Sometimes people take it upon themselves to write about AKP. Quite often they're talking out of their arse, but occasionally they say something nice and when they do we add them to this page. If you've written something sensible about the band, let us know and we'll put it here too.
This well-produced album (The Blast Apex) opens with a good ol' fashioned slice of uplifting rock music that benefits from a synth-driven tempo and the pace has duly been set, as 'Poison Over Gold' is unleashed off the back of some deft guitar riffing to descend with the bass.
All that broken-hearted lryrical conviction is poured forth in tandem with some beautifully unashamed shape-throwing sounds as the AKP harmonise their devotion to the spirit of rock and roll. Skirting dangerously close to the poodle perm eighties one minute, and taking away my breath the next with euphoric hooks and bouncing melodies, this is a full embrace of pop's finer sensibilities that would have been perfectly at home on any Top 40 count down.
There are hits from the dawn of the video era but there are also nods to the here and now amidst the thunder. The clarity of the crystal clean licks and the sweep of the acoustic seem effortless, and the skipping pickup sounds click like fingers as the shifts in tempo match the ones in the pit of your belly.
'Serious Surburbia' drops out and builds itself up in two split second dips of the shoulder before taking no prisoners in a gothic account of character free zones where the emotions are numb. Followed by the gentle melodics of 'Something Beautiful' that echoes Procol Harum's 6T's hit whilst remaining firmly focused on the search for the perfect pop ethic's most secret ingredients,
A disturbing and sparse broken-sounding burst of binary beeping adds an eccentric quality to the Kylie and Jason beach wedding scene as 'Walking On The Sun' forsakes inhibitited allusions to what is and isn't cool. Andy Curry's eyes-closed vocal range scrapes the guttural and then rises to hit dizzy falsetto heights as this uncompromising quartet lose themselves in the music with not a second's glance sideways. It's to their credit that they have so simply allowed their musical tastes into their beautiful reworking of all that was so brilliant about popular music, back in the day. It's cool with a healthy dose of cheese and it flows with a strong current because it is entirely without inhibitions.
The finale, 'Goodbye' is gently pulled out of shape by a machine made background warp. Despite the aptly titled giveaway of their route one search for the biggest secrets of pop's unique effect, THE AKP use that FSOL ambience to slowly bend the track out of shape. It's an odd conclusion to a very intriguing album. More than just an energy showcase it's a record that ignores the way the wind is blowing with admirable disregard for what's hot and what's not. According to who, anyway? Style over fashion baby!
Local legends AKP kicked off the night with tracks from their new album The Blast Apex, mixing epic, intricately-worked guitar with lead singer Alex King's imploring croon, resulting in a sound not dissimilar to mid-nineties indie-kids Mansun...
- York Press
Where does the boxer turn when he's been floored by the one-two punch combination of his opponent, laying on the canvas for that ten second countdown a man has a whole lot of soul searching to do... he can take the easy road and lay there, watch the "you're out!" cry from the referee and go into retirement only to reflect on the what could have beens. But if like Alexander King when that moment came from his band AKP parting ways with it's rythym section, he climbed to his feet and kept his distance until the end of the round bell rung and knew then that he would come back out fighting fit. AKP today as opposed to yesteryear is one of a gang, walking into Fibbers tonight the four of them stood out from the crowd like the Rat Pack would, they look like they could pull off a bank heist with glances at each other onstage and an assurance that they know they now have four aces in hand rather than previous carnation of a king, queen and jack. If a cd compilation was produced today, something along the lines of Now That's What I Call Music York! it would surely have to be a double cd to make space for a collecting of AKP songs like Diagonal Man, Walking On The Sun, Chair That Wasn't There and Coming Up, that tonight erupted with Samson's strength and unleashed what was billed as an "AKP Rebirth" with such ferocity that you felt you hit the air bag when the final crunch and wail of guitar jolted through you. Now joined by Leo Derevonko on bass and Craig Hill on drums, these two musicians gathered enough force between them to shift tectonic plates, car alarms surely screamed outside Fibbers as pounding beats and rupturing bass lines laid on the thunder for Alexander's guitar pyromtechnics and vocal flexability to open the skies with strikes of lightning. Where previously with AKP a gap in performance, like driving with one blinking headlight would ensue when Mr King adventured into guitar virtuosity, now they have Andy Curry on synths and backing vocals the fuel tank has been filled up, engine and electrics tweeked and they're united finding top gear in this band's sound and performance that will continue to grow with future live shows tearing through the Blackpool Lights display most bands deliver and instead bring you to Las Vegas at New Year's midnight carnival. Do not miss the chance to see AKP now reborn and soon to be unleashing their debut album The Blast Apex like lions into the ampitheatre, as this wild bunch will overthrow the pretentiousness of too many rock bands and show the kids a lesson or two in style as well as substance.
