King Goon: Meet The Bands Playing This Weeks Punks 4 Mental Health Minifest.
Supporting Mental Health Awareness Week playing night 1 of The Punks 4 Mental Health Minifest in Crowleys Rock Bar Friday 12th May, are the 'ska punk tastic' King Goon. Find out about the band and what Mental Health means to them. Thanks to Hywel from the band!
Can you tell me about King Goon ? King Goon was formed in 2011 in Swansea. Originally operating as a soundman-terrifying 8-piece, the line-up has slimmed down over the years to a less-imposing-but-nonetheless-still-rowdy 5-piece, with three singers wailing up front and a wall of bouncy noise clattering and whooping away behind. It’s probably worth mentioning at this point that all the ex-members of King Goon (HEY YOU GUYS!) are still considered to be part of the band, and could in fact reappear from behind a curtain/rock/burning bush at any given moment...and that’s the Goon way, kids – for we are all of us Goons. We’re currently finishing up the recording of our long-awaited (and much delayed) debut album, “ADMIT NOTHING – DENY EVERYTHING – LIE LIE LIE”, which is 13 tracks of flat-out Goonery, best served at high volume, which we hope serves as a fitting, technicolour testament to the bedrock insanities of the post-truth era.
You are playing at the Punks 4 Mental Health Mini Fest this weekend, what can people expect from the band on the night? The simple idea behind the band is “Music to dance to. Not stupid”, a concept which – in all its reductive glory – has served us well over the years. You’ll hear elements of ska, hip-hop, punk, soul, indie, rock, dance and unashamed power-pop in the tunes, and hopefully you’ll feel an uncontrollable urge inside of you that compels you to get on up to get on down (with your bad self). We might even throw in a couple of odd covers, too – providing the beers are cold and heading towards the stage like a lazy river of sweet refreshment.
What does it mean to the band to be playing an event aimed at challenging stigma around mental health?
We, as a band, have had direct experience of mental health issues, both in our own lives and in the lives of our friends and family, so we feel proud and grateful for any opportunity to help raise money/awareness. Mental Health is probably the number one health issue in Britain, and also one of the most misunderstood – which is strange when you consider that it’s a truly universal affliction; one that transcends societal differences and divides: Beggars, Lords, Drunks, Kings, Remainers and Brexiteers all dance to the same tune when the black dog bites...but still the stigma remains. We must remove it. There is a basic lack of understanding and a wilful lack of education, and this – coupled with vicious (and ideological) funding cuts to mental health services across the country – has now created a public health crisis of grand proportions. If you judge a society by how well they treat their vulnerable and sick, we are currently failing as a society. We must change, for the good of all the people in this country...and if King Goon can help in some way by playing dance music and shouting about peace, love, rum and understanding while cheerfully calling out the charlatans and snake-oil salesman that seek to divide us and diminish us, then we’re very happy to be able to do so.
Come and see King Goon at the Punks 4 Mental Health Minifest this Friday 12th May at Crowleys Rock Bar Swansea. Doors 7.30pm. Entry is free. Buckets will be doing the rounds on the night . Please dig deep for a contribution to our chosen charity Links .
