So just what has Glen Matlock been up to in his spare time? King Mob.

An intriguing gathering...
Chris Spedding, Stephen W Parsons, Martin Chambers, Sixteen, and Glen, are King Mob. Chris Spedding immediately conjures up images of accomplished 70’s pop and rock. A session musician second to none, he’s played with some of the best; Roxy Music, Elton John, John Cale, and Paul McCartney, but for many he’s best known for his solo hit  Motorbikin’. For me, his guitar work etched into my psyche c/o his duties as Wellington Womble, and of course, for the session he produced for the Pistols in May ’76. Chris was also in 70’s band Sharks along with King Mob singer, and chief song writer, Stephen W Parsons ‘Snips’, so the understanding between the two goes back a long way.

The first thing that grabs you is how atmospheric the album sounds, aided by a wonderful production. You wouldn’t expect a collection of musicians with a wide ranging pedigree to be easily pigeon holed, and they are not. They claim to be heavily influenced by Duke Ellington and Jimmy Page, perhaps so, but there is far more going on than that. The bass and drums lend a traditional English beat to the proceedings, but the guitar and vocal delivery are soaked in a modern Nashville vibe, as much latter-day Johnny Cash and Waylon Jennings as Kinks and Led Zep. I could imagine Force 9 accompanying a long dusty drive down through Tennessee.

The delivery is hauntingly delicious on I Was There and Secret Song, and pounding on Who’s Chasing Who, Make That Call and the exhilarating Selene Selene. A few of the tracks straddle the full spectrum of description, and I can’t decide how to label then, other than damn fine; Va Va Voom, the image laden China Waters, and American Slaves.

There are no pauses or vacuous gaps in these compositions – there is so much action fizzing through each and every song, with razor sharp guitar pulling you one way then another. Glen’s bass digs a deep furrow – an important component of the King Mob sound, allowing the story telling to breathe. The stories themselves.... lyrically complex and colourful; with references to a variety of Americana (Cadillacs, Chicago hell holes, Motown), and tellingly, the band’s own heritage; "we’re the scum of England’s treasure and we wear our sins with pride."

The fact that King Mob take their name from a 1970s London movement who sought worldwide social revolution, gives a further indication of their influences. While they are not advocating social revolution, they are offering sharp gutsy outsider rock ‘n’ roll with a slightly sinister texture. I also detected a hint of John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band in the mix. A heady brew, brought up to the boil.

Well I’m hooked. I’ve joined King Mob. How about you?

Review by Phil Singleton