'First rate psych pop - positively groovy' - Powerpop News

'Wonderfully performed, arranged and produced, Gentlemen Thieves reveals a mastery of the art of songwriting... Emperor Penguin do get better and better... awe inspiring.' - I Don't Hear a Single

'Emperor Penguin, channeling the vibes of Elvis Costello and XTC, brings you an unmistakably English sound that hits all the right notes. It doesn't get more British and trust us, that's a good thing!' - SweetSweetMusic

’Anglophilic psychedelic pop… Each song is a carefully constructed gem. Almost everything here is great... highly recommended.' Powerpopaholic

'Emperor Penguin swims ashore with a trunk of gorgeous sounds in the tradition of baroque, elegant power pop pioneered by XTC.' Remember the Lightning.

'Wonderful! Another winner!' David Bash, International Pop Overthrow.

‘He’s got a reputation as a gentleman thief, smashing up the kitchen with a rose between his teeth…’

For their new release on Kool Kat Musik Emperor Penguin have cast themselves in the role of Gentlemen Thieves, in essence a literary and folkloric tradition of  ‘bad boys with charm, and a veneer of manners masking their misdeeds’ which runs from the legendary posh and thuggish Elizabethan ‘Cursed Crew’ through the Mohocks and Nickers of Georgian London, via the 20th Century tales of Raffles, to the alleged delusions of grandeur of more recent criminal (master)minds. 

Like all their albums, Gentlemen Thieves is an event. It comes wrapped in stunning artwork by their in-house designer, crafted with the assistance of producer Jamie McAvoy, studded with twelve new self-penned jewels, and hallmarked with their meticulous attention to detail, great tunes, rock & roll power, mischief, fun and mayhem. 

Driving Blind targets the menace of spliff-addled delivery drivers clogging the streets of the capital, Pipistrelle has Wednesday Addams and other weird kids creeping into your subconscious, Silver Apples muses on the fickleness of devotion and the poetry of W B Yeats, Ladybird rants against the annoying things in life and Sonnez Les Matines leads you through a nightmare dreamscape from a Rice Paper Tea House to the bottom of a freezing harbour.  

Strap yourselves in and enjoy the ride…

Available now at EmperorPenguin.Bandcamp.com and for CD purchases in the USA from Kool Kat Rekords.

Round off the week with the whole family in the best way — enjoy finest quality rock and pop brought to your table by Emperor Penguin.

Our new album Sunday Carvery is out now.

Ranked #5 best album of 2022 by David Bash of International Pop Overthrow, who says, “Wow, on their latest album, ‘Sunday Carvery’, London’s Emperor Penguin really toughen up their sound, borrowing a few shillings from late ‘60s UK psych and ‘90s Britpop, all the while retaining, and perhaps even bettering, their well-honed contemporary melodic sensibilities. A very pleasant surprise!”

Ranked #8 best album of 2022 by Mi Tocadiscos Dual.

Ranked #8 best album of 2022 by Powerpopaholic.com.

Ranked #32 best album of 2022 by I Don't Hear a Single.

“If you love rock and roll... you WILL want a copy of this.” Michael L DeAngelis, There Once Was a Note.

Richard Rossi of Powerpop News writes, “Emperor Penguin's new one, Sunday Carvery, has a little bit of everything. The production, execution and songs themselves are of the highest order… Here’s the skinny: Emperor Penguin’s Sunday Carvery is a 13 course meal that you simply do not want to miss.”

“A cracking listen... a fabulous album.” I Don’t Hear a Single

'EMPEROR PENGUIN comes out of the lockdown with their best record. SUNDAY CARVERY is British through and through, like The Kinks, Elvis Costello, or XTC, but don’t expect a retro sound; the band is firmly rooted in the present tense.' Sweet Sweet Music

"Space-age sonics meet new-wave psychedelia...Crowded with electrifying moments, Sunday Carvery finds Emperor Penguin bingeing on an assortment of musical condiments aimed to satisfy audiences with adventurous appetites." Something Else Reviews


Get the CD at KOOL KAT MUSIK or the digital HERE.

