’ right through to the Tarantino’d running on the wild side ‘Contraband’ TM work their proverbials off in a valiant effort to win new friends and influence folks. In between, ‘Lady Luck’ is a buzz-sawing slice in what is the band’s first gig of 2025 and their first with new bassist Rob. With affable vocalist Sam Wise departing after tonight this is a band clearly in a transitional phase.
The bone-crunching ‘Blue Collar Blues’ makes industrious incisions ahead of ‘High Noon Saloon’ that harks of a heavy Western Sands howling at the fullest of moons. ‘Nowhere’ employs a stoner groove, the kind beloved of Blind River, and begins to awaken the crowd with its contagions.
Heading towards the end of their allotted 40 minutes the nitro-injected ‘Nail in the Coffin’ retains the elevated levels of infectious material whilst the tubthumping cataclysm of ‘Black Sheep’ maintains the course of previous, but with an increased degree of crowd participation.
Swansea has opened its eyes and given itself a really good shake but in truth it’s a little too late in proceedings. This is, in truth and with the fullest of respect to both supporting acts, an evening all about the headliners.
When one Molly isn’t sufficient then a second one is called for and Swansea receive a rumbustious near-50 minutes courtesy of Oxfordshire-based Molly Karloff. Speaking of the openers, frontman Simon De Souza notes “They pinched part of our name” going on to ask, in admiration “How good were they?” About the constant nucleus of De Souza MK have been surging forth since formation, an album, and a good deal of singles over the last few years.
However, in a somewhat similar vein to their opening counterparts MK are undergoing a few changes of their own. During the last few months both drummer Jowie Adkins and bassist Nico Martin have announced their intentions, separately, to leave the band. Adkins’ power is behind the kit tonight with his replacement David Morris unavailable but new bassist George (sorry didn’t catch his surname) is introduced to the crowd midway through the set. “He’s a young bassist, very excited to be here!” quips De Souza.
It also transpires that De Souza and Adkins are also excited to have landed in Swansea with the latter, wholeheartedly intent upon landing himself, and his kit, in the floor beneath with energies reminiscent of The Virginmarys’ Danny Dolan. Out front De Souza pours every ounce of effort into rallying, and warming up, an initially still stubborn crowd. His endeavours are met with some success as by the end of their set the trio have the venue rocking, but boy has it been hard graft!
In a set dominated with tracks from 2020 EP ‘Supernaturalation’ and debut lp ‘Breaking Out’ the seismically charged agitations of ‘Out Of My Way’ are a volcanic reflection back to the band’s first ever release ‘Dancing for Money’. Hangar 18 seems even more full by time get things underway with a quadruple-pronged induction to ‘Supernaturalation’ – leaving the EP’s title track, and the band’s signature number, to wrap up the set with its middle digit firmly hoisted upon high.
A rasping, punked up ‘She Said’ gets the initial jab to the ribs with its raised dynamics à la The Virginmarys. Taking a one-way ticket for the highway to hell ‘Do You Wanna’ stampedes along in a manner once reserved for the likes of The Ramones. Following on ‘The Other Side’ is a bubbly, frothing caustic treasure, sharp and punchy it possesses a head-banging swagger that’s seriously addictive. All snarling and venomous the pugnacious viper that is ‘Do It Again’ completes the opening quartet.
Either side of ‘Out Of My Way’, and before the set-ending ‘Supernaturalation’, precisely half of ‘Breaking Out’ – including a foot-stomping glam meets Queens of the Stone Age title track – is untethered in a glorious fury. ‘Cult of Personality’, a firm and certain nod towards The Wildhearts, paves the way for the solar flare of ‘Higher Than The Sun’. De Souza continues to whip up the crowd who, by now, are responding in louder voice.
‘Black Flame’ is, as its title intimates, crepuscular and obsidian before the howling sirens of ‘You Don’t Know My Name’ attracts the attention of a somewhat befuddled and drunken stage ‘invader’ who is dealt with effectively before any unnecessary chaos is created. The Oxfordshire can depart the Hangar stage safe in the knowledge that they’ve given their absolute best shot in the mission plan of warming up the crowd sufficiently. Above a super-sized Kraken cracks open an eye and stirs.
