The King’s Parade began life as “The Poubelle Booms”, a duet between vocalist and guitarist, Olly Corpe, (runner up on Australian Idol in 2008), and keyboardist Sam Rooney. Last year, however, the band changed their name following the addition of bassist Tom English and drummer Chris Brent. They started out playing covers but have recently begun to write their own material. Their latest song “Vagabond” currently has over 15,000 plays on SoundCloud. Jennie Lees from Stray FM has described the quartet as “four talented musicians in their own right but when you put them together, they combine to make up one of the best bands I’ve ever encountered – and I’ve seen a lot of bands.” High praise indeed!
How did you come up with the name “The King’s Parade”?
OC: We all have nicknames in the band. Our drummer is “the king” and he always refers to himself as “the king”. It’s a bit of a joke but he takes it very seriously. Then there’s “the princess”, “the duke” and “the baby”. He thought it might be funny if we called ourselves “The King’s Parade”. We thought this was a nice name and so we decided to keep it.
SR: Then we found out it was the name of about twenty other bands.
What was playing your first gig as a whole band like?
OC: Our first gig together wasn’t that great as obviously it takes a bit of time for everyone to get used to each other at first but we always had a pretty good connection.
SR: But we knew it sounded good when it first came together.
Olly, how did you find your experience on Australian Idol?
OC: It was a great experience; it really helped my performance and technique a lot and I met some great people and made some great contacts.
How would you describe your musical sound?
SR: We like to call it “NuTown”. It’s a bit of a modern, more poppy twist on Motown.
How do you fit practising and playing gigs around your degrees?
OC: Well, we don’t. It seems like it’s the degree that’s in the way of our band more than anything else. There’s a lot of pressure sometimes especially when you have stuff to hand in.
What do you think of the music scene in York?
OC: There’s not enough stuff going on. Woodstock is the only good music event of the year (on campus). Stereo do some good gigs and Duchess and Fibbers. The issue is people, especially students here, don’t put the effort in to go and see the local bands.
SR: But we won’t blame the audience!
OC: Yeah, it’s lovely when we see people out. But it’s just a shame; such great venues could be turned into such great places.
What has been your most enjoyable gig so far?
SR: Playing at the Summer Ball last year was great. One of the special highlights was performing a song on stage with Dionne Bromfield, Amy Winehouse’s god-daughter, after plucking up the courage to go over to her dressing room to ask her.
What was it like to play live on Stray FM last November?
OC: It was a lot of fun and they really enjoyed it as well. They also played the session twice over Christmas and in the New Year which can only serve to expand our fan base.
What can we expect from the band in the future?
OC: We’re hoping to release an EP sometime this year.
SR: Summer maybe but we’re still writing more and more tunes. We’re thinking of playing in London. As to getting ourselves out there, it really depends on motivation. However, there’s also an element of luck.
And lastly, do you love Willow or avoid it like the plague?
SR: When the moment’s right you can’t avoid it.
OC: It’s the best club in York: It’s seedy but it’s great.