- Marbled
AKP burst onto the stage after a six month spell in Broadmarsh for armed robbery on Moss Bros. Yes, theyre suited. Yes, theyre booted. The line up has changed from power trio to a quintescential rock quartet. Only the ego-manical, multi-instrumentalist, producer and outspoken frontman Alexander King remains from the original outfit. Out goes Gem Watson and Dan The Octopus Whiting. In comes flame haired Dust Bowl Central vocalist Andy Curry on the keyboard, Roy Orbison lookalike Leo Derevonko on bass and the hulking presence of Craig Hill on drums. Have AKP moved on? Has their sound changed? Alt-Pop-Art-Rock musings, check. Superb, elegant, infectious singalong Diagonal Man and breathtaking The Chair That Wasnt There, check. Prince-esque guitar vituousity from AKP frontman, check. But whats this? The dynamic is different. There are now four extroverts on stage, all poised and performing with the same gusto. Its a rebirth, a comeback, a much awaited return, a tour de force. Coming Up delivers with typical chop-smacking impact and Bulletpoint is remarkable, fullstop. AKP are back and I am one happy chap.
- The Talk
AKP have what they couldn’t possibly have thought – a great Duane Eddy riff to kick off a great rocking tune called "Coming Up" Some nice, sharply played guitar - with more than one lick in the locker and a good musicianly flow.
While other bands are preening their haircuts, York's legendary AKP are expertly communicating big ideas using sharp, finely crafted songwriting and a flair for breathtaking dynamics. Virtuoso guitar playing melds with pounding electronic drums to bring you tunes you'll be humming for weeks. Viciously independent, unconcerned with trends and currently in their sixth year of making music AKP have never been more focused.
There are four tracks on this sampler and each one could be a single in it’s own right. Every song features some nice riff-work, topped with clear vocals, where you can hear and appreciate the lyrics.
The opening chords of the first track “Coming Up” sound similar to a number of the current indie-rock favourites, such as The Futureheads, Maximo Park, etc, until all of a sudden….woosh!! A lead guitar lick that takes the song into another dimension, and back to the sounds of progressive rock. That said, there is a modern feel to this, with some nice, west coast (America that is…not Blackpool) vocals, that lead me into to thinking that this band would go down a storm in the United States.
This is rock with a commercial face and great musicianship. The guitar work is technically brilliant and the band are tight and polished. The influences are there for all to see, but they’ve used them in a way to create an original sound that sits nicely in a number of rock styles.
Both “Diagonal Man” and “Lost, I Escape” display a good contrast between full on distorted guitar and a cleaner sound. This works well, and really makes the choruses on these songs stand out, with good effect.
Final track, “Bullet Points” sounds not too dissimilar to The Lemonheads, with a laid back acoustic introduction. As with the previous two songs, we get the lift off into the chorus, but they do it in a way that convinces you that they aren’t a one trick pony.
All in all, this is a great CD if you like the more radio friendly side of rock. Both the recording and quality of the playing are faultless, and I can see this band bypassing the UK audience and cracking America in the way that bands like Bush and Spacehog did in the mid 90’s.
...Next up was AKP, a three-piece, heavy yet melodic rock outfit, driven by the magnetic and gifted front man Alexander King. I was treated to an impressive exhibition of contrasting styles; the cool, calm and static presence of Gem Watson, skilfully laying down an accomplished bass groove, the wiry frame of Dan Whiting expertly beating his electronic drum kit with all the vigour of a hyperactive octopus on Viagra and the sheer energy, passion and showmanship of the band's leader. Tracks like "Diagonal man", which is simply superb and the oddly titled but beautiful "The chair that wasn't there" demonstrate why they are such a well-respected band.
- The Talk
AKP are seriously talented, but with two sides - a clever rock band with tricky solos, stop-start dynamics and hi-tech electronic drums, and a band that delivers a simpler, driven, hard-edged jangle that impresses me more, particularly on "Bulletpoints" and the stirring "The Chair That Wasn't There".
- Sandman Magazine
It seems that Alex King, has whittled his circle of trust down to a trio of himself and two backing musicians, and in doing so has created the eponymous collective AKP. Not even does he have to contend with pesky interfering producers, now with his own studio to record to his heart's content.
King has admirably ploughed a lone furrow in the York music scene over the last five years. In heading-up a cultural/musical salvo upon the city, he unsurprisingly met with both disdain and praise. His live shows attempted to interweave some level of philosophy with audio-visual production. It seems that Alex genuinely cares about his audience, and humanity in general, which has a profound influence on his music.
Coming Up, the opening track of the CD, is the jewel in the crown of AKP's material. The chorus line "you're always coming up, if you're good enough" is so catchy that it leaves you considering pawning all your Libertines, Razorlight and Kings Of Leon records in order to buy up the entire back catalogue of The Manic Street Preachers. No matter how heavy and growling the bass-lines drop, King's pop instincts shine through repeatedly. It's obvious that he cares little for slap-dash methods of recording, and each track on this four song taster has been put through the mix meticulously.
Next up, Diagonal Man is a fully-formed study of modern life relationships, the opening line "A man stands on a beach all alone, a girl sits out of reach by the phone," setting the tone for much lovelorn soul-searching over the next four minutes. It's a grower, this one, no-where near as obviously catchy as the opener, but gives you a warm feeling of familiarity on second and third listening.
