The King’s Head Hotel Louth

On the weekend when many Kings’ regulars were at the Rock and Blues weekend at Butlins, Skegness classic rock covers’ band Hooch debuted at The Kings. They came highly recommended and some of us had even heard a demo cd, could they really deliver what they seem to promise? The simple answer is, yes, with several first-timers and just look with what they finished the first set and started the second:

First Set

1. Jumpin’ Jack Flash - Rolling Stones

2. Tush - ZZ Top

3. Sunshine Of Your Love - Cream

5. Let’s Work (Stick) Together - Wilbert Harrison & Canned Heat

6. Wishing Well - Free

7. Down To The Doctors - Dr. Feelgood

8. Black Magic Woman - Santana

9. Come Together - Beatles

10. Moby Dick - Led Zeppelin

11. Bring It On Home - Witten by Willie Dixon, Sonny Boy Williamson & Led Zeppelin

12. Stone Fox Chase - Area Code 615 (Old Grey Whistle Test Theme)

Second Set

1. Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones

2. Rocky Mountain Way - Joe Walsh

3. Just Got Paid - ZZ Top

4. The Hunter - Free

5. Superstition - Stevie Wonder

6. Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd

7. Hoochie Coochie Man - Muddy Waters

8. Walkin’ By Myself - Jimmy Rogers

9. Honky Tonk Women - Rolling Stones

10. Highway To Hell - AC/DC

11. Alright Now - Free

12. Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac

13. Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin

14. Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf

15. Roadhouse Blues - The Doors

17. Wild Thing - Troggs

18. A real tease with the opening riff from Voodoo Chile - Jimi Hendrix

You’ve got to admit that’s one heck of a play list, add The Stones’ “Midnight Rambler” and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird” and you have a couple of superb driving cds. Many thanks to Hooch with great vocals, drums, guitars and harmonica, for all of you who missed them they should be back on Friday 16th March.

I was not present however I have several reliable reports that once again D.O.G.’s sound engineering simply did not do them justice…again. The last couple of times they have played their sound was below par and for a such an experienced band surely it is not beyond their means to get it right?

I’d be interested in reading others’ views who were not up close and personal, thanks.

ADDENDUM SUNDAY NIGHT

I’m told the vocals and guitars were fine however the drums were non-existent even up to the first column/post/near the back door!

Any more views other than let BB at ‘em?

The coldest night of the winter so far and a very, very packed and steamy Kings with several different party groups out for the night as welll as Kloutish (Kloutensian?) supporters meant that the bar staff were in for an extremely busy time.

Most people are aware of the wide range of songs Klout perform except for one,  this time they introduced a new tune towards the end of the second set and I haven’t a clue what it was therefore if anyone knows, obviously the band do but I forgot to ask, then let us know.

Last time they performed I was very critical of their sound quality which was fine in the mosh however from halfway down the bar both vocals and guitars were lost although the drums were fine. Once again the drums were fine, the guitars were mostly audible however still not enough and especially on some of the fine riffs they play they were just not loud enough. They must have turned-up their volume towards the end since the guitars on the last few numbers were much, much better.

Congratulations to Kev for getting through the night even though his voice was very strained on some numbers however he has been suffering from one of the blessed sore throats for a couple of months which doesn’t help whatsoever…here’s a tip Kev, give up the ciggies:-)

Update 17th January 2012

The next scheduled date for Klout was Saturday July 7th during The Louth Music Festival however they’ve can’t do that therefore don’t be at all surprised if they appear again before then.

A new year and a new band to The Kings about whom we knew nothing except a recommendation from a very popular Kings band, just what would we get on an unexpectedly mild January night?

Quite simply, and most probably, the best harmonies and medleys we’ve ever had. Just For Kicks are not a one genre covers’ band, they’re not a rock, pop or tribute band, certainly they do covers in their original style however they are, simply, so much more. A trio comprising of a drummer, two guitarists and a keyboard, yep, the bass player also does the keyboard, for extremely well-crafted and executed songs with the main vocals being equally shared between the drummer and lead and who have obviously practiced, and practiced and practiced, seamless, well-rehearsed and melded lyrics. An absolute joy to watch and listen to.

I would say at least 50%, maybe 60 or even 70% of their covers have never been attempted at The Kings, you would probably know them all, they’ve not been done because they are such awesome and classic tracks to tackle and featured three and four track medleys from bands such as ELO, Queen, Beach Boys, Take That, Amy Winehouse, Robbie Williams, Sam Cooke, The Glitter Band, Sweet, Hollies, Bryan Adams and Wings.