‘CORPORATION POP!’ L.P.

CORPORATION POP! is the new album from London psych-pop / powerpop band Emperor Penguin, released Feb 5th 2021 on Kool Kat / Savage Frenzy.
Here’s what Shindig! magazine had to say about it.

Since early 2020’s widely acclaimed “Soak Up The Gravy”, Emperor Penguin have kept busy, releasing three digital EPs (“Taken For A Ride”, “Palaces and Slums”, and “Barbed Wire and Brass”).  Here’s what people said about the EPs: “’Taken For A Ride’ is a  timeless mix of rock ‘n’ roll and swirling sounds that remind you of The Beatles circa ‘Sgt Pepper’” - Indie Crush  

“With their unique dream-pop sound… Emperor Penguin are back and better than ever, proving themselves as one to watch in 2020, continuing to develop their sound by being unafraid to explore new avenues, giving in to psych pop/rock and never failing to deliver addictive earworms.” - New Music Platform  

“'Taken For A Ride’ offers a bit of ‘Revolver’ flavour on ‘Maserati’ and ‘Hangar 9’ or ‘Rubber Soul’ on ‘Belgravia Affair,’ while ‘Tuesday’s World’, the duet with Lisa Mychols, is a psych pop delight!” - PopRockRecord.com 

“’Palaces and Slums’ contains hooky, Fountains of Wayne story songs like ‘Stay Out of the Sun’ and ‘Blink.’  There’s the pop lushness of ‘Hell In A Handcart’ and, for contrast, ‘The Way the Cookie Crumbles’ with its ska groove and break-out Squeeze-like chorus.” –  PopRockRecord.com  

"’Barbed Wire and Brass’ is full of slick sounds underwritten with humorous and intelligent lyrics, alongside occasional left field moves as catchy hooks, rooted in post-punk, power pop and psych-infused art-rock abound. The influence of XTC, Elvis Costello, Squeeze and Nick Lowe can be heard throughout." - Shindig! Magazine  

Wait, there’s more! ’Talk to Me’ was a collaboration with San Diego’s Orbis Max. Released as a digital single in autumn 2020, it picked up some rave reviews and reached #1 in the Radio Indie Alliance charts.

"Holy Crap! The MAGIC made in the collaboration of Orbis Max and Emperor Penguin, the single, “Talk To Me” GIVES ME FREAKIN’ Goose Bumps!’Jim Prell (The Music Authority).

"Bursting with energy and loaded with melody - the perfect antidote to the soul suck that is 2020.” Ronnie Carnwath (Cobwebs and Strange)

"This is a fantastic song--an exciting record that is just a joyous concoction that pop fans will savor." Alan Haber (Pure Pop Radio)

"Their best yet. And by 'best' I mean THIS IS FRIGGIN' AWESOME...!!' Carl Cafarelli (This is Rock'n'Roll Radio)

CORPORATION POP! contains all 12 tracks from the three aforementioned EPs, plus the single Talk to Me, PLUS THREE MORE NEW SONGS.

The album includes collaborations with Lisa Mychols (who sings lead vocals on two tracks), Orbis Max, Nick Frater and Jamie Whelligan. It was recorded at home and at Highbury Fields Forever Studios during the Great Lockdown of 2020.

CD available here in the USA and here in the UK / Europe.

“Youth to the tractors, smite lazy workers, forward to victory, soak up the gravy!”

Emperor Penguin’s fourth album, Soak up the Gravy., was released in 2020. You can buy it on CD via Kool Kat Musik and it’s available to stream and download from all the usual online outlets.

