After a five year absence, Louisville’s King Kong is back with their very own blend of funk and general absurdness. I like to describe the Kong as the party band no one hired but no one dared pull the plug. My first introduction to the Kong was in high school when I picked up a cassette of their album Funny Farm. Back in the day, I just didn’t get it. How could I take a band like this serious? Of course, my questioning was part of the problem. King Kong aren’t a band to be analyzed but one to chuggle at and dance to. I mean a sample of their song titles include “To Love A Yak,” “Scooba Dooba Diver,” and “Dance of the Ducks”.
Last night, King Kong headlined another one of the Empty Bottle’s free Monday nights. While less of a crowd than for Headache City, there were definitely loyal Kong fans up front and center singing and dancing. I assume that there is probably a larger fan base here than other cities because King Kong are on the Chicago label, Drag City. The majority of the set came from the new album, Buncha Beans, which doesn’t deviate too much from the sound of Kong five years ago. Older tunes I recalled hearing where “Uh-Oh,” “Bad Cat Blues,” “Funky Monkey,” and, of couse, the classic “Funny Farm”.
(King Kong funk at the Empy Bottle.)