KING OF SHAVES AZOR BLOG

KMI have launched the first British designed, engineered and manufactured razor in over 100 years. The King of Shaves Azor Hybrid Synergy System Razor is the brainchild of Will King, the man behind the hugely successful King of Shaves 'software' brand. The new razor 'hardware' promises to shave closer, last longer and cost less, as well as being much more planet friendly than its competitors.

Elegant in its simplicity, and engineered without compromise, the Azor is available in two styles, 'Pola' (white and black) and 'Warp' (black and white). The Azor's key features include an internationally patented TST (Touch Skin Technology) elastomer skin bumper and pivot system, which pushes the blades progressively closer onto the skin for a superbly comfortable yet close shave, a unique wishbone shaped head design providing greater visibility when shaving, and a light, beautifully engineered handle which is aesthetically pleasing as well as being ergonomically optimised for performance.

The Azor's revolutionary technology is also matched with the King of Shaves long-standing commitment to the environment. Often battery powered, many system razors are made from metal, are highly energy consumptive in manufacturing, and flagrantly over-packaged, whereas the handle for the Azor is made in the UK, and all packaging (for handle and cartridge refills) has already been recycled, or is 100% recyclable.

King of Shaves is bringing the Azor to UK shavers with a 'Fair Shave' Campaign BattleBus, touring the UK throughout this summer.

Availability:
The Azor is available nationwide from Boots (from 21st July 2008), Sainsbury's and online from www.kmishop.com.

Pricing:
• King of Shaves Azor in 'Pola' or 'Warp' styles with three cartridges: RRP £4.99
• 4 Azor Endurium replacement cartridges: RRP £4.99
• 8 Azor Endurium replacement cartridges: RRP £9.49

The UK's leading shaving 'software' brand King of Shaves has entered the shaving 'hardware' market with the launch of their very first razor - the unique and stylish Azor. Already described as a "cut above the competition" by Esquire magazine, the new Azor Hybrid Synergy System Razor promises to shave closer, last longer and cost less! To celebrate the Azor's arrival, King of Shaves is hitting the road in their new black and white Azor Campaign BattleBus introducing the shaving public to the new Azor (rated 5 out of 5 in the Daily Mail Live Magazine) and spreading their shaving manifesto: 'A Better Future for UK Shavers' - as King of Shaves strives to put some fairness back into one of the UK's last monopolised markets allowing you to choose different, shave better and save money.

The King of Shaves Battlebus is the brainchild of Will King (founder of King of Shaves) who originally introduced the King of Shaves Fair Shave Manifesto on a soapbox at Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park London. Visitors to the BattleBus will also get the chance to meet the 'King' at selected locations.

The bus will tour the UK for six fun-packed weeks throughout the summer visiting eight locations across the UK including London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Lowestoft, Sheffield and the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent. The tour will also host an exclusive outside broadcast of the Johnny and Denise (long term King of Shaves fans) Capital FM Breakfast show taking place at Canary Wharf, London.

Azor BattleBus visitors will also get the chance to pick up a free Azor and King of Shaves award winning shaving software.

The BattleBus Tour Schedule:
17th July: Nottingham
21st - 22nd July: Oxford Street, London
24th July: Lowestoft Airshow
25th July: Capital FM outside broadcast; Canary Wharf
26th - 27th July: Sheffield Meadowhall Motor Show
29th - 30th July: Finsbury Square Avenue
31st July: Canary Wharf
2nd - 3rd August: Bluewater
12th - 13th August: Birmingham
16th - 17th August: Bristol Cribbs Causeway
21st August: Tesco HQ
23rd - 24th August: Manchester Trafford Centre

And we'll be publishing news, pictures and videos from the tour right here on this Azor blog. To get us started, below are some pictures taken at the press and industry launch party for the Azor which was held at the Hemple Hotel in London.

Thanks to everyone who made the first day of our tour so successful, especially Dave, Andy, Tim, Diane, Jenny and our compere, Phil (no tie needed next time!)

The amAzor bus drew a lot of attention parked outside Boots Nottingham headquarters, one person was overheard to say "Wow, that beats Gillette's!". Diane carried out plenty of pure play King of shaves, lots of Azors were sampled (with their features and benefits clearly explained) and it's fair to say there was a lot of interest in the launch, which goes live 'properly' from Monday.

Driving back, I heard radio trails for our 'to baldly go' event on Capital running next week, and climaxing on Friday where we're aiming to raise £10,000 for 'Help a London child", and also had the chance to meet quite a few Boots senior executives, all of whom wished us well in our upcoming 'King v Kong ding dong' as one put it ;-)

Next stop, Boots flagship UK store at Sedley Place, Oxford Street on Monday, with fun and more planned throughout the day!

Click here to see some photos on our www.flickr.com pages.

The King of Shaves Azor Campaign BattleBus visited KMI's Chesham HQ for its final preparations before hitting the road this summer. It then travelled up the road to Winchmore Hill for a small launch BBQ party for KMI staff and key supporters.

Ronnie the tour manager 'introduces' the Battle Bus here:

Some pictures of the day can be see on our flickr pages if you click here.

