Saturday, Nov 23rd, I went to a show down at the TLA in Philly, PA where Easy Star All Stars performed with Dumpstaphunk and New Kingston. I’ve been a fan of ESAS for a while now and I recently became a fan of Dumpstaphunk, but I got to meet the boys from New Kingston and immediately became a fan…
If you didn’t know, New Kingston is made up of brothers Tahir Panton (keys/vocals), Courtney Panton (drums/vocals), Steve Panton (guitar/vocals) and of course their Dad, Faddah P (bass).
They have been playing together as a band for about seven years having released two full-length albums, In the Streets (2010) and Kingston University (2012). Up until recently, they have been playing back and forth between their own tours and being the support band to Collie Buddz, but they recently finished up their MADD Tour, (pronounced “Mod”). 
When I caught up with them in Philly, it was their second night of the tour, their first being in New York at the Highline Ballroom the night before. I asked them how it was playing in front of the hometown, and the fellas were quick to answer: “It was off the chain. Dope venue. People came out early to see us and it was packed out. We got to make a lot of new fans. We love to push our brand to the world.”
Now that they are playing and headlining on their own, I wanted to know what it was like since they played with Collie Buddz over the summer. “We are wholeheartedly involved and invested in New Kingston,” said Tahir. “When you do your own show, people are coming out to see you. They know the music and are ready to vibe along with you, so we give them the greatest performance we can,” added Steve.
2013 was a big year for New Kingston, but I imagine 2014 is going to be even bigger and I asked them what’s they had planned for the future. “We got the Reggae For The Weekend Shows coming up” said Courtney, referring to three dates in the beginning of January, where the boys will head up to Boston, Toronto and Montreal. “We got some stuff in the works but you gotta look out. I can’t say because its not 100% confirmed but you’ll see it. The Pier is always the first to know,” he finished.
For all those New Kingston fans out there in Hawaii, they have jumped on an amazing set that takes place December 27 and 28 and The Republik in Honolulu, Hawaii. If you haven’t heard, they will playing alongside the Dirty Heads and Pepper. So if you are in Hawaii, be sure to catch this show and be on the lookout for some fresh New Kingston in 2014.
New Kingston Tour Dates:
Dec. 27 @ The Republik – Honolulu, HI*
Dec. 28 @ The Republik – Honolulu, HI*
Jan. 9 @ Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA+
Jan. 11 @ El Mocombo – Toronto, Ontario+
Jan. 12 @ Petit Campus – Montreal, Quebec+
* with Dirty Heads and Pepper
+ with Dubbest and Inword
New Kingston Links:
New Kingston Website
New Kingston Facebook
New Kingston Youtube
Article By: Andrew McClatchy
Photo By: Bill Colbridge
Watch: New Kingston – “La La La”
