The King Blues: What If Punk Never Happened?

By Ben Liew  •  in Review
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What would the world be like without Punk? That is the question posed by London-based collective The King Blues. Originally a two-piece ska outfit, their initial sound was described as “soulful ska with raw folk and a punk rock attitude” or “conscious rude boy ska”. They have since added more members and expanded their sound to include everything from folk to reggae to ska to rap.

Like dan le sac vs scroobius pip’s ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’, ‘What If Punk Never Happened’ is a sticky on almost every socially-conscious blog out there. With poetry-like lyrics, the song inspires rather than angers. Soon, you’ll be digging through your punk rock records and gelling your mohawk straight-up with cement.

Taken from their second album Save The World, Get The Girl raise your fists to ‘What If Punk Never Happened?’ at www.myspace.com/thekingblues

Here’s a clip of the song with some nice visual cuts that really capture the spirit. Viva la Punk!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukC4qmaNwYw[/youtube]

If only Sham 69 had of united the kids,
If only the 4 Skins had told us ACAB,
If only The Ramones had let us know we were a happy family,
If only The Buzzcocks had shown us how to do it ourself,
If only Crass had shown us there are things more important than wealth,
If only The Vandals had shown us it was OK to smile,
If only The Dead Kennedys had helped us put our government on trial,
If only Rancid had played live, and brought with them that vibe,
If we had Sick Of It All and Madball we could put them all on the frontline,

If we had GG Allin we’d have learned it’s OK to be hated,
If we’d have had The Refused then we could have innovated,
If we’d had Poison Idea then they couldn’t push us over,
If we’d had Minor Threat then we could have done it sober,
If we’d have had Against Me we could have done it all unplugged,
If we’d had Operation Ivy we could have done it then fucked off,
If we had The Blitz, The Clash, Disorder, Propagandhi,
The Exploited, NOFX and anyone that’s handy,

There’s a lesson to be learned, one that I will take home,
When I return to my normal reality zone,
Punk rock has the power to change the world,
It lies in every single punk rock boy and girl,
So don’t let anyone tell you you’re not worth the earth,
These streets are your streets, this turf is your turf,
Don’t let anyone tell you that you’ve got to give in,
Cos you can make a difference, you can change everything,
Just let your dreams be your pilot, your imagination your fuel,
Tear up the book and write your own damn rules,
Use all that heart, hope and soul that you’ve got,
And the love and the rage that you feel in your gut,
And realise that the other world that you’re always looking for,
Lies right here in front of us, just outside this door,
And it’s up to you to go out there and paint the canvas,
After all, you were put on the earth to do this,
So shine your light so bright that all can see,
Take pride in being whoever the fuck you want to be,
Throw your fist in the air in solidarity,
And shout “Viva la punk, just one life, anarchy”.