By Ellis Heasley |
2.6.2026
Photo: Eddie Swales
King Street have become one of the most essential fixtures of the London hardcore scene over the past few years. They’ve released a bunch of great EPs and singles, dropped a killer full-length called War Scrolls at the end of 2024, and played with what feels like just about every legendary band that’s come over in that time – not to mention plenty of the UK’s own heaviest hitters like Ninebar, 50 Caliber, and Bun Dem Out.
It therefore feels important to emphasise that when I say their new EP, Parting Shots, is their best stuff yet, I don’t mean that as a slight to any of their previous efforts. Comprising five brand new tracks of vintage London-style beast music capped off with a live cover of Crippler LBU’s eponymous UKHC classic, this record is every bit as hard and layered and gnarly as its insanely sick artwork.
All five members of the band were kind enough to share some thoughts on the EP and more, including the London hardcore scene, live experiences and highlights, and what else they’ve got coming up in 2026. Check it.
How did these new tracks come together, and did you have any specific goals in mind when writing them?
Riz (guitar): I joined the band in 2024, and at first, I just wanted to acclimate myself to the band and its musical direction. As I got to know all these dudes much better, it just became clear to me that we all gravitate towards the far heavier end of hardcore, yet we also love the melody and anthemic nature of bands like Wisdom in Chains, Death Threat, and even Oi! bands etc.
So once I started writing the music for this EP, I naturally started with far heavier riffs, but wanted to make sure that the songs weren’t just a mountain of riffs – but had structure. That’s why when you hear songs like “Honour the Few” and the title track “Parting Shots”, within the heaviness, you can hear the reprieve of memorable melodies as well. We want you all to mosh hard and pile on top of each other while singing along.
Parting Shots by King Street
What are some of the main themes of the record?
Ammo (vocals): I tackle the internal struggle in dealing with the trials and tribulations of day-to-day life. The pressures of society, politics, and family, and fighting the urge to let it all go, and understanding that the search for answers is often something you’ll never find. Maybe the answers don’t exist.
Laurence (drums): London is in the DNA of everything we do as a band. I like to think that sound comes through in all our music, with Parting Shots being no exception. We stand on the shoulders of giants and show respect to those who came before us.
The Rucktion scene since the ’90s has produced so many incredible bands that have inspired us to this day. I personally hope to carry across that influence in our music, and if our work brings new people in to discovering some gems of London Hardcore over the years, then that’s what it’s all about!
What was the recording process like, and did you have any intentions going into it?
Laurence: The record was engineered by our bassist, Matt Darby, at Persepolis Studios in Chelmsford (home of Essex OGs Special Move) over a weekend in July 2025 – huge thanks to Darius for letting us use his studio.
We had been demoing the songs and playing a few live for a few months before recording so we had a certain organic feel for them that we wanted to try to keep in the final product. We decided to record without using any click tracks – Riz and I played in the recording room live, and we used those takes for the drum recordings.
The guitars were then re-tracked over the recorded drums after they were laid down. This ultimately paid off as the final record has that organic feel and the tempo changes transition smoothly, the way we would play them live. It also means the live energy is translated more clearly into these recorded tracks, which I love.
Matt (bass): When Riz first showed us the songs in the practice room – and he and Laurence locked in – I knew instantly that to make a click track and go the super precise/gridded route would take away from the songs. Needed to capture the energy and the chaos…
The whole thing was recorded as if played at a show – Riz laying down the guitars directly into Laurence’s ears while I recorded it. Every time, the tempo is taken slightly differently, but always natural and intense! When I heard what Burke had done to the tunes, I was so glad we went this way! You can hear the energy 100%.
Laurence: After recording, the record was mixed and mastered by Anthony Burke (Sin Against Sin, Magnitude, Seed of Pain and a million other bands). I’m a big fan of his work and knew he’d be the perfect fit for these tracks. I wanted them to sound as huge as they felt to me in my head – he completely understood the assignment and nailed it. He worked his ass off on these tracks, and we are so grateful to him!
Photo: Directed by: REBORN
Please tell me more about the artwork…
Laurence: The artwork was designed by @iamanartistyouknow on Instagram. I found out about him after his band Soul of Sin covered “Let It Grow” by 50 Caliber (another band I play in), and they killed it. Once I saw that we stayed in touch, when the time came for artwork, he reached out after I’d put some feelers out and said he would love to work on it. What he produced completely blew me away…
I gave him some rough ideas of a London theme/demons/evil shit basically, and he did the rest. Stylistically, I knew I wanted some art without our band logo/album title all over it – I wanted the art to speak for itself, and I think we achieved that! Working with this artist was a blast; he gave it everything he had, and we are eternally grateful for his contribution to King Street’s body of work. Listen to Soul of Sin!
You guys have played with some true legends over the last few years – Madball, Terror, All Out War, etc., not to mention pretty much all of the UK’s finest – what has it been like playing those kinda shows and what have you learned from them?
