If there is one group that embodies progressive rock, it is King Crimson. Led by guitar/Mellotron virtuoso Robert Fripp, during its first five years of existence the band stretched both the language and structure of rock into realms of jazz and classical music, all the while avoiding pop and psychedelic sensibilities - making their albums among the most enduring and respectable of the prog rock era. 

King Crimson came to prominence after supporting The Rolling Stones at Hyde Park. Their ground-breaking debut ‘In The Court Of The Crimson King’ (1969) described by Pete Townshend as "an uncanny masterpiece", began a career that has spanned four decades and influenced many bands and individuals including Yes, Genesis, Tool, and Porcupine Tree.

Despite the original line-up imploding after an American tour King Crimson continued to produce constantly challenging and intriguing music on albums such as ‘In The Wake of Poseidon’ (1970), ‘Lizard’ (1970), ‘Islands’ (1971), ‘Earthbound’ (1972), ‘Larks' Tongues in Aspic’ (1973) and ‘Red’ (1974).

Following ‘Red’, Fripp returned to work on solo projects  - including his first solo album ‘Exposure’  in 1979. However – the band continued to re-form numerous times over the next three decades. Albums which followed include ‘Discipline’ (1981), ‘ Beat’ (1982) and 'Three Of A Perfect Pair’ (1984). After a long period outside the music industry Fripp brought the band back again in 1994 with another line-up change, recording an EP ‘VROOOM’ (1994) and ‘THRAK’ (1995) plus a suite of live improvs ‘THRaKaTTaK’ (1996). The band entered the new millennium with ‘The ConstruKction of Light’ (2000) followed by the critically acclaimed ‘The Power To Believe’ (2003).

2013 saw the announcement of a new King Crimson line-up. Tours of the US and UK were accompanied by 2015's ‘Live at the Orpheum’.  As Robert Fripp explains; “King Crimson is, as always, more a way of doing things. When there is nothing to be done, nothing is done: Crimson disappears. When there is music to be played, Crimson reappears. If all of life were this simple."