King Krule review: It’s a musical mess with a riotous finale

Too cool to accept Kanye West’s invitation to make music together and openly sceptical of Beyoncé’s social media endorsement, Archy Marshall is not the sort to be thrown by early success.

The artist known as King Krule became a cult phenomenon at 19 and, four years later, he’s finally released his difficult second album, The Ooz.

Apparently inspired by “gunk”, “snot” and other bodily fluids, the singer and guitarist from Peckham and his band duly made a musical mess at the first of two sold-out KOKO gigs.

The Ooz is a drawn-out collection of songs that also touches on Marshall’s depression, insomnia and relationships to create an uneasy listen. But the live version was at times a self-indulgent jazz jam that sent fans into a stupor. While the murky lighting didn’t help, torturous tunes such as Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver) added to the gloom.

At least Marshall was an electrifying presence when he unleashed his gruff croon on the freewheeling frenzy of Dum Surfer and teenage rage of A Lizard State. By the midway point, he had won over this crowd with the savage, sprawling Rock Bottom. The jittery punk of Emergency Blimp was even better.

Demanding the lights were turned down further (“I don’t want anyone to see me”) he switched to the stark balladry of A Slide In (New Drugs).

But this audience were really holding out for anthems Easy Easy and Out Getting Ribs, which provided a riotous finale. If he can continue to resist the celebrity entreaties, Marshall seems destined to remain a true original.