Riz: I mean, Madball was the biggest one for me as I grew up in a city called Hong Kong, and even though I’ve been involved in hardcore for close to 30 years now, I’ve never seen Madball live. The big takeaway was just be humble and grateful that anyone gives a fuck about you. When Madball pulled up, they all immediately said hello and shook everyone’s hands. Their guitarist, Mike, and I talked about guitar nerd shit the entire night, and when he played, he came and stood right in front of me.
Just be cool, man [laughs] when All Out War shouted out a song to Ammo, it was another reminder of just being down to earth.
Laurence: For me, playing with All Out War meant the world… It was an honour to be a part of their first London show in over 10 years (the last time they came over was at the Underworld in 2014, and it was coincidentally one of the first hardcore shows I had ever been to). They were very down-to-earth, and we got on really well. The set was insane, but that goes without saying… All Out War are lifers and some of the most humble dudes around. A lot of bands could learn a lot from them.
John (guitar): It’s always an honour to be asked to share the stage with these bands. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with some of them more than once with my other bands, Bun Dem Out and 50 Caliber. Playing these shows has been incredible.
Sharing the stage with legends and feeling the energy from the crowd is something I’ll never forget. I’m not sure I’ve learned anything new from these experiences because I approach every show the same way, showing up and giving it everything, because that’s what hardcore means to me.
Does anything stand out as a particular highlight so far?
Riz: As one of the very few UKHC bands that’s majority POC (I’m Pakistani, Ammo is of Indian ethnicity, and John is of Filipino ethnicity), it’s always so special when fellow POC people come up to me to say how grateful they are to see brown people on stage playing hard music like this.
Laurence: Playing with All Out War, Sweden with Low Life and Steel Freight, the LBU all-dayer in Brighton put on by the King Conz LBU in Summer 2025. Last but not least, our War Scrolls album release show in January 2025 was one of the craziest sets I’ve ever played.
John: The fact that I still get to do this with my brothers in the band, past and present (shoutout to Immy and Jon), all this time since our very first show in 2022, and that people still come out to see us, listen to our tunes, sing the lyrics back, and dance hard, is the highlight for me.
Photo: Directed by: REBORN
It feels like a lot of life has been breathed back into the London scene over the past few years. What are your thoughts on that? Are there any bands that you are particularly excited about at the moment?
Riz: There are tons of sick bands from the UK…so much so that ever since I moved to the UK in 2023, UK bands are basically all I listen to. Current faves: Ikhras, Without Love, Still in Love, Agency, Shooting Daggers, Bodybag, Infinite Wisdom…I saw Harrowed live the other day, and good god, they were incredible.
Laurence: Splitknuckle always, shameless plug for Low Life. Agency and Regress are two of my favourite upcoming bands right now, and both put out insane new releases on Rucktion Records (check those out if you haven’t).
John: It’s always great to see the next generation come through, keep making music, and carry on the message that we and those before us have been spreading. There are so many talented bands right now, and it’s exciting to see them bringing energy, passion, and new ideas to the scene. That’s what keeps hardcore alive and thriving.
Lately, my playlist has been full of ’90s R&B, but if I had to pick a band that really stood out for me, it would be Agency. That EP they dropped had me pushing for new PBs in the gym. Another band I want to shout out is Mashaal, fronted by Riz. The way they turned the Dev into a sardine can shows what true DIY ethics can achieve without any backing.
READ MORE: Best New UKHC Bands of 2025
Is there anything you are still especially keen to achieve as a band?
Laurence: I would love to tour the USA/SEA/Japan, and it would be a dream come true if we were able to achieve any of those.
John: For me, I would love to play in the motherland (the Philippines), and of course, in SEA and the US. But more importantly, what I want to achieve from all of this is for people to remember the music and continue listening to it, passing it on to future generations.
What have you got coming up in 2026?
Laurence: The Parting Shots release show is coming up on Saturday, 21st February at New River Studios in London. Advance tickets are now available at only £8 – we have some of the best new talent in London supporting us on this one. We have always been the underdogs, so we want to give back and give these newer bands a chance… the same way we were given the chance when we first started out.
Check out all the bands on the bill: Warden (just put out a sick new album), Mashaal (our guitarist Riz’s new band also just put out a sick record), Bullet (London new blood that’s hard as nails), Make Way (first show for brand new London Straight Edge band).
The ticket link is here – we hope to see you all there. Let’s sell this out!
John: I’ve got a big life change happening this year, having my first child, which will take me out of action for most of the year when it comes to playing shows. During that time, I want to focus on writing and hopefully come up with some new songs for a future release.
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King Street on social media: Instagram
Tagged: king street
About the Author
Ellis Heasley
Ellis lives in Guildford, England with his wife and son. He writes all the music for the metallic hardcore band MAIM, who released their first demo in September 2024.