King Size Slim - Chukka Chukka [CD]

Following on from the 2014 release of his debut album, Milk Drunk, the career of singer/songwriter King Size Slim has gone from strength to strength, earning him awards, critical acclaim and greater live success in the UK, Europe and beyond. Now building on his distinctive "acoustic roots" sound King Size Slim returns with Chukka Chukka, released by Treehouse44 on 15th April 2016. As the King Size Slim story began with Milk Drunk, we found our protagonist immersed in a shady world of rolling grooves emanating from his distinctive resonator guitar with layers of homemade percussion, handclaps, shakers and foot stomps creating a huge one-man sound with minimal accompaniment. For this next chapter, that world has become a little more voluminous - the trademark guitar grooves still feature heavily, the "junk drum kit" sounds are still in the mix - but Chukka Chukka is a voyage and this time around King Size Slim has a crew on board, most notably bass and drums with mandolin and squeezebox taking a guesting role plus a mighty sounding 'Sinners Choir' providing a soulful soundscape to ripen the groove. Throughout this evolution, one element remains constant – the sensibilities of King Size Slim as a singer/song writer. Driven by the love of "a really good story", King Size Slim cements his reputation as a troubadour in the truest sense of the word, telling tales of love, introspection, exasperation and justice as well as a little known episode of social history from the 18th century annals of his home town of Hastings in the shape of the harmonious "America Ground" (the intriguing story of a community growing on a spit of land, thrown up from the sea by a storm). King Size Slim In 2005 Hastings based King Size Slim, aka Toby Barelli, began experimenting with a new sound – a sound fully conscious of its roots but with a new story to tell. Having spent the previous four years touring and recording with Two Tone pioneers 'The Selecter', that sound was always going to be rhythm led, rootsy and bass heavy, built from the ground-up to incorporate an innate love of blues and folk music from around the world. The big warm tones from his resonator guitar with a powerful and direct vocal style soon became the King Size Slim trademarks that define a truly heavyweight acoustic sound that at once both shouts loud and kisses sweet. With over 150 shows across the UK and Europe in 2014 Toby quickly built a reputation as a powerful performer and a must see act on the roots, acoustic and blues circuits. Live shows at the legendary 100 Club, The Jazz Café and The Union Chapel announced King Size Slim to an enthusiastic London scene. All of this led to Toby being hand-picked to open the BBC Music Presents "Queen - Rock Big Ben" New Year Special. The rest of 2015 saw more shows, more festivals and bigger stages including a support slot for Taureg nomads Tinariwen and a headline tour with guitar legend Skip McDonald. "Taking lactose intolerance to new levels... I really like this record!" Huey Morgan, BBC Radio 2 "King Size Slim gave the standout performance of the weekend… This was the real deal, authentic acoustic roots music." eFestivals, review of The Acoustic Festival of Great Britain Best Emerging Artist 2014 - British Blues Award Winner.