London collective the King Blues drew inspiration from the Specials, Public Enemy, and the Clash while fusing folk-punk, Two-Tone, and dub reggae behind lyrics steeped in political commentary, a blend the group itself labeled "conscious rude boy ska." What began as a duo in 2004 soon expanded when vocalist and ukulele player Jonny "Itch" Fox along with guitarist Jamie Jazz brought in additional players, eventually locking in a stable roster that featured guitarist Dean Ashton, bassist Kat Marsh, keyboardist Josie Dobson, and drummer Jack "Percusher" Usher. Their first release, the EP All Fall Down, surfaced in 2005, followed a year later by the full-length Under the Fog; after the band signed to Field Recordings, an Island subsidiary, the album received a reissue in 2007. Backed by airplay from Radio 1’s Zane Lowe and Mike Davies, the 2008 album Save the World, Get the Girl yielded modest chart entries with the tracks "Headbutt" and its title song. A Live Lounge rendition of Dizzee Rascal’s "Bonkers," already a staple of their concerts, emerged as their best-known track. The group then delivered its third LP, Punk and Poetry, on the independent label Transmission in 2011. Early the following year the members traveled to California to work with producer John Feldmann, known for his work with the Used and Good Charlotte, on what was slated to be their next album. In April 2012 they announced their dissolution, issuing Long Live the Struggle as a final statement. Three years afterward the collective reconvened, newly motivated to challenge the governing Tory administration, and in 2017 they returned with their fifth album, The Gospel Truth.
