King King announce May 2016 UK Tour with Dan Patlansky as support

24 HOUR BOX OFFICE – 0844 478 0898
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Photo Credit: © John Bull

Award-winning Blues Rock band King King announce in association with Planet Rockradio a new nationwide UK tour for May 2016, which kicks off at Manchester Academyon Thursday 12th  (see full tour dates listed below) with special guest South African Blues rock sensation, guitarist and singer-songwriter Dan Patlansky. 
Planet Rock will run a 48-hour ticket pre-sale for their listeners from Wednesday 18th November. Tickets will then go on sale to the general public from Friday 20th November from www.thegigcartel.com and the 24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898.

Having scored two recent radio hit singles on Planet Rock with the songs Crazy andHurricane, and a recent nomination for Best New Band at this year’s Classic Rock Awards, King King are going from strength to strength.
Their third studio album, Reaching for the Light, has been championed by dozens of music magazines including Classic Rock, The Blues, Guitarist, Blues Matters, Blues in Britain and many more. In the New Year the band will record a full electric session for Paul Jones Blues Show on BBC Radio 2. 
Recently handpicked by Thunder to open for them on their UK arena tour in February 2016.

Dan Patlansky; South African blues rock guitarist and singer-songwriter, whose Dear Silence Thieves album was voted No. 1 on Blues Rock Review’s Top 20 Blues Rock Albums of 2014, will be King King’s very special guest.
Fresh off his UK and European tour with Joe Satriani, and one of Classic Rock magazine’s hotly tipped new artists of 2015 to watch out for, Patlansky’s last studio album, Dear Silence Thieves has received non-stop accolades and praise from the British press.

Photo Credit: © Stephen Fourie

Things started gaining momentum after he opened for Bruce Springsteen in front of 64,000 people at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg in February 2014. 
The following year, Planet Rock radio play listed the Dear Silence Thieves songsBackbite and Fetch Your Spade which subsequently landed Patlansky an upcoming appearance at the Planet Rockstock Festival in Trecco Bay, Wales, on December 4th.
In early April 2016, Patlansky will release his new studio album INTRO-VERTIGO – one month before he joins King King on their UK tour in May.

Photo Credit: © John Bull

Speaking of King King, it’s almost been two and a half years since the band’s all-conquering second album, Standing in the Shadows, established them as the leading exponents of the British Blues scene, but Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar), Lindsay Coulson(bass), Wayne Proctor (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keyboards) can’t stop moving.   
In 2014, King King won a total of five 2014 British Blues Awards, including Best Album and Best Band. The nods came from BBC Radio 2 presenter Paul Jones to Classic Rock’s The Blues magazine. Their support slot on John Mayall’s 2014 UK tour, proved to be a game changer.
"We all want to take this band as far as we can," says Alan. "We want to sell as many albums as possible, and anyone who says they don’t enjoy five-star reviews is lying. Most importantly, we’ve got a great album that people can listen to and enjoy – and that’s what really matters."

Photo Credit: © Laurence Harvey

KING KING
MAY 2016 UK TOUR

WITH SPECIAL GUEST
DAN PATLANSKY

ALL TICKETS £20.00
24 HOUR BOX OFFICE – 0844 478 0898
BOOK ONLINE – www.thegigcartel.com

MANCHESTER ACADEMY
THURSDAY 12th MAY 
Tickets: 20 / Box Office: 0161 275 2930
Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com
Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PR
www.manchester-academy.org

GATESHEAD SAGE
FRIDAY 13th MAY
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 0191 443 4661
Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com
St Mary's Square, Gateshead Quays, Gateshead, NE8 2JR
www.sagegateshead.com

GLASGOW o2 ABC
SATURDAY 14th MAY 
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 0844 477 2000, 0844 478 0898
www.ticketweb.co.uk, www.thegigcartel.com 
300 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3JA
www.o2abc.co.uk

SHEFFIELD CITY HALL
SUNDAY 15th MAY
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 01142 789 789
www.sheffieldcityhall.co.uk 
Sheffield City Hall, Barkers Pool, Sheffield, S1 2JA

GLOUCESTER GUILDHALL
WEDNESDAY 18th MAY
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 0844 478 0898
Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com
23 Eastgate Street, Gloucester, GL1 1NS
http://venues.gloucester.gov.uk

CRAWLEY HAWTH
THURSDAY 19th MAY 
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 01293 553 636
Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com
The Hawth, Hawth Avenue, Crawley, RH10 6YZ
www.hawth.co.uk

SALISBURY CITY HALL
FRIDAY 20th MAY
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 01722 434 434
Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com
Salisbury City Hall, Malthouse Lane, Salisbury, SP2 7TU
www.cityhallsalisbury.co.uk

BIRMINGHAM TOWN HALL
SATURDAY 21st MAY
Tickets: £20 / Box Office: 0121 345 0600
Book Online: www.thegigcartel.com
Birmingham Town Hall, Victoria Square, Birmingham, B3 3DQ
www.thsh.co.uk

Photo Credit: © Adam Kennedy

KING KING - BIOGRAPHY

King King are on a roll. Faced with their army of fans and armfuls of awards, it’s hard to believe that Alan Nimmo (vocals/guitar), Lindsay Coulson (bass), Wayne Proctor (drums) and Bob Fridzema (keys) have come so far, so fast. As Henry Yates of Classic Rock Blues notes, "King King are the hottest draw in British blues-rock". Yet there’s no smoke and mirrors behind their five-year rise - just killer songs, performed with true passion, by a fist-tight lineup.
 