Some might say that AKP's songs are slightly formulaic, they seem to all contain the requisite thumping atmospheric electro drum section, the overdriven lead guitar solo middle-eight, and the Americanised catchy warblings of King himself. Lost, I Escape, is no exception, but has a sense of urgency about it that sets it apart from the earlier tracks, and closes with a perfect series of choppy chords.
The demo is wound up with Bulletpoints, another solid, if not particularly memorable tune, reminiscent of the lower depths of The Rasmus or Lostprophets.
Nothing AKP do is particularly wrong, and sonically they produce some particularly impressive material considering it is wholly the work of the band themselves. However, inspiration-wise, there is something lacking. Self-professed as being "unlike any other band you've seen," they don't really live up to this claim on the evidence of The Blast Apex.
Loosely-termed 'rock' in the conventional sense, Alex King's three-piece aims to take rock back to it's origins, as confrontational, expositional and intellectually powerful (not unlike the Manics), whilst maintaining the essential sense of melody.
York is a city that has a lot to be proud of. Its history is one thing. It's bands another: bands like this one, fronted by former Cognac star Alexander King... Here AKP follow-up their globally-acclaimed 'Wake Up Dead' EP, 'Stick And Twist' wasting no time in reminding of this trio's unique rock'n'roll sound, Alex's introverted guitar chug giving way to guitar finger-picking as his vocals in the verses remind of Paul Roberts' before they seamlessy soar into the chorus with Jeff Buckley-caped emotional overload. Yep, Alex King sure has one amazingly versatile voice, throwing it around with the ease of a ragdoll, bellowing 'I've touched myself in a different way.' In this song this man is comfortable and confident, as this band serves a rare ability to be unanimously soulful and mellow, and then ruffled and rocking. Behind the toiling Emo-facade, these melodies are mainstream-capped, the darker 'Cloudcover' ('You gave the best to me; I gave the worst to you') giving way to Jamaica Jerk's oppressively slow bridge, that wraps you in a false sense of security before the power Alt.-pop chorus rumbles into a musical interlude that plays the track out. Mmm... AKP exude a similar intensity to Muse, both live and on record. Final song, 'Rotting Steel,' is my fave though... the mid-paced melody crashing into a searing chorus that Alex's voice makes the best of, producing a perfect rock song that provokes crowd sway then out-and-out mosh reaction. Yes, AKP admit themselves that they eschew traditional recording techniques and media avenues. Likewise, they pay no respect to traditional song structures, jamming with the flow and revelling in the magic they perpetually manage to create.
This Alexander King guy is bit of an enigma, a genius, an ex-member of the hugely-popular Cognac from York and now fronting this 3-piece (backed up by drummer Dan Whiting + bassist Gem Watson) project that’s setting a unique stall that aims, through this here rock ‘n’ roll based music to admirably ‘enrich life through the discussion, exploration and analysis of the human condition,’ which both sounds and is downright serious, and damned extraordinary. The title track says it all – ‘Don’t lose your style to conformity,’ ‘Wake Up Dead’ proving more addictive than on-tap crack cocaine. ‘Our Heroes’ is much harder, faster, darker and punkier, but the intro slows into the bridge and there’s plenty of surprises to be had, the rock idol in Alex sounding akin to The Stranglers’ current frontman Paul Roberts, his moodily soulful voice briefly daring to soar to Buckley-esque extremes of conscience. Yet it’s ‘Stealth’ which is the undoubted highlight, its rollicking pop-rock promising great, great things from these young, young men with pure ambition to make one hell of a difference within the music biz. And please, please visit their website… it is that comprehensive, interactive and absorbing it could become your life’s work to visit it on a daily, if not hourly, basis to see what’s going on. Do as I have done and see for ya-selves.
- Kid Juxta
Impressions from their reputation
Write ups, revues, websites, stuff said,
Send a message of living lyrical theatre,
That messes with your head
Challenged
By this multiverse of multifarious:
Mussed
By this sussed altavista of muse performance
Mixed - emotions chugged amidst my expectations
(Something I've since learnt
It's best to leave behind
And just listen)
Twice at least is how you expect to hear a particular sound
And have it repeated for you generations hence
Chuck out that preconception / identification stuff
You haven't got it sussed
Follow AKP and you never will have
They always blast at you with something new
Despite the cutting edge as crisp as ice
I've also got to say - Hell
They're really nice
Christ they give it all away for free
Join me - Newly be - Give it for
AKP!
...just that one AKP song breathed confirmation into an aged recollection of mine that Alex is into Jeff Buckley-biased soul baring of the highest pitched order. With this York 3-piece's 'Wake Up Dead' EP being re-mixed in LA, it's only time before this man who leads his band by example gets his just desserts and recognised as a songwriter of class.
- Juxta Magazine
Wake up Dead (a three-track demo) is a fine piece of power indie pop. "We'll do pretty much anything to not be like any other band you've seen". Artistic, literary and theatrical approaches to live music they always attempt to make any live show as unique as possible. Playing with purpose AKP are musically very tight and innovative in their musical approach. Alexander King fronts the band with an enthusiasm and passion that clearly shows in the performance and songwriting style. Changing the tempo of the music at any moment during a song they have the desire and obviously work hard to ensure the audience is enthralled.