Knowledge and Merchandising Inc's Azor BattleBus - KMI 14 July 2008 photoset

Will King (Founder - King of Shaves) was last seen getting to grips with Guitar Hero on the Azor BattleBus in preparation for contenders who wish to "Challenge the King" on the Azor Guitar on the bus during its current Summer 2008 Tour.

Would be "Guitar Heroes" will be invited to step up to the plate (on the twin guitar - 40" plasma TV with external Wii station) when the bus is in town and compete either for the high score, against a mate or (when the King is in residence) to challenge the King himself. Daily winners of the High Score will win a copy of Guitar Hero for the Wii (the game and not the console I am afraid) and the National Champion will win a 45 mph radio controlled scale replica of the King of Shaves Class 1 Powerboat worth over $1,500 US... Have you got what it takes to beat the King?

The King of Shaves Azor BattleBus Tour Schedule Summer 2008:
17th July: Boots HQ, Nottingham
21st - 22nd July: Oxford Street, London
24th July: Lowestoft Airshow
25th July: Capital FM outside broadcast; Canary Wharf
26th - 27th July: Sheffield Meadowhall Motor Show
29th - 30th July: Finsbury Square Avenue
31st July: Canary Wharf
2nd - 3rd August: Bluewater
12th - 13th August: Birmingham
16th - 17th August: Bristol Cribbs Causeway
21st August: Tesco HQ
23rd - 24th August: Manchester Trafford Centre

A lot more to follow here, but suffice to say we've taken London by storm in our Azor bus, with lots of close shaves (in more ways than one) but here's our fantastic amAzor bus royally parked outside Boots flagship store on Oxford Street.

Watch this space for updated...will Will get arrested. Did Dave extinguish the 'minor fire'? How many King of Shaves did Diane do? Check back soon...

I couldn't get this blog to update some photos from today's "Exploits" so you'll have to click here to read the full story. Come visit

Yesterday the King of Shaves Azor Campaign Battlebus toured the streets of London promoting out 'fair shave manifesto' via Will and his megaphone... "We're tough on stealth shaving taxes... tough on stubble and the causes of stubble... the Azor gives you the 'King of Shaves' without the ransom...!"

Luckily the capital's police force have a sense of humour and despite a 'close shave' outside Buckingham Palace (we turned left instead of right... or 'zagged' instead of 'zigging') our first day on the campaign trail (and our launch at Boots flagship store) was a great success.

24th July on the tour. Then we must have been at the famous Lowestoft Airshow.

It's Thursday, it's a stunningly beautiful British summer's day and it's day 7 of the Azor Campaign BattleBus tour and the King comes home to where it all began. The Azor tour bus has had a prime position on the Lowestoft sea front at the town air show, with temperatures soaring to 29 degrees.

The excitement is not just in the skies above, with the Azor Air Guitar Challenge rocking the crowds, and the girls of Suffolk teaching the boys some football skils in the King of Shaves soccer shoot out!

Cheryl Smith the store manager at Boots, Lowestoft, came aboard the Azor tour bus and reported to us that the Azor is flying of the shelves like the Red Arrows. The stellar radio and press coverage continues with Beach FM, Eastern Daily Press and the Lowestoft Journal in the flight path after interviewing our local hero - Will King.

Meanwhile the shaving continues on stage, with our master barber Diane Wood providing helpful tips to shaving newcomers, as well as showing shaving old hands how to get the best from the new King of Shaves Azor. And finally many thanks to the talented young gymnasts from the Waveney Gymnastics Club (see the pictures below).

As the sun sets over Suffolk coast, and with the after-sun is being generously applied, our attention turns to Friday and Canary Wharf!

King of Shaves has teamed up with Capital Radio Breakfast Show and Help a London Child to Baldly Go! King of Shaves has pleged £10,000 to the charity, if 100 men or women agree to having their heads shaved live on air with Johnny and the gang. We are outside Canary Wharf tube station from 6-10am so come on down and join in the fun.

The team hard at work at Lowestoft:

Impressive! But not as impressive as how well the Azor shaves:

The only only other mode of transport that was bigger than the BattleBus:

Diane pauses - but just for a moment:

Day 8 and the Azor tour returns to the Capital. King of Shaves in conjunction with Capital Radio and Help a London Child are broadcasting live as we write from Canary Wharf tube station, with Johnny Vaughan and the gang.

We are aiming to raise £10,000 for Help a London Child by attempting to shave the heads of 100 men or women. As you can see from the photos below Johnny and Lisa Snowden his co-host are also getting involved.

We've got so many people wanting their heads shaved as we try and reach our target of 100 men (and women, we're all equal here!) that we've had to draft in help from our friends at Fish Hairdressing - cheers Jacqui, Donna and the Fish'ead team!

Johnny and the Capital Radio gang watch on as the experts keep shaving:

Even Nicky Clarke has come down to Canary Wharf to check out the action:

! If you have ever wondered what it was like to have a headful of dreadlocks removed in the blink of an eye then read on! As the big charity push continues down at Canary Wharf Johhny Vaughan has filled an Azor bag full of shaved locks. The sun is shining and so are the shaved heads!

