Forest's renaissance man releases new album
Tuesday, July 22, 2014 at 12:04 If you've attended a Forest event in recent years you'll almost certainly have seen or even met Dan Donovan.
He's an unapologetic smoker who first contacted us in 2007 offering support.
Since then we've built up what I think is a great working relationship.
I call him Forest's renaissance man.
He's our regular photographer.
He films and edits our campaign videos.
He's a graphic designer who produces most of our promotional and campaign material.
He's also a musician who writes, records and plays live with his own band, King Kool.
Yesterday they released their fourth album, Scuzz Bombe.
I love the artwork but if I'm honest the band's brand of garage/punk/scuzz is not entirely my cup of tea.
From time to time however Dan suggests a track I absolutely love.
One was 'Nanny Town', which we adapted for our first Hands Off Our Packs campaign video.
A bluesier version was also used as the backing track on our Plain Packs Plain Stupid video, released in March.
The latest King Kool track I've fallen for is 'Buzzin Me' from the new album. I heard it for the first time yesterday and I'm playing it for the umpteenth time on my laptop as I write.
Dan suggested we feature it on a new Forest video to be unveiled at the Conservative conference in September.
Great idea!
In the meantime visit the King Kool website or, if you want to hear and even buy the album, click here.
Update: In November 2009, to help promote the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign, Forest funded a King Kool gig at The Cross Kings pub in London.
I wrote about it here (Now for something completely different) and here (Rock 'n' roll animal).
After the event I wrote:
Fantastic evening at the Cross Kings in London on Wednesday night. I must admit that I had reservations that an evening of "grunge-fuelled rock 'n' roll" in support of the Save Our Pubs & Clubs campaign would work, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Apologies to Dan Donovan for doubting him! It was great and I would happily do it again.
Perhaps that time has come.
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