Arcadia England

This week we had the unique opportunity to hear from Olly Corpe, lead vocalist and songwriter for the band The King's Parade. Olly took the time to share the history of how his band has gotten where they are today and to perform a few songs including one of their first songs "Vagabond" and an unreleased song "Fine" that they decided to perform live for the first time in lockdown.

The King's Parade was formed while studying at the University of York in 2011. The band then chose to perform covers of songs on cruise ships for several years, which Olly said really helped them to find their sound and to become a cohesive unit. They were then ready to take the big leap to busking on the streets of London. Busking, or street performing, is the act of performing in public for voluntary gratuities. Olly shared that busking was actually a great way to make money and they never knew who might walk by. In 2014 they were dubbed "London's Best Buskers" by none other than the then-mayor Boris Johnson. About a month later they were arrested for performing in Leicester Square based on an antiquated law. Fortunately, through their new connections to the Mayor they were able to secure a swift release.

It was through busking that The King's Parade met their first producer and were able to record their first EP album in a garden shed. Since then, the band has continued to succeed and has even recorded at Abbey Road Studios, made famous by the Beatles of course! Olly chalks the bands success up to luck, meeting people on the streets, and their loyal fans. However, it only takes a second of listening to The King's Parade to realise that there is also an incredible amount of talent

Check out more of Olly's story here and listen to the live recordings of "Vagabond" and "Fine".

Listen to The King's Parade on Spotify and look out for their new album later this year.