KING ZEPHA

The Return of King Zepha

Full length album

Mailorder release date 3rd June

General retail date 15th August 2026

ALL THE WAVs

ALL THE MP3s

SONG BY SONG LOW DOWN

PHOTOS

Just in time for the summer, Leeds-based composer and producer KING ZEPHA drops his third studio album, and heads out with his band on a mammoth 25-date tour.

Starting with the sleeve, reminiscent of the comic-book style that was popular with Jamaican artists in the 70s and 80s, you can tell this album is going to be steeped in dub, ska and reggae goodness. King Zepha laid down the vocals, saxophones, keyboards, guitar, bass guitar and percussion at his home studio, with his touring bandmates adding “the stuff I can’t do particularly well”, such as backing vocals, brass, double bass and drums. The resulting album was mixed and mastered to analogue tape by Ross Holden at Bradford’s Hohm Studios. It has the heavy bass that you'd expect to hear rocking a soundsystem at a blues dance or festival, paired with the wit and energy of early 2-Tone. This is clearly the sound that King Zepha worships, citing his two proudest achievements as backing-up the legendary Jamaican singer Owen Grey and supporting the Skatalites on their UK tour. 

But this is no history lesson. King Zepha's silky voice and eclectic songwriting style offer something completely unique. The lyrics are personal, sometimes whimsical, but the over-riding feeling is joy and celebration.  There's an Arabic-influenced rub-a-dub instrumental, a couple of ska stompers and even a reinterpretation of Sammy Davis Junior's 'I’m a Brass Band'. 

King Zepha, or Sam Thornton as he's known in everyday life, took his stage name from his trusted musical weapon of choice, the King Zephyr saxophone. He’s come a long way from listening to his dad’s jazz tapes in Leeds. “My first love was the trumpet, but I couldn’t get to grips with it and it gave me a headache, so I switched to clarinet at the age of 8.”

No headache guaranteed with 'The Return of King Zepha' 

Musicians on this album:

Sam Thornton - vocals, tenor saxophone, keyboards, guitar, bass guitar, percussion

Will Blankley - drums

Adam Richards - double bass and backing vocals

Chris Lloyd - backing vocals

Georgia Jakubiak - backing vocals

Saphire Browne - backing vocals

B Dubbs - backing vocals

Will Osborne - trombone

Chris Williamson - trumpet

Daniel Webster - trumpet

Rich Ormrod - contrabass clarinet

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