The Glasgow-based band stand on the brink of their busiest period to date, promoting critically acclaimed third studio album, Reaching for the Light, and bring the music to fans across Europe. "Our schedule is so busy," laughs Alan. "But you’ve just got to run with it."
In short, there’s no time for backslaps, even as King King reflect on an astonishing early run. As a measure of the band’s impact, consider their five victories at the 2014 British Blues Awards, not least ‘Best Band’ (for a third consecutive year) and ‘Best Album’ for 2013’s Standing in the Shadows.
Add to that, the inclusion of Shadows in both The Blues Mag’s Top 50 Albums of 2013, and Paul Jones’ BBC Radio 2 end-of-year countdown (the only British album in the running). And now, with Reaching for the Light due to land on May 5th, they’ll need to clear some space in the trophy cabinet.
Media plaudits are always welcome, but perhaps the most tangible evidence that King King are doing something right are the audiences who have roared them to the rafters across the planet. It’s quite a coup, in an era when we’re told that honest, dues-paying rock ‘n’ roll is on the ropes. But then, ever since their live debut shook the Monaghan Blues Festival back in 2010, it was obvious there was something special about this four-piece.
King King were never exactly a ‘new band’, of course. Alan was already a familiar face on the international blues circuit while Lindsay, Wayne and original keys man Bennett Holland were all first-choice musicians with pedigree and past-form. Yet critically, whereas many talented lineups become a tug-of-war between egos, King King soon hit on a winning team dynamic, with all four members creating synergy on the stage and sparking ideas in the studio.

First came 2011’s Take My Hand. Dubbed "tremendous, terrific" by Maverick Magazine, crowned Blues Album of the Month in Classic Rock, and ultimately scoring the band’s first British Blues Award for ‘Best Album’, it was one hell of an opening gambit – topped only by the release of Standing In The Shadows in March 2013.
While lesser bands complain of ‘difficult second album syndrome’, this was a follow-up that bottled King King’s jaw-breaking live power, and underlined the lineup’s evolving songwriting on tracks from the tough More Than I Can Take to the tender Long History Of Love. The Classic Rock Blues Mag deemed it "a sure-fire hit", and they were proved right, with demand for King King pulling the new lineup – now bolstered by Bob’s astonishing prowess on keys and organ – from Eastern Europe to Canada, for house-rocking sets that included the Ottawa and Mont Tremblant Blues Fests and the Canada AM show.
With King King, the soundbites and statistics only tell half the story. For conclusive proof of this band’s brilliance, you need only play the music – and the smart move is to start with their most powerful and personal album to date, Reaching for the Light. Co-written by all four members, recorded in snatches between touring commitments, and channeling everything from hard-rock to gospel, it’s another step up from a band with no reverse gear. "We’re really proud of this album," says Alan. "It’s faster, louder, more energetic, more exciting. It’s got the potential to blow the roof off."

Photo Credit: © Laurence Harvey

DAN PATLANSKY - BIOGRAPHY

Never far from likeminded genius, guitarist, singer-songwriter and globally respected purveyor of the blues, Dan Patlansky, is hailed as one of the world’s finest blues-based storytellers of his generation.
Ever since his debut album, Standing At The Station, followed by his 2004 major label (Blue Note, EMI produced) masterstroke True Blues, Dan Patlansky has been immersing himself in the rich and rollicking world of blues rock music.
In February 2005, and again in July 2006, Selwyn Miller, the New Orleans based manager of David Gates, Bread, Randy Crawford and Petula Clark (amongst others), took Patlansky to New Orleans to showcase his outstanding talent.  In 2006 Fenderacknowledged his talent with a guitar and amp endorsement, making him only one of six on the continent to enjoy such a privilege.
As Dan settled into his groove, what followed was a barrage of brilliantly executed eclectic and acoustic blues albums. 2006 brought Real, Move My Soul in 2009, 20 Stones in 2012, and the unplugged wonder of 2013’s acoustically anchored Wooden Thoughts release.
With each new release, Patlansky’s albums brought with him a tighter and more engaging lyrical twist and even more interesting turns, all of which led beautifully to his much anticipated 2014 full electric album released in May.
"After over a decade of making albums for us, Dan’s seventh album continues to deliver the goods that have made him the premier blues rock guitar player in South Africa, if not one of the top in the world." – Blues Rock Review
After touring Europe in 2013 with Everlast, Dan returned to the continent in October 2014 for another tour to promote Dear Silence Thieves internationally. He impressed Norway when he headlined the Fjord Blues Festival.  His performance was described as ‘magic’ and ‘religious experience’.
With successful shows in the Netherlands and Germany, Dan ended his European tour by headlining the Horsen’s Blues Festival in Denmark, a festival where he played at the Showcase Stage in the basement in 2013.
In February 2014, Dan opened for Bruce Springsteen in front of 64,000 people at FNB Stadium in Johanesburg.
In December 2014, Dear Silence Thieves (produced by Theo Crous) was nominated as the No. 1 Blues Rock Album in the world released for 2014 by Blues Rock Review, alongside Joe Bonamassa, Rival Sons, Devon Allman, The Black Keys, Philip Sayce, etc.
In April 2015, Dear Silence Thieves was finally released in the UK, and Dan supported the release by touring the UK and was welcomed with open arms by the British rock and blues press with rave reviews and accolades.
In October 2015, Patlansky supported Joe Satriani on his Shockwave Supernova tour which included over 10 countries in mainland Europe, Eastern Europe and the UK.
In April 2016, Dan will release the follow up album to Dear Silence Thieves, INTRO-VERTIGO with Theo Crous helming the production.

Photo Credit: © Laurence Harvey

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