Written by: Nick Ashton
Band:
Title:
Release Date:
We Three Kings
Stone Cold Kiss
10th April 2026
Manchester’s We Three Kings are fast becoming a hot property on both the gig and festival circuits. A mere ten years into their career, they have become overnight sensations picking up awards and radio airplay as more and more people fall for their infectious high energy grooves. Their debut album, 2024’s By Royal Appointment, drew together a collection of previously released singles and as such was reflective of their journey to date. In contrast, the nine new songs on Stone Cold Kiss are a signpost towards the future.
The band’s trademark fuzzed out sound is alive and well on their sophomore release; but that doesn’t mean that they are treading water. Rather, they have taken a winning formula and have expanded the boundaries of their sound to explore new avenues while maintaining their essential sonic signature. From the moment that the title track kicks in, it’s clear that the band – Rich Wagstaff on vocals and guitars and Pete Hodgkinson on drums – have upped their game. The pace is frenetic, driven by Pete’s pounding drums which underpin the gloriously distorted guitar riffage and Rich’s vocals which pierce the wall of sound. Duos can sometimes lack depth to their aural attack when it is just a guitar or a bass doing all the heavy lifting, but not here. Using technical wizardry to produce a bass line in real time alongside the guitar, the sound is dense and luscious; akin to being wrapped in cotton wool while angry hornets buzz around your head.
Screeching feedback leads us into an early album highlight, Nothing Without Me, which encapsulates the essence of W3K perfectly. Like several other songs on the album, such as Dirty Devil and Your Love Is My Disease, there is an underlying swing to the rhythm during the verses before swapping back to straight 4/4 for the choruses. This added bounce drives the song forward with a sense of urgency, before the big shout along moments which draw the listener in, virtually forcing you to yell the words back at Rich. This understanding of song dynamics shows that the band knows exactly what they are doing and, importantly, what will get a crowd going when the tunes are played live with everything turned up to eleven.
… fast paced, distortion heavy, drum driven earworms that burrow into your brain and refuse to leave no matter how much electroshock therapy is applied to drive them out..
Judas Take Me Home shows the duo experimenting with their sound. This song really stood out upon first listening to the album and, as it happens, it is one of the band’s favourites too. Opening with a bell tolling and wind howling in the distance, you immediately conjure up an image of two gunslingers facing each other off in a deserted Spaghetti Western town. The brooding riff builds menacingly towards the chorus, as the plaintive – and extremely sweary – vocals rack up the tension before the wave crashes, and we are carried headlong into the chorus. The drumming is particularly effective, weaving subtle patterns around the simple guitar riff, adding depth and complexity to the epic feel of the song. It might take a while for this one to bed into the frenetic live set, but in terms of future directions this approach is certainly one that is worth further exploration.
But fear not, as W3K still do big, dumb fuzzed out rock songs too. Joyrider and Shotgun are perfect examples: fast paced, distortion heavy, drum driven earworms that burrow into your brain and refuse to leave no matter how much electroshock therapy is applied to drive them out. The lyrics are simple couplets that are easy to pick up and easier still to sing along with, making the songs instantly familiar from the very first time that you hear them and surefire hits when played live. Album closer Son Of A Gun mixes things up again with a slow, bass-heavy groove that grinds to a virtual halt before the pace picks up to end in a big sweaty heap as the final notes echo into the distance.
Stone Cold Kiss represents a step forward for the band both in terms of song writing and delivery. They already have a loyal following and a strong image, thanks to Bonesy the skeleton who is a big hit at gigs especially with the ladies, so it should be of no surprise that this album propels them towards bigger and better things. After all, we are nothing without We Three Kings.
We Three Kings are:
Richard Wagstaff – Vocals / Guitar
Pete Hodgkinson – Drums
Track Listing
-
Stone Cold Kiss
-
Nothing Without Me
-
Joyrider
-
Your Love Is My Disease
-
Judas Take Me Home
-
Shotgun
-
Touch Me
-
Dirty Devil
-
Son Of A Gun