“Give me a fucking drink” shouts Warrior Soul frontman Kory Clark as he launches into an assault against all things un-rock n roll. It’s the opening line to the Warrior Soul classic “Fuck the Pigs” and it’s one of the most powerful shows you will hear and see this year. Kory Clark is a master of the lost art of combining poetry, politics, and aggression with a punk rock, in your face attitude. As Clark puts it simply, “Warrior Soul is an aggressive artistic riot.”
The band kicks off a UK tour this Saturday night at Proud Camden and if you’ve not seen this spectacle, you need to get off your ass immediately and do so. What makes this performance so special is that Warrior Soul will be releasing their new live album appropriately titled Tough as Fuck, Live in Athens the day before. “Athens is such a strong supporter of rock ‘n’ roll and the fans of the music there share my political views in many ways. It was such a special night with the crowd and the playing is phenomenal; there are no overdubs. My voice is a little shot as it was the very end of the tour, and the day after the sold out show in London at the Borderline, but it still holds up very good and to us it sounds the way it should.”
Having recently completed both a US and UK tour, Clark finds the audiences not very different at all. “Americans seem to be in a much meaner place in general. Competitiveness and jealousy make it hard for me to operate there. The fans have the same enthusiasm, but it’s often the clubs and people who do the sound that have a less flexible approach.”
In regard to Clark’s lyrics, they are often provocative and ahead of their time. The lyrics to the WS classic “Wasteland” claim that “Donald Trump is just a money whore.” So did Clark ever think that Trump would be in the position he is now? “Not in a million years. That just goes to show that anyone can run for president,” says Clark.
The couple of times that I have seen Warrior Soul perform in the UK have both been in North London, specifically Camden where the punk rock scene was bustling with The Clash and the Sex Pistols during the late ’70s. With the constant rivalry among fans as to who’s the better band, Clark votes for the Sex Pistols, “Because they’re better. I would add The Ramones to round out the big three and then I would put them in this order—Pistols, Ramones, Clash. But for me, the Pistols are the best—God Shag the Queen!”
Warrior Soul UK Tour Dates:
Nov 11 – Hard Rock Hell Festival
Nov 12 – Proud – Camden
Nov 13 – Waterfront, Norwich, UK
Nov 14 – Audio, Glasgow, UK
Nov 19 – The Dome, Tufnell Park, Tufnell Park, UK