If, like this evening’s headliners, you’ve showered in molten lava from beneath the earth’s crust and then towelled down with continental plates then you have earned the right to be as downright heavy and as technically precise as these Celtic heavies. Born of the metalliferous fecund industrial heartlands of South Wales this strongarm quintet is as conflagrant as the furnaces of the once beating heart of the steel plants and as dark and stirring as the mines of the proud coalfields beneath.
It’s over two years since we gathered in Merthyr Tydfil to celebrate the launch of King Kraken’s debut album ‘MCLXXX’ at the now sadly defunct Redhouse. Following on from their hugely triumphal headline slot at Hangar 18 at last year’s Station 18 Festival there was only one natural place to choose to host the launch party and first date of the ‘March Of The Gods’ tour. Blue and yellow are the new green as the 2025 Krakens lineup in readiness to takeover Swansea city centre much like their 2024 counterparts did on that memorable Friday night.
The main body of the set, a neat round dozen slabs of gargantuan proportions, comprises of the new album in all its regal majesty plus the wild cards of the clamorous ‘Green Terror’ and the ‘all hell breaks loose’ of ‘Haddonfield ‘78’ thrown in for ball-busting good measure. A wild encore with a quartet of throwbacks that tramples all afore it and then leaves them utterly steam-rollered in its sonic wake takes the roof off the venue in time honoured fashion. Anything less would have been considered below the high bar this outfit continue to post.
There’s an upward momentum in terms of production with a Fallout 4 styled countdown video leading to Liam Neeson uttering the timeless “Release the Kraken” signals time to commence the rampage. The band assemble as the leaner-than-ever Mark Donoghue stands out front ever stoical before the ramparts are stormed with the set-opening, and album opener, ‘Scream’. Storm lashed seas embrace the call of the deep; it’s truly the time for mortals to pay with the artillery fires and mountainous avalanches of this fine track.
Like Motörhead on amphetamines ‘El Giganto’ follows. Bassist Karl Meyer bounces the low-end along at high pace. Donoghue is as imperious as ever whilst guitarists Adam Healey and Pete Rose lay down a furious assault atop drummer Richard Lee Mear’s thunderings. “Rise up, Valhalla calls!” announces Donoghue in the proud ‘Berserker’.
Hot on the heels of the opening triplet we encounter the tremor-inducing pairing of the aforementioned ‘Green Terror’ and ‘Haddonfield ’78’. The band is as sharp as I’ve ever witnessed them and their broad smiles, across the board, tell the story perfectly. It’s been a whole pile of relentless efforts to reach and attain this point in time; I cannot think of five more deserving gents.
Summoning the entire contents of the underworld ‘Vigilante’ is distributed with heroic valour worthy of Greek legend. Touches of Amon Amarth enhance whilst Healey’s blistering fretwork illuminates. Striking up the unmistakable beat of ‘We Will Rock You’ Mears, grinning behind his kit, gets a tongue-in-cheek ‘shout-out’ from Donoghue.
‘Preacher’ plunders the abyss as the marauding horde reverentially absorbs every last bone-crunching note. Do everything stated on the tin’s exterior ‘Magnum Opus’ is just precisely that. Like Orange Goblin on performance enhancing substances, it strains every sinew. There’s a progressive daub in Healey’s depths during the mystique of ‘Under The Sun’. Meyer is completely immersed in the moment whilst, alongside Rose hammers the riffs from his six-string. Dedicated to “Everyone who has experienced loss” the emphatic and powering balladic tones of ‘Hero’ tugs at the heartstrings.
The peremptory ‘March Of The Gods’ cranks things up even further before the Krakens are well and truly released; well, those that are happy to obey the laws of gravity that is. Add balloons to the list of things that are not recommended to work with. Nonetheless Hangar 18 is transformed into a sea of reverberating yellow and blue ahead of the main body concluding with the buzzsawing mayhem of ‘Chainsaw Saviour’.
The crowd feverishly bay for more, they’re not yet fully satiated. The pummelling sensation of ‘Man Made Monster’ with its Metallica fringes sets off with hooves sparking wildly. The ever-heavy trample of ‘Bastard Liar’ is 110% on-point. ‘Freak’ hustles and bustles bulldozing and pulverizing as it stretches its neck.
Reserved for the closing commotions ‘Castle Of Bone’ intently investigates the venue’s structural integrity. Earthquake inducing seismic forces run amok as King Kraken stake a huge claim as Wales’ heaviest. Exactly like their first album launch they have issued an emboldened statement of intent here; the Kraken continues to rise.
Photography by Kelly Spiller for MPM
