Phil King is an English musician perhaps best known for being the bassist of Lush. Since 2007, he has been the touring bass player for The Jesus and Mary Chain having previously toured with the group from 1997 to 1998.
Career
Circa 1987 King played bass for Felt, Biff Bang Pow! and The Servants. Featuring on the former's Bubblegum Perfume compilation. He also fronted Apple Boutique that released a single 1987. He appeared playing drums in Primal Scream's 1987 music video for "Gentle Tuesday", the opening track of the group's 1987 album entitled Sonic Flower Groove; chosen because of his haircut. The sound recordings of his drumming were not used for any release. He also worked as a researcher for NME.
Lush (1992-97)
In 1992, King replaced Lush bassist, Steve Rippon, before the release of Lush's first proper album, Spooky. In a 2008 interview with Von Pip Musical Express, King recalled how he joined Lush: "Miki called me up at work. I was a picture researcher at the NME at the time. I remember having read in the paper the story that Steve was leaving. We arranged to meet up in the not-that-famous-at-the-time pre-Britpop "The Good Mixer" in Camden Town. I lived just round the corner... We of course all got very drunk...and I was in the band". He adds, "It was a bit of an eyebrow raiser – but also a bit of a relief really – that they didn't even want me to do an audition. In retrospect it made sense, as the most important thing when you're stuck together with someone 16 hours a day is that you get on pretty well". Lush was added to the Lollapalooza roster in 1992 by its organizer, Perry Farrell, the Jane's Addiction/Porno for Pyros frontman, who personally requested them for his new tour program. King said, "touring America that year was the most amazing thing for me. We had a tour bus, great audiences, and drove the length and breadth of the country". The 1992 Lollapalooza tour also featured The Jesus And Mary Chain. King was with Lush until they officially announced their breakup on 23 February 1997.
In 2011, Vollwert Records released Paraphernalia featuring Apple Boutique's single, live recordings and demos. In 2012, King played his Junkshop Synthshop set at The Alibi night club in London. As of 2013, he also plays bass in The Fallen Leaves and guitar with Jim Reid. Additionally, King freelances as a picture researcher at Uncut magazine. King was part of the Lush reunion between 2015-16. He left the band unexpectedly on 18 October 2016. This caused the cancellation of two shows and a replacement to be recruited for the final show.
