Alan Nimmo (King King) in interview “The surprises will come from the heart of the songs”

On July 5, in the small Provençal town of Cabannes, the 20th anniversary of its Nuit du Blues was celebrated—now an unmissable event. Among this year’s headliners, King King set the arena ablaze with a powerful sound led by their charismatic frontman Alan Nimmo, ever faithful to his famous kilt. After the concert, Blues Actu was able to speak with him in his dressing room — despite a jam-packed schedule (he hadn’t slept all day and had a flight to Glasgow at 3 a.m.!). In this two-voice interview, Sylvie Declas and Cédric Vernet talked with Alan Nimmo about the genesis of his upcoming album Light Up The Sky, his varied influences—from ’80s rock to Motown sounds—as well as the personal anecdotes that make this Scottish artist so endearing and consistently generous.

Hello Alan, thanks for seeing us after that scorching show. Tonight was Cabannes’ Nuit du Blues. What are your impressions just after the show?

Thank you very much for having me. When I heard we were going to play in a bullfighting arena, I have to say I didn’t quite get it. I was thinking: “What? Where are we going to play?” But we managed to turn it into a great venue, and we had a really lovely evening. The audience was fantastic. Over the years we’ve played in places like Avignon and the surrounding area, so I think there were people tonight who already knew us. I could see fans singing our songs, and that was really nice. It was a very good moment.

You’ve come here several times already with King King?

Yes, yes. Between here, Avignon, Marseille, Nice… We’ve toured quite a bit in the region. It’s great to see familiar faces again.

One of the most important questions of this interview—and one you’ve probably never been asked: why do you wear a kilt on stage?

(laughs) I think I can see this one coming. You know what? I wish I had a great story to tell, but no. When I formed King King, I decided, just for fun, to wear a kilt on certain occasions, like festivals or special shows. But the next time I didn’t wear the kilt, the audience was not happy at all. So I had to put it back on, and it became a kind of trademark. Honestly, it’s even become a bit of a symbol for us. You’d be surprised how many people around the world have gotten that image tattooed. A fan in France even created a drawing of me in a kilt that became very popular (Editor’s note: The drawing is by Gilles Benois—cheers!). Today I’m stuck: I can’t go on stage without my kilt anymore. I think I’ll have to wear it forever.

Your brother doesn’t wear one?

No, no, no. None of the other band members wear it. It’s just my thing.

Your new album, Light Up The Sky, is coming soon. The title—and even the cover—feel very positive and bright. What mindset were you in when writing it?

Exactly that mindset. The concept of the words Light Up The Sky came from thinking about a particular person—someone I consider wonderful and beautiful, but who doesn’t realize how special they are. People who don’t know they can literally light up the sky with their presence. That’s kind of what the album’s themes are about: overcoming difficulties. Yes, things can be tough, but if you trust yourself, if you believe in who you are deep down, you can get through anything.

“Details matter, but they should remain invisible“

How is this album different from Maverick? You said at the time it was “set in stone.” Is this one rather “ written in light ”?

My songwriting is always geared toward a positive outcome. I don’t like things to end negatively. As I say, it’s about overcoming trials, and I’d say that was already the theme of Maverick. But here I tried to go even further. I think I get better at writing with each album. That’s what I’m aiming for: to create something emotional but also technically crafted. That said, I don’t want the technical side to be visible. What matters is that people feel the emotion of the song—that they hear a good tune without worrying about the details. The details matter, but they should remain invisible. That’s my job.

You’re now playing with your brother Stevie. What does that change for you?

Yes, I’ve actually been playing with my brother since the early ’90s. Back then we had a project called The Nimmo Brothers, and later I recruited him into King King. Musically, I needed a second guitar and an extra voice for backing vocals—that was very important to me. I knew the chemistry we naturally had when playing together was strong and very entertaining. It was the right choice at the time, and it works really well. But you know what they say: “Never work with your family.” (laughs)

We’ve already heard two tracks from your next album. Cried Out For Love is one of them, and the vocals and the keyboards at the beginning surprised us. Is it a tribute to bands like Pink Floyd or King Crimson?

Not necessarily. I’m a big fan of blues, of course, but I also love the melodic rock of the ’80s. We wanted to experiment with different sounds, with keyboards, and our keyboard player is very experienced. He’s played with major artists. So we tried lots of things—sounds, samples—and kept what worked. It’s a fun process when you’re writing songs.

We can also feel your love for Motown in that track.

Oh, I love Motown! But you know, I like a lot of different styles: ’80s melodic rock, ’70s blues rock, big bands, B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters… and also pop like Prince. Tom Jones is even one of my favorite singers. In fact, we’re going to open for him in Scotland this month, in Dundee. My mum is his biggest fan, so I arranged for her to meet him backstage. She’ll be thrilled!

For now, we’ve only heard two songs. Do they give a good idea of the album, or will there be surprises?

To be honest, there probably won’t be any guests on this album. But I think the surprises will come from the heart of the songs. I write with my emotions—what comes out, comes out. There might be a piano–voice track that I’m finishing right now. It’s a sad song, because I had to say goodbye to my dog two days ago. He’d been ill for a long time. It’ll be hard to sing, but I believe people can relate to it. I always try to make the lyrics universal so everyone can project their own story onto them.

These songs seem tailor-made for the stage. Have you already tested any of them live before recording?

Not really. I tend not to do that. Well, except for Cried Out For Love, which we’re already playing live, but nothing else new. I prefer everything else to remain a surprise for the audience.

Last question: if you could get on stage with any artist, living or dead, who would you choose?

Ah, good question! I could give you a list as long as my arm. But the one that comes to mind right away is Paul Rodgers. Since I was a kid, I’ve been a huge fan of Free and Bad Company. If I could play guitar on stage and hear him singing next to me, that would be a dream!

Thanks, Alan!

Thank you both, Sylvie and Cédric!