King Mob becomes Young Pharaohs

Categories: Music News

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Don't take it personally if the King Mob dudes don't answer when you call their name. Nothing against you. That's just not their name anymore. Let it be known: From this moment on, the outfit previously known as King Mob has been rechristened as the Young Pharaohs. To commemorate the occasion, the act has set up a new Bandcamp page and posted a brand new track, "Mr. 100." Now, lest it seem as though the new moniker represents a dramatic switch to the erstwhile Mobsters' sound -- say, a shift to, I don't know, garage rock or something -- Ben Martin assures us that the name is the only thing that's changed -- even if the new handle might suggest otherwise.

"I don't think it sounded like that to us, but now that you mention it, I can see it in sort of a 'Nuggets' light," Martin concedes. "We tossed around a billion different name ideas once we committed to the change. We were interested in using the adjective 'Young' in the hip-hop sense, and my inclination was to stick with royalty after King Mob and also the nearly-overwhelming influence that Prince has on our music... hence, 'Young Pharaohs.'"

Ah, yes, that makes great sense. Why change the name at all, though, Ben?

"Well, we were aware that there had been a few other King Mobs out in the world," he explains. "We always figured it was one of those situations where whichever one with the band name became successful would get to use the name. Then we found out a couple months ago that a supergroup featuring members of Sex Pistols, Pretenders, and Roxy Music copped the name. At that point, we had to make the decision: Did we want to spend all of our time fighting for our right to call ourselves King Mob, or did we want to spend our time writing new songs and honing our abilities? It was not a difficult decision to make."

Fair enough. And there you have it. Young Pharaohs, everybody. Here's the first track. Have a listen.



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