In 1999 King Khan, Aquarius andfounder of the greatest cult phenomenon since the parting of the Milky Way, decides to put together a musical shrine.The 8-piece band calledThe Shrines are assembled and together with Khan begin spreading their hypersexual gospel around the world, stunning Krauts and becoming notorious for being one of the most entertaining groups since the days of Ike & Tina.
Dressed in their ceremonial duds, King Khan and the Shrines, are more than justa psychedelic soul revue, imagine Roky Erickson backed by the Sun Ra Arkestra or Wilson Pickett leading The Velvet Underground, wearing a golden cape that wraps around the world, a Bollywood James Brownreading his self-made tarot cards (WHO DOES THAT!?)
As thelove child of Anubis and Kali,King Khan &The Shrineshave pillaged countless stages around the world andareknown to frequently drive audiences into a sweaty orgy. If musical salvation is what you need, if your soul is searching for true absolution,look no further...
Let King Khan& The Shrinescome into your mind,body and soulto heal your every hurt.
King Khan & The Shrines’first album Three Hairs & You’re Minewas produced by Liam Watson, recorded in the legendary Toe Rag Studios in London and releasedon Voodoo Rhythmin 2002.
A second full-length, Mr. Supernatural, followed in 2004. Hundreds of gigs followed all across Europe, Australia and North America. They headlined Toronto’s NXNE festival 2006 playing three nights in a row and had Dave Davies, trombone player of the Sun Ra Arkestra join their brass section.
King Khan& The Shrinesthen released What Is?!,receiving critical acclaim from all over the world. It landed at #33 on Pitchfork’s Top Albums of 2007, while their track “Welfare Bread” landed at #66 on Pitchfork’s Top 100 Songs of 2007.
Their greatest hits, aptly titled "The Supreme Genius of King Khan & The Shrines"' came out in 2008 on Vice Records and for the first time their music was widely available in the U.S.
Since then King Khan & The Shrines have played at several notable festivals including ATP, Coachella, Sasquatch, Pitchfork and South By Southwest.
Furthermore King Khan was invited by Lou Reedand Laurie Anderson to performat the Sydney Opera House as a part ofthe Vivid festival in 2010.
In 2013 King Khan & The Shrines joined North American cult indie label Merge Records who released the groups 4th album called Idle No More.The single „Darkness“, which, as King Khan says, is about the “ugly beasts that must betamed inside of us all” and also his “attempt to do something as real as Nina Simone”, was premiered by none less than the New York Times.
Following Idle No MoreKhanhad a vision to create a deck of tarot cards that celebrates black power. He recruited Belfast artist Michael Eaton (Game of Thrones) and together they created the Black Power Tarot deck, under the supervision of surrealistic film maker Alejandro Jodorowsky thus fulfilling Khan's long time dream of becoming one of Jodo's "spiritual warriors".
The stories and legends that surround the band and its charismatic leader are wild and often hilarious. If true or not, one thing is for sure:
"King Khan is that fiery arrow shot into the night sky which no one knows how high or far it will travel, however we do know that as that fiery arrow streaks across the heavens, along the way its flames will light up dark places."-JohnB.Smithfounder of Memphis activist group The Invaders.
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