Rising Aberdeen rockers Connor Clark & The Matador Kings emerged from the coronavirus lockdown changed.
Not only did the highly-rated band undergo line-up changes they also resurfaced with a new sound.
The four-piece twice changed lead guitarist during the pandemic and also switched bassist.
Now with a settled line-up again and fresh sound the ambitious band are set to release new single Bitterness Is Empty on May 6.
Connor Clark & The Matador Kings have also confirmed shows at Drummonds in Aberdeen and Glasgow’s Broadcast to promote the release.
Now the target is to secure a breakthrough on radio and more gigs across the country to spread the band’s exciting transformation.
Singer, songwriter Connor said: “Our sound has changed a little.
“Crawling, a track we recently released has an indie feel while another Can You Feel It? is electronic sounding.
“Since Can You Feel It? I’ve been aiming for that vibe, electronic and fast.
“I want to see how far I could experiment.
“The new track Bitterness Is Empty is something totally different again for us and is a bit more poppy.
“The line-up had been chopping and changing for a while as we lost two members in late 2020.
“I got a new lead guitarist on board but he couldn’t stick around for long as he had work commitments.
“Now I have another lead guitarist Fergus Clifton and a bassist Craig Murphy.
“Craig lives in Glasgow so when we are practising or playing gigs he makes the commute up.”
New direction with single release
Formed in 2017 Connor Clark & The Matador Kings are completed by drummer Euan Hall.
The band released single Echoes and Patience in 2018 and followed that up with Stand Alone.
Further releases include Once A Pretty Liar (2019) and Golden Soul (2020).
Imminent release Bitterness Is Empty is the follow up to Can You Feel It? which was out in October last year.
All singles are still available on streaming sites such as Spotify.
Connor said: “Through lockdown I listened to various bands and types of music which had a major influence on my songwriting.
“We are really confident with our new song Bitterness Is Empty.
“The goal is for as much people as possible to hear it and love it as much as we do.”
Ready to make a mark in Glasgow
Connor Clark & the Matador Kings have forged a strong live reputation and will headline Drummonds in Aberdeen on Friday May 20.
They will then head to Glasgow on Friday May 27 for a concert at Broadcast on Sauchiehall Street.
Glasgow’s music scene is thriving with bands like Helicon, The Ninth Wave, Dead Pony, Cosmic Dead and Chris Greig & The Merchants creating a buzz.
Connor aims to make an impact in that vibrant scene.
Connor said: “Playing Broadcast in Glasgow is quite a big deal for us.
“Glasgow seems to be where the buzz for new music is now.
“That’s where all the noise is happening and we want to be there.
“I’ve heard from a lot of bands that Broadcast is a great venue that is jam-packed on a Friday and Saturday night.
“That’s great to hear as we are playing on a Friday night.
“As long as there is a good crowd there and some unfamiliar faces that love our music that would be great.
“We want to play more out with Aberdeen with gigs in cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh.”
Creating an online buzz
Playing live has traditionally been the main route for creating a buzz for a band.
However social media has become increasingly important for rising acts.
Connor has witnessed the band’s presence on streaming sites rise rapidly since becoming active on Twitter.
Single release Once A Pretty Liar has racked up more than 15,000 streams on Spotify.
He said: “Ever since the end of last year I have been using Twitter a lot more.
“I left Twitter alone for a long time until we had a support slot with Skylights in November.
“I was talking with the guitarist and he said Twitter is the place to be for bands.
“So I jumped onto it and started putting out links to our Spotify.
“Since then our streams and followers have climbed.
“Hopefully the new track will capture people’s attention and a new audience.
“Getting our songs onto radio is the biggest hurdle at the moment.
“Ideally we can get onto the radio and our music falls on the right ears and they love it as much as we do.”
Unofficial footage from our State Of Mind session last week pic.twitter.com/DMiGpP7yg2
— Connor Clark & The Matador Kings (@ccmatadorkings) April 8, 2022
Sell out Unit 51 show with Skylights
Connor Clark & the Matador Kings played a high profile support slot with Yorkshire indie rockers Skylights in November last year.
The Unit 51 gig was a sell-out.
Connor said: “The Skylights gig was a great night and we had a lot of fun.
“It was our first time playing Unit 51 so we didn’t know what to expect.
“Unit 51 is a brilliant venue and we had a fantastic night.
Thank you Aberdeen❗
📸 @AberdeenMag9#ASAW pic.twitter.com/peS9IgTEfC
— Skylights (@SkylightsYRA) November 13, 2021
“Only three weeks prior to that we had played our first gig back since the pandemic.
“That gig at Drummonds was sold out and also a great buzz.
“We just want to keep this buzz going.”
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