TRES KINGS – ET – SINGLE REVIEW – T H E S O N G B I R D

Inspiration can be discovered in all kind of situations, but how many musicians have found inspiration watching an 80s sci-fi film.

That’s exactly what happened to Wez King, frontman and guitarist of indie rockers Tres Kings. Having never watched ‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial Before’, he tucked into the family-film classic and was struck by an overwhelming sense of inspiration.

Ten minutes passed and the acoustic ballad ‘ET’ was born. Whether he completed the film is known only to Wez, but what we do know is it created a band favourite single that is now available to the world via Bubblebrain Records.

It wasn’t immediately clear as the band-favourite it’s morphed into however, as drummer Rhu Fuller wasn’t a fan when King first played showed him his creation. Once they teamed up with bassist Lacs Fuller, the energetic rock song it’s become was born.

If like me, you’ve been fortunate enough to catch ‘ET’ live you’ll be blown away by the studio version of the track, recorded at The Albion Rooms, Margate, by their wizard technician, Jason Stafford.

It creates the same sense of wonder that first sparked its creation. Based on a driving guitar, funky bassline and crashing drums. It features a signature Tres Kings opening, a small count into a jiving disco bassline from Lacs (Swedish) Fuller and energetic drumbeat from his brother Rhu.

The rhythm section brothers are accompanied by a wandering, surrealistic space sound, and an alien voiced “ET” before Wez King casts this aside with a roaring opening riff. As he begins his vocal delivery, I’m immediately reminded of the reason myself and many others enjoy Tres Kings.

Not only does the vocal delivery from King match up to his usual cheeky chappy voice, but the whole band just gels incredibly well.

Rather than focussing on the film subject itself, this track cleverly leaves that childlike excitement behind. At the racing heart of the chorus, sits the lyric “And I’ll stay up. Watching ET with you”. Which cleverly twists a piece of pop culture history into an emotional and intimate act allowing a story to play out, whilst capturing the real moments that often take place on a sofa.

The Kent-based band are in the midst of a resurgence, reuniting at the start of 2025 and recently performing to two sold out nights in London, supporting Trampolene where they won the 400-strong crowd over on both occasions, and they continue to grow their fanbase with each live show and single release.

Since this reformation, they’ve released the indie rock ‘n’ roll singles ‘Scuba Diver’, ‘Antenna’ and ‘My Favourite Letter is K’.

I believe Tres Kings are at their best when they trust their instincts. Not many bands can write a song whilst watching a cult classic film, and still produce their usual high quality. Basking in those creative sparks that refuse to wait politely for the end credits.

It’s the mundane of this song, that gives it a charm. It’s real and honest, choosing to focus on the power of small moments. It captures something real and raw, instead of focussing on the broader, convoluted picture.