We Three Kings Talk New Album, Musical Influences And More

We Three Kings are a no-nonsense two piece (yes you read that correctly) rock & roll band from Manchester, UK. We chatted to them about their latest album ‘By Royal Appointment’ and more:

Who is in We Three Kings how did you meet and what do they play?

Rich – guitars and lead vocal
Pete – drums & backing vocals
Bonesy – nothing (he’s a skeleton)

We originally met at work but have now been in different bands together for many years

What is your earliest musical memory?

Probably watching my dad play in his covers band when I was very young (Rich)

When did you begin songwriting?

We started We Three Kings in 2016 with a blank piece of paper, so it would be then – albeit none of the songs we wrote back then feature in our sets anymore!

Your new album ‘By Royal Appointment’ is out now. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

It happened quite organically, we never set out to make an album, we went track to track with a ‘bangers only’ mindset, and eventually arrived at a point where we have a collection of songs that we were really happy with and fitted well together as one collection.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

We used various studios and producers – it has been good to work with different people and gain a range of ideas and perspectives on our music.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the album recording sessions?

Rich’s dad, Chris, played bass on The Edge Of Death recording, and hundreds of biscuits were consumed during the process!

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

It’s all about making our sound as massive as possible on record, in order to reflect how we sound in a live environment on stage, so a massive drum sound and a lot of fuzz on the guitars are essential – Rich uses a Big Muff as his go-to pedal. You’ll also hear quite a lot of Wah pedal on our tracks.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

a) Give It To Me, GO!
b) Blackout
c) Demons

You have the track ‘Blackout’. What was the inspiration/story behind the track?

It’s kind of a creepy tale about someone who operates at night, and who you probably don’t want to bump into in the dark. It is not made clear what he’s up to exactly, but suffice to say it is probably not good! We adopt fictional characters in a few of our songs and this is an example of that.

The song is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

We make all our own videos in a very DIY way, using our phones or whatever we can lay our hands on. The video is half live performance, but set in the context of the song being based around the creepy night-time character I mentioned earlier. We try to get as much energy into the videos as possible, often minimal production is most effective for this.

Who created/designed the album artwork?

We create all of our own artwork. Our designs are never overly complex or deep – much like the overall vibe of the band!

Was it a difficult album to write?

Not difficult per se, but it took a while to arrive at a point where we had the right collection of songs, as I mentioned earlier. We have lots of other tracks which didn’t make the album which are all good in their own right, but didn’t quite make the cut – so go and check those out too.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

To have a catalogue of music that we can be proud of, and to have had a damn good time doing it!

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

Manchester – energy, swagger, honesty, fun, MUSIC

How do you look after your voices?

Usually pints of Guinness!

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

We have a few songs with fictional characters in them, so it might be fun to put them all together and create a really twisted novel of our own.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

Lots of the classic rock bands like AC/DC, Thin Lizzy and Queen, alongside more current bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Rival Sons and Jack White.

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2025?

We have a good run of festivals this summer, and are adding dates all the time – keep an eye on our socials for the latest. One festival we are particularly excited about this year is Maid of Stone in Kent in July.

What makes We Three Kings happy and what makes you unhappy?

Happy – seeing people enjoy our music, having fun at our gigs and spending time getting to know our fans.
Unhappy – unfortunately there are a few aspects of the music industry which remain very challenging for independent artists such as ourselves, the financial side of things is probably the most difficult / disappointing right now.