For a band self-described as “heartbreak and despair” on the stage, off the stage King Violet are far from it. At the centre of the group is their deep friendship with each other. The four-piece hail from St Albans, with Mia, the bands drummer, recounting to me the story of her and guitarist Claudia meeting Amy and Mai through mutual friends before they formed the band. Whilst King Violet started gigging in St Albans, they quickly had to go their separate ways for university, which geographically spread them far across the midlands and the north.

Yet King Violet took in their stride what could’ve meant the death of any other band, the distance of being spread out across the country, and turned their time apart into a strength. They maintained their close bond and held the band together, seeing each other when they could throughout the years of lock-down, rehearsing when possible, and gigging in all their respective cities when regulations allowed it.

“We’re always brewing ideas”, King Violets vocalist, Mai, tells me, which means when they come together, they’re ready with songs to practice. However, the band generally brew their best ideas after 1 AM, so what’s produced are often (what I was assured are) some hilarious recordings, such as Mai singing the entirety of a song into her phone, trying not to wake up her flat, and Amy, the band’s bassist, trying to A Capella an idea for a drum part.

Yet the band took these sparks of creativity and ran with them. Their lead single “The Pedant” was written last year, coming together from the aforementioned recording of Mai. With The Pedant comes a loud declaration of intent, a blasting crescendo that opens the EP with a bang.

However, the EP isn’t comprised of only their newest songs, with Brightest Eyes and Tya having been written five years ago. “We wrote Tya the night before a gig because we realised that we didn’t have enough songs”, Amy tells me, hence why its such a simple punk song. Yet the stamping simplicity is its strength, since its follows the beautiful ‘Brightest Eyes’ and provides a powerful compelling contrast.

Whilst the actual turnaround of the EP has been relatively fast, as the struggle was never with drive or motivation, the main roadblock came from attempting to raise the funds to afford the production. Once the band decided to properly go ahead with the EP, they put a lot of the money they earnt through gigging towards the project, but they still had to front some of their own to cover it at the time. “It’s frustrating that moneys such a big part of it” Amy tells me, whether its renting practice rooms, paying for studio time, or just even the cost of transporting gear and themselves for a gig, being in a band requires a large financial commitment that comes easier to some. Of the gigs they get, the band have to deal with ever increasing expensive train fares due to the fact that they live in different cities. This cost of transport has only gotten worse with the ever-increasing train fares. Last-minute gig dates, or changes can exponentially increase these costs, eating away at the money they do make.

But, regardless of the setbacks, the EP is ready and waiting. “I Just want it out now… I’m so proud of it as a body of work” Mai tells me. And the EP certainly stands as such, it’s a tale, a story of heart break, rude cats, and anger, but also of triumph over sorrow, re-ignition and strength. The climatic last song: ‘Do Me A Favour’, which gives the EP its name, gives the EP a strong sense of closure. The anger and rage that builds throughout the song subsides and all that is left is a soft yet haunting piano, that encapsulates not only the pain that has been felt, but the beauty of the band that have conquered it.

And that’s what I think is most striking about King Violet, through all logic they shouldn’t be here. They survived the trials of being spread across the country, they survived the trials of being unable to gig through lockdown and finding their feet after, they survived the financial struggle of trying to raise funds to independently fund their project, and they survived all the dismissal and harassment an all-female band have to put up with. Yet here they are.

Their recent Night and Day headline, organised and put on by Amy, encapsulates this triumph of perseverance. Not only was it a success financially, with King Violet being able to pay the bands an above average amount, but the night felt like such a celebration of the people King Violet had befriended on their way through the scene. After all their hard work, the gig came together perfectly. “We’re so lucky that we have such wonderful friends”, Amy tells me, “Having such talented and lovely people [Pyncher, The Strangerz, and Yasmin Coe were on the bill supporting King Violet] is so amazing… It was such a good night”.

King Violet may ask for a favour or two, but by no means do they need one. King Violet lives, and they’re not going anywhere anytime soon. “Do Me A Favour” is as much a compelling alternative-rock EP as it is a testament to the grit and determination of a band who refuse to be held back.