So we've had a wee review with Ryan Drever from the List online!
You can read that here:

http://www.list.co.uk/article/16746-...

At first glance, and perhaps even first listen, youthful quartet The King Hats may seem like they're cut from the same cloth as many of the recent indie revivalists. However, live - as anyone who has witnessed the bands' stint at T in The Park or any of the cluster of shows in Glasgow and surrounding areas will testify - they are a uniquely riotous frenzy of jagged guitars and screeching megaphone. Intrigued? Here's drummer Carlo, and guitarist Bert with a few words to satisfy your curiosity.

So, how did you get started as The King Hats? Had you been in bands before?
Carlo: We all come from a wee town called Dunoon, so we've known each other in one way or another for years, and we've pretty much always been in bands since we picked up our instruments. Allan and Bert - originally a bass player, but who wanted to try his hand at playing the guitar - decided to start a new band together. The rest of us had played together before, so it took off from there.

Your live performances are energetic and seem to take a lot out of you. Do you feel playing live is the most important part of being in a band?
Bert: Haha, yeah! You should see us after a gig. We're usually all dead! It takes a minute to get back to full functionality after you've given everything you have. But that's what it takes, otherwise what's the point? You see too many bands just now that look really awkward onstage. Not mentioning any names.

Who or what would you consider to be your biggest influences or inspiration?
Bert: Alan writes the lyrics, and they're really just stories that he wants to tell. As for the music, we're more influenced by the feel of a song, but if we had to pick, I would say we edge towards punk - but without the safety pins and spitting.

Was the inclusion of a megaphone in your set, a plan from the get-go or a more spontaneous decision?
Bert: We've had the megaphone from day one. Alan was looking to get some distortion on his voice. He was pissed and walking passed Machine Mart and saw the dirty little bastard in the window and just had to buy it.

What are your plans for the rest of the year? Any releases on the way?
Carlo: We've got a Scottish mini-tour lined up for the last week in June, so that should be fun. We've not got any major releases coming up, but we've just started working with a couple of mates so we can start recording more stuff. We'll just be putting them up for download as soon as they're done basically. We should also have a few more support slots throughout the year as well as festivals.

Bert: There are a few things in the pipeline, but we don't want to spill the beans just yet!


List.co.uk
26 March 2009
Ryan Drever

The King Hats
Shockwaves NME Tour, QMU, Glasgow

As the Shockwaves NME tour hit Glasgow, it was the opportunity for a Scottish band to take the stage along with the hotly tipped Cheeky Cheeky and the Nosebleeds and Californian new wave rockers Iglu and Hartly. Surely a mean feat for any new Scottish band, but one triumphed by Glasgow based four piece, The King Hats.

Lighting up the stage with a vibrance and energy unsurpassed by the previous bands of the evening, the boys' tight guitar riffs, heavier than thou drums and high-octane vocals defy the current indie sensibility sweeping our fair nation's music scene.

With an onstage presence Jagger would be proud of, the King Hats confidence, matched with their striking ability to capture the crowd's attention, proves these lads are certainly ones to look out for in the coming months.

Ruairidh Pritchard
Re:Union

When King Hats (****) frontman Alan Power takes to the stage mewling through a megaphone, it's hard not to fear the worst. However, appearances aside (NB: pink gingham is not man’s best friend), King Hats turn out to be a very interesting prospect, their high-voltage jerky indie-pop mingling with raw Reuben-esque rock, and worth the entry price alone for the line “I was a riot, I was Dumyat”.

Heather Crumley
The Skinny

You can read the rest of the review here:

http://www.theskinny.co.uk/article/4...