• "Your album is dope - love Hello Picasso..." - Jody Porter (Fountains Of Wayne)

• "It's brilliant! Hats off!" - Brian Young (Fountains Of Wayne)

• ‘Simply irresistible… I haven’t had this much fun listening to a record since Blockbuster.  If Andy Partridge had wandered into the Beatles sessions at Abbey Road, this is what I imagine the results might have been.’ PowerPop News

• ’Quirky, warm, fun and eminently catchy, the album will be a treat for pop music fans of every stripe!’ David Bash, Founder/CEO, International Pop Overthrow Music Festival

• ‘Simply bursts with delightful melodies.' Poprock Record

• 'Throws together the best of late 60s psyche-pop with power pop. The band is firing on all cylinders with Soak Up The Gravy. An early nominee for my top album list of 2020.' Powerpopaholic

• 'This is a hugely enjoyable and varied album, one which fans of guitar pop should really check out. A superb listen.' Colours Through The Air

• 'Unique and exciting, Soak Up the Gravy pushes the envelope in all the proper places.' Something Else Reviews

• The best album I've heard in the power-pop/guitar pop arena so far this year is 'Soak Up The Gravy'. What's apparent is the frequent originality in the songs, a talent for crafting memorable hooks, and some witty lyricism.’ The Morning Call

• ‘I expected good things from Soak Up the Gravy. But I wasn’t prepared for just how much of an earworm songs like the opening track “Hello Picasso” would be. This music has all of the energy and sassiness of prime ’70s-era rock crossed with ’90s alternarock. It’s nominally in the powerpop idiom, but honestly, Emperor Penguin has about as much to do with that subgenre as, say, Cheap Trick. In other words, yeah…but more.’ Bill Kopp @ Musoscribe

• 'A panoply of styles encompassing Supergrass, The Cure, and XTC, incorporating mad pop science and hyperactive guitars, that starts out rocky and gets progressively sweeter as it proceeds... Inventive melodic flow and super dynamics. Who can resist a band called Emperor Penguin, or the title?' Mike Baron @ PopGeekHeaven

Soak Up The Gravy is available to stream / download here. Buy on CD here.

EMPEROR PENGUIN - THE BAND

WhO ARE THEY?

Emperor Penguin are JT (vocals, guitar, bass), Neil Christie (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Nigel Winfield (vocals, guitar)and Richard Wilson (drums, piano). They make pop music with noisy guitars. Originally active in the ‘90s, with original bassist Adrian Long, the band reformed in 2016 and have released four albums: Crumhorn (recorded by the original line-up in 2000, released 2016), Rum Pop Engineer (2017), Walnut Fascia (2018) and Soak Up the Gravy (2019).

WHAT DO PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THEM?

‘One of the most clever bands you'll have heard in a while...whimsical powerpop with unusual, unexpected chord changes...as catchy as a cold in December... a delight from start to finish.' **** Shindig! magazine

‘Emperor Penguin is a fantastic name for a band. And their latest effort, Walnut Fascia, lives up to the moniker and then some. Emperor Penguin delivers big time. Eloquently written and catchy as all git-go… Simply awesome.’ Power Pop News

‘Inventive, quirky power pop band whose music conjures up the Jam as much as Big Star.’ The Unherd Music

‘Fans of The Grip Weeds, The Pillbugs and 60’s anglophiles you couldn’t do better. Highly Recommended… Coolest psych-pop album of the year.’ Powerpopaholic.com

‘UK’s Emperor Penguin have released one of the most intriguing records I’ve heard all year. These guys are a power pop band at their core, that much is clear. But they use trippy atmospheric sounds swirling around some of the catchiest melodies you’ll ever hear. They’re then laid on a strong foundation of guitar rock n’ roll. Imagine The Jam covering the Beatles Sgt. Pepper album and you might be able to start picturing what Emperor Penguin have done here. Emperor Penguin have put their own unique touch to the power pop genre and the results are quite magnificent.’ Audio Ammunition

WHAT ARE THEY DOING NOW?

In their Fortress of Solitude Emperor Penguin are making new songs and drinking tea. New music can be expected soon.

Pay attention to pop music. Soak up the gravy!