Über Rock Introduces... Crown The King

Introduced by Monk

When you look at the Irish rock and metal scene, on both sides of the border, you cannot but revel in the diversity of sounds which it represents, from the most brutal of blackened and deathly hallows (sic) through NWoCR powerhouses to chilled ambience. However, one mien which has been sadly under-represented is pop punk, with relatively few bands prepared to stick their heads above the parapet and present us with their take on this most divisive of sub-genres… Until now, that is, as we welcome the ambitiously named Crown The KIng, a band formed just as we moved into the teeth of the recent pandemic, not that they let that little glitch stand in their way, as they released an excellent EP in the form of the aptly titled ‘Groundhog Day’ (didn’t every 24 hours feel like that during lockdown?), which they have just followed up with new single ‘Reel To Reel’.

So, what better time to catch up with the five lads to find out a bit more about their back story, the travails of their early career, recording in one of Ireland’s most historic castles and generally shoot the breeze about all things musical… Given the title of this feature, I of course started at the beginning and asked them to introduce themselves to the ÜR massive and tell us a bit about how they came together as a band:

We have Dan on vocals, Sean and Alan on guitars, Eanna on bass and Jamie on drums.

Sean: I met Dan back in 2017 and we got chatting and decided to work on some songs together. It took around two years to find a solid lineup. I had previously played in bands with Alan, he and I had also jammed with Jamie before so I was really happy to get them both on board. Myself and Dan both knew Eanna through the local wrestling scene and when we all eventually got together in the same room it just clicked, from that point on everything started to ramp up really quickly.

Eanna: I got into the local wrestling scene a few years ago and started acquiring friends along the way, including being introduced to Dan by a friend of mine and constantly bumping into Sean at the shows. One day, Sean posted a demo of Fence online and I was like “hang on a minute, Dan can sing?!”, so I mentioned to the lads that if they needed a bassist to let me know. Fast forward a few months and we started kicking these plans into action, which is how I met Alan and Jamie, and the rest is history.

Personally, as a historian, I have an interest in etymology, so I feel have to ask about where the band name came from and if it has any special significance…

Sean: I really wish there was any sort of story behind it but the name was one of the last things that we sorted out before releasing our first single. Pretty much everything we wanted was already taken so it was a matter of “is it available and will it look cool on a shirt?”.

Music is categorized into various genres and sub-genres. How would you define your sound? What individual and collective influences do you draw on for your sound?

Sean: At our core we’re a straight up pop punk band. When other people have spoken about our releases so far, the word “anthemic” comes up a lot, that always makes me pretty chuffed because that’s definitely something I want to achieve with everything I write.

You have just released your new single, ‘Reel To Reel’, can you tell us a bit about it?

Sean: Just after we released our first EP earlier this year I was talking to our producer Stephen about what we planned to do next and he suggested that we all get together somewhere out of the way and write and record a new song over the course of a weekend. I stumbled upon Clomantagh Castle online,which is an actual 15th-century castle in Kilkenny that you can rent out and stay in and it seemed like the perfect place.

We started with a blank slate and bounced around ideas and ‘Reel to Reel’ just kind of happened. It was only about half way through the process that we realized it was six minutes long! We’re really happy with how it turned out and it’s been cool to show everyone a different side to our sound.

Are there any particular lyrical themes/personal issues you are addressing in the song? Are there any particular issues/subjects that are important to you that you like/wish to address in your material?

Sean: The overall message in ‘Reel to Reel’ is not to suffer in silence, that there’s always someone willing to lend an ear and choosing to keep things internalised can become a vicious cycle. I know in the past I’ve been in situations where I’ve tried to just carry on and power through negative emotions on my own and it’s a bad place to be and sometimes you just need someone else to vent to or to help put things in perspective.

How important is social media in getting your music out there? Do you think it is useful for bands like yourself who maybe don’t have that big “corporate machine” behind them and dominating traditional media outlets?

Sean: Social media is a double edged sword. It is definitely an amazing tool for getting new fans, meeting other bands and connecting with people who like what we’re doing, but it also demands so much from musicians and you can very easily become beholden to an algorithm. I’d much rather spend time working on a new song than trying to develop a TikTok idea that will “do numbers”, I think as a band we’d be silly to not try to utilize the opportunities social media offers, but at the end of the day our goal to make songs that resonate with people regardless of platform and not “trending sounds”.

