King Krule finds the sweet spot between seduction and disgust

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King Krule – Festival Playground Music Arena, Silo Park – 12 March 2018

As (another) cyclone threatened to break over Auckland city last night, 23 year old King Krule (Archy Marshall) used the ominous weather to his advantage. His guttural London growl twisted in the wind as he opened his debut Auckland Arts Festival performance with Has this Hit? As the rain quickened, he lulled the 1500-strong crowd into a sense of sullen intimacy that did not let up throughout his two hour set.

There was nothing beautiful about King Krule’s performance. But that’s what made it so spectacular.  Like Joe Strummer or Tom Waits before him, Marshall too sounds like he’s gargled tar and smoked a packet of cigarettes before setting foot onstage. Like Strummer and Waits before him, Marshall is also on track to being a true cult original. His dense soup of influences contort jazz, bossanova, rockabilly and hip-hop into a freewheeling punk energy that feels like a once in a generation talent.

It is rare to find a musician who captures the dualism between existential dread and overwhelming determination. But by virtue of his sheer ability to construct a song, King Krule does. With equal parts swagger and slacker, Marshall and his band oscillated between virile, almost hip-hop poetry and a lucid, freeform jazz. Bathed in a sickly green light, Marshall strummed his slightly out of tune guitar messily, the hollow chords acting as a stark contrast to his face contorted with sincerity. The band would then launch into joyous expansions of sound so suddenly it was almost nauseating.

But given King Krule were touring off the back of their latest album, The Ooz, this was decidedly appropriate. The critically acclaimed album breathes life into Marshall’s depression, relationships and insomnia, meant that this was always going to be an uneasy watch. However the spiralling textures brought to the live show gave a sense of self-loathing that seemed so universally visceral it was almost luxurious. As the crowd skidded and slipped in the mud singing along to the likes of Rock Bottom, Dum Surfer and Emergency Blimp there was a sense of collective joy within the angst that was cathartic.

The sweet spot between seduction and disgust is where King Krule operates best and it was on full display last night. A wonderful display of musicianship from a man who unabashedly wears his heart on his sleeve.

Kate Powell

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