King Hannah have been lurking in the shadows of Liverpool for a few years now. They occasionally popped up for the odd gig and interview but seemed to keep a low profile. They quite sensibly weren’t what you’d call scenesters. Or maybe they just went out in disguise?
Despite knowing of them and even trying to book them for shows it’s still a surprise to learn that “Crème Brûlée” is their debut single, what’s also a surprise is how much their sound has grown. “Crème Brûlée” has a Nico and the Velvets colliding with Mazzy Star vibe with a dash of Emma Ruth Rundle. It’s is a sprawling cinematic 6 minute and twenty-eight seconds of iridescent pop-noir which climaxes with an epic guitar riff.
Hannah Merrick and Craig Whittle are the creative duo behind King Hannah and have recently signed to the excellent City Slang. According to the press material Craig decided to form King Hannah before Hannah knew. “He had seen her performing years before, but they didn’t meet until she was assigned to show him the ropes at the bar job they’d both taken on to get by while still making music. He immediately pestered her to play some music with him, and they started a routine, spending the hours before work at Craig’s house, where for a long time Hannah could not pluck up the courage to play him her own music. “That went on for a year,” said Hannah, while Craig just waited patiently for her to play. When they finally got to writing their own songs together, everything clicked into place. “It’s just about finding the right people. When I go to Craig with some chords and lyrics, he just gets it,” says Hannah. “If we hadn’t found each other, I don’t know where we would be,” says Craig.”
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