SHOW REVIEW: King Krule @ Hollywood Palladium

King Krule

Something that was not meant to be, is done. I guess it’s the start of what was. -- “Rock Bottom,” King Krule.

A show four years in the making -- excited fans line up in the heat outside the doors of the Hollywood Palladium. This tour was supposed to take place in April 2020, but obviously, Archy Marshall did not hit the stage until over three years later. Disappointed fans did not know when he would be back in Los Angeles, but closing his American tour he picked the perfect location and perfect group of supporters on Sunday and Monday night at LA’s famous Sunset Boulevard venue. 

My girlfriend and I arrived around 4pm, which I thought was early enough, but I was surely mistaken, as there was already a huge line forming at the time of my arrival. The boys in the front of the line told me that they had been there since 11 that morning. The energy was apparent from the moment we stepped in line; it was chaotic and it was exuberant. The doors opened exactly at 7pm, and fans rushed through security to find a spot at the barricade. For many fans, it was barricade or nothing! 

We landed in the middle, about three rows from the barricade. A perfect spot in my book. Archy’s microphone was smiling directly at me. He would be out shortly. But first, Slauson Malone took the stage as the opening act around 8pm. The duo consists of singer and guitarist Jasper Marsalis and Cellist Nicky Wetherell. Experimental and frankly bizarre, the music was psychedelic soul mixed with neo-psychedelia bedroom pop (if even that). Slauson Malone’s performance that night, along with the unprompted crowd diving during the second song, was definitely not a performance I will be forgetting. 

Finally, around 9pm, King Krule and the rest of his band, including insane drummer George Bass, took the stage. I had been following the setlist during the “Space Heavy” tour, and expected a very different show than the one we saw. I was surprised in the best way. Opening with “A Lizard State,” one of my personal favorites and one that he rarely, if ever, opened with on this tour, the crowd could immediately tell the kind of night this was going to be. It was going to be a monumental show with fans whose excitement had been building since April of 2020, and it certainly lived up to those expectations. The crowd jumped and pushed and danced to the first five songs from critically acclaimed older albums “Man Alive!,” “The Ooz,” and “6 Feet Beneath the Moon.” For many, it was a nostalgic show, filled with good and bad memories from years ago, where so many used King Krule’s music as an outlet to cope and to cry and to scream and laugh, me being one of these humble fans.

The lightshow was absolutely wild, with a theme of complimenting colors, shades of blue, black, and red. The chorus would come and the lights would strobe, he would drop the mic and play the guitar with so much power, so much passion, yet so melodically. It really made you wonder how someone could be so talented, especially someone like me with such a lack of musical inclination. 

Unfortunately, the crowd was not so respectful. They were so immersed in the performance which was incredible, but almost too much so, and it was not until Archy finally stopped the show around the sixth song and said “please everyone give each other space,” that we had already moved to the side. However, this did not ruin the experience in any way. It was nice to be able to move to the upcoming “Space Heavy” album and all the other surprises that came throughout the show such as “Rock Bottom,” which is another personal favorite. 

The show ended around 10:30, and satisfied and sweaty fans made their way home, still riding that concert high. I had already seen King Krule once at Primavera Sound in 2022, but it was a completely different vibe, as most people were only holding their spots for Girl in Red and Arctic Monkeys who were the next to hit the stage. It was a nice change to be surrounded by people who loved him as much as we did. Many of these people even had King Krule related tattoos, such as our new friend Miranda who had “Baby Blue” tatted on her arm. These were true fans, and although some of them annoying and disrespectful, the majority were sweet and excited and welcoming. It was a magical night for everyone there, and I look forward to seeing Archy/King Krule many more times in the future. 
- DJ Dazed AKA Hazel Sepenuk