Needless to say the regulars to a person were enthused by Just For Kicks and can’t wait for them to return with even more of their repertoire. I have the feeling that they’ll not have that long to wait.

I feel I need to make some salient points for everyone to understand about what and how things actually happen at The Kings after yesterday’s catch-up post.

The Kings as a business needs to make money to survive and Richard and Sharon have tried their best to promote The Kings for the last five years by being the ONLY regular live music venue in the area. One would have to go to Grimsby/Cleethorpes, Horncastle or Lincoln to find other such places. In 2011 there were 90 live music gigs at The Kings, everyone of them free to all customers.

This live music is provided free of charge therefore The Kings HAS to make enough money over the bar to be able to afford them and for we customers to have a good night. Believe me when I write that several times the band costs have not been covered either through the band not being popular or it clashing with some other event(s) such as a Town Hall special gig or function.

Secondly the sound engineering provided by Balding Bloke is provided free of charge, it is all his own equipment, he is the one who dedicates himself to doing this, he alone stands the costs of repairs and spares. Very rarely does a band offer to assist him carting his excellent kit in or out and whilst most bands thank him for his expertise I believe only a couple of bands have ever offered him any money or beer in kind. Why does he do this?

We all know that BB’s life is music however he does it for The Kings because he has many years of vested interest there from when he was the tenant, he wants it to be a success not just for Sharon but also for the customers and the town plus by becoming recognised as a quality music venue we can encourage more well-known bands to visit the town. And therein lies a financial conundrum for everyone, are customers prepared to PAY say £10.00 a ticket to see such bands? People seem to be prepared to travel to Lincoln or Sheffield on coaches at £20-50 ticket yet unwilling to support local venues promote named bands…I know what I’m writing about since I personally lost £600 on one band alone a couple of years ago.

Insofar as the website is concerned I have been a webmaster since 1994 (yikes 18th year coming up) and I also provide my services for free since I am similarly like-minded to BB, Sharon and Richard and trying to get people to interact positively is a constant uphill task since so few give any feedback until such time they feel I have been too harsh or critical. That is the last thing I ever want to write about any band however when something is not right, it is not right. Many less-experienced bands make the fatal mistake at The Kings of not having their top speakers high enough for the sound to travel down the bar, sure it may sound good in the mosh pit but more than halfway down the bar quite often their vocals are totally lost in a melee of bodies and if the guitarists start competing with one another turning up their backline, then quite often the situation can go into meltdown.

When I keep posting does anyone else want to write the blog I am serious, I have very little spare time, but when writing a blog to be taken seriously one must be honest about a band’s performance. Just because band members are your friends it does them no good whatsoever to be told they were good when they were not or that you could not actually hear them properly. It should be helpful for bands to know this since when practising they rarely have a crowd around them plus acoustics vary in every venue. What may sound brilliant in practice can sound awful live on stage, unfortunately that’s life and the sort of thing why BB puts his neck on the line!

SO, SINCE I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE’S ATTENTION FOR ONCE:

Q. Why is the image gallery never updated?

A. Because no one ever gives me any to post…simples. For security reasons I am averse to let anyone upload images to my programmes and server. If anyone uses a social imaging site and wants to do this for The Kings, please let Sharon know: sharonatthekings [ at ] hotmail.co.uk

Q. Do you want a forum board where you can discuss all these things and post images etc?

A. Not a problem.

Q. Why is The Kings Facebook page not linked?

A. I believe because it is locked down to signed-in members only. I don’t use Facebook so have no idea other than I can’t see it.

Q. Why did I remove Twitter?

A. No one was using it other than porn spam!

Q. Can we be notified by SMS text or email of what’s happening?

A. Again not a problem, let Sharon know and it can be done: sharonatthekings [ at ] hotmail.co.uk

Q. Are there any other features you would like to see?

A. Let Sharon know however The Kings site is not a social networking site, it is primarily a business site therefore if you fancy something broader and more encompassing it would not be a problem to create something with a direct link to The Kings. For instance I own Louth.eu which currently points to The Kings site and would be an ideal domain to use.

And finally, thank you for taking the time to reading this post and I look forward to your positive contributions.

The Editor

PS The one thing me and BB always forget - Many thanks to the brilliant bar staff who tolerate us every week!