Coming quickly off the back of their previous single ‘Bleak Moors’, Manchester punks TOKEO continue to explore the stark realities of life amongst Manchester’s forgotten mill towns on their single, ‘King of the Town’, the final track taken from their forthcoming debut album, ‘Class Traitor.’
A cathartic triumvirate of punk, rock and rap, the quintet have distanced themselves from much of their Manchester contemporaries through their angst-fuelled take on northern post-punk, preferring instead to shed light on the discrepancies faced by those growing up in areas ignored by wider government.
Indeed, these politics, and this anger are what allow TOKEO to stand apart from a local scene too often concerned with vintage leather jackets and virtue signalling to really care about the wider local area. And on ‘King of the Town’, this vitriol really boils over. A dystopic and tongue in cheek take on misplaced admiration, it’s a blisteringly scathing attack on small-town syndrome.
With each release harbouring more piss and vinegar than the last, it’s obvious that TOKEO are a band unimpressed with the current way the UK is heading, and we shouldn’t be too. At a time when the costs of living are soaring, and the UK government is nothing more than a self-spiralling shit show, the outlook is bleak, and while the band might not offer any respite from that, they certainly provide some much needed catharsis. Have a listen to ‘King of the Town’ below…
New Lease Music 