Eanna: There are definitely advantages to social media, especially when it comes to discovery – I was able to discover bands I’d never have found out about if it wasn’t for social media, mainly ones from outside the Irish scene that maybe would be some time away from traditionally cracking the international market.. That said, it’s so so important to be mindful about how you use it; like Sean said, the demands the algorithm has on you to be “always on” and constantly producing content can be overwhelming. We would be bonkers not to use the tools we have to connect with new fans, existing fans and other bands in the scene, but it’s important not to let it take over your life.

Is it more important than, say, streaming outlets especially given the fact that the financial returns for streaming can mean a band doing a lot of work for relatively little reward – i.e. you earn very small percentage returns, with the services themselves taking large chunks of your potential income. Is it worth the effort, or is it a fact of the business that you just have to accept?

Sean: I think with how social media is going the “a lot of work for relatively little reward” statement could be more applicable to that. We’ve actually had a generally positive experience with the streaming platforms, both Spotify and Apple Music have placed some of our songs onto their editorial playlists which has put our material in front of an audience of people who are already fans of our genre and that we could have never expected to achieve on our own this early in our career, so while the payout per track isn’t ideal they definitely have helped us bring in more fans who in turn will buy merch and come to shows.

Do you think that things like social media platforms, streaming services, etc., have made it easier for fans to discover new bands, or has it led to an even more competitive marketplace in which you need that vital USP in order to get attention?

Sean: I think it has made it easier for fans to discover bands, but not necessarily easier for bands to be the ones that people discover. It’s always been the case that you need to give people a reason to care about what you’re doing. I think if you can get people to resonate with your message and feel like they are a part of something, that’s better than any social media gimmick.

Eanna: It may be easier for people to see your music, but if it isn’t to a high standard, or if people don’t resonate with your music, you’re not going to retain those people as fans. Still, there’s a lot more opportunity these days thanks to the internet and social media.

Even though life has returned back to normality (for the meantime anyway), do you think the option of things such as lives streams, which really took off during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, will continue to be used by bands, especially to reach into territories where they may not be able to play, or afford to go to?

Sean: I’m not sure. The live stream concert thing isn’t something we particularly engaged with at the time because we were still so early in our career when COVID hit. We’ve done Twitch streams to chat with fans and hang out, but I think with live streaming concerts you can’t fully replicate that feeling that you get from being in the room at a show. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t ever do it, but the production values would need to be high enough that we felt we were giving our fans a worthwhile experience.

Eanna: I definitely think there’s a place for live-streaming gigs in the post-COVID world. Sure, you can’t replicate the live experience entirely, but it’s fantastic for fans that might not be able to go to a show normally (for example, someone living abroad or someone who may have accessibility issues). Now, would we ever do a live-streamed show? I don’t know. If you can’t tell from the media we put out, we very much pride ourselves on producing high-quality content, so whatever live-streaming gig we decide to put together would have to live up to the standards we’ve set for ourselves. But never say never!

So, what is next for the band? What is the plan for, say, the 2023 in terms of getting out there and bringing your music to new and expanding audiences?

Sean: We’ve been in the studio quite a bit over the last few months, so expect new music over the course of the year. We’ll be joining Punk Rock Factory on the Irish dates of their 2023 tour and we’re really excited for that. People are asking for us to play in the ÜK so hopefully we’ll manage to make it out there next year!

OK, now a bit of fun, and a couple of quickfire “out there” questions to give us a wee bit of an insight into your personalities:

Ice cream: vanilla or strawberry?

Sean: Vanilla

Eanna: Mint Choc Chip (but vanilla if I had to pick).

Gravy or curry sauce on your chips?

Both: Curry sauce

Salted or sweet popcorn?

Sean: I know it’s not an option but “as much butter they’ll let me put on it”.

Eanna: Salted. Any other answer is wrong.

Buckfast or Irn Bru?

Sean: Irn Bru

Eanna: Bucky

Smarties or M&Ms?

Both: M&Ms

And the big one: pineapple on pizza?

Sean: No

Eanna: Not for me, but you do you!

Final question: now that live gigs are fully up and running again, we’ll give you your choice of any three other bands (signed or otherwise) you would choose to play with on a bill and where would that gig be?

Sean: The Wonder Years, Four Year Strong, Loveless and Crown The King in The Olympia in Dublin sounds like it would be an amazing show.

Eanna: One OK Rock, Between You & Me, Yours Truly and Crown The King would be some show to put on in the Academy in Dublin some day.

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