The King of Shaves Azor, shaves you closer, lasts longer, and costs less... and it even copes with dreds!

At the King of Shaves Azor Campaign BattleBus tour at Canary Wharf this morning, even the Breakfast Show's Lisa is getting in on the act shaving Johnny:

Johnny gets the crowd going... whilst we get going on the hair... Look at those shaved heads!

Diane has been working non-stop since 7am:

Will King is here too - well, you wouldn't miss this for the world. There's still time to get down to Canary Wharf and join in:

Johnny and Lisa show their defiant unity with our head shavers as the King of Shaves Azor comes to the fore. We have passed the 100 heads shaved mark, and we estimate that so far we have raised over £20,000 for Help a London Child.

The barbers continue to keep their clippers buzzing as more volunteers come forward... let's see if we can make 150 heads!

Update (25.7.2008, 3.11pm):
We're still shaving! We must have done almost 200 now! And so far raised over £25K...

The cool leather interior with 42" plasma screen and Wii certainly proved a hit when the King of Shaves Azor BattleBus visited Boots HQ in Nottingham:

The King of Shaves Azor Battlebus rocked up to the Sheffield Motor Show at Meadowhall with some big stars in tow. Shelley Rudman, Silver Olympic Medallist who is sponsored by King of Shaves up to the Winter Olympics in Ontario in 2010 was on the stand being interviewed by our MC, Phil Brown, and spoke of the challenges of the Bob Skeleton and what the lead up to the next winter Olympic Games was gong to be like.

In the background wheels were spinning as the stunt drivers at the Motor Show thrilled the crowds with amAzoring feats of daring and skill. As you can see from the images there were endless "close shaves" as the crowd watched in awe at the abilities of the riders.

Sheffield has also given us the Highest Score in the Azor Guitar Challenge... a total of 121,823 points on the Guitar Hero III on the Wii. Each days high score on the tour will win a Guitar Hero game for the Wii and today's lucky winner Luke had the pleasure of being awarded his prize by our two professional barberesses, Shelly and Diane. As you can see from the picture he fitted the bill of a "cosmic rocker" and sets the standards for others to follow.

If his high score is not beaten on the UK Tour then he will also win the $2,000 US King of Shaves remote control replica of the Class 1 Powerboat capable of 45 mph ... so if you want to topple Luke's score get down to the bus on one of the advertised dates and step up to the plate and show us how you can "rock the bus".

Sheffield saw another firs ... Diane our International QoS (Queen of Shaves) performed a close shave on our first disabled customer... who was able to access the shaving emporium on the ramp at teh side of the stage. The gentlemen commented that it was the first wet shave he had for 40 years as his disability has left without the proper use of one arm... his glee was apparent as he left the stage... and claimed that razor technology has come on a long way since he remembers the last time a razor touched his face.

So thanks Sheffield for such an amAzoring welcome... and look out Finsbury Square and Canary Wharf we are on our way next week. 

If you were one of the nearly 300 men or women who came down to Canary Wharf last Friday to support Help a London Child and celebrate the launch of the new King of Shaves Azor then read on...Johnny and the gang will announcing live on the Capital Breakfast Show this Monday between 6am and 9am  the winner of the fabulous holiday to Mauritius curtesy of King of Shaves. So if you were one of the special crew who dared to Baldly Go, don't forget to listen in with your fingers crossed that you could be jetting off for a luxury holiday to Mauritius..and just think, there will be no need to pack any shampoo or a comb!! Good luck to you all....

There are some pictures on our flickr.com pages taken at the Lowestoft Airshow. Click here to view them.

We've put up some pictures on our flickr.com pages taken at Canary Wharf when our King of Shaves Azor BattleBus teamed up with Johnny Vaughan, Lisa Snowdon and the Capital Radio Breakfast Show team. Click here to view them.

Shaving heads outside the King of Shaves Azor BattleBus at Canary Wharf with Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Snowdon of the Captial Radio Breakfast Show raising money for Help a London Child:

Then Johnny tried out the Azor:

We've put up some pictures on our flickr.com pages taken at around London when our King of Shaves Azor BattleBus started its campaign tour. Click here to see them.

We've put up some pictures on our flickr.com pages taken at Boots flagship store at Sedley Place, Oxford Street, London when our King of Shaves Azor Hybrid Synergy System Razor was launched. Click here to see them.

Congratulations Carl Taylor who won an amazing all-inclusive luxury holiday to Mauritius with £1,000 spending money included!

Carl had his head shaved at Canary Wharf on Friday 25 July along with around 300 other people (!) when the King of Shaves Azor Campaign Battle Bus team got together with Johnny Vaughan and Lisa Snowdon and the rest of the Capital Radio Breakfast gang.

We helped raise over £30,000 for the Help a London Child charity. So it was a fantastic day - thanks to everyone who helped out. Follow these links to see pictures and videos from the day.

The King of Shaves Azor Battle Bus was visited today by three of the King of Shaves Young Blades, young sporting stars who are sponsored by King of Shaves. It is part of the King of Shaves mentoring scheme for young British athletes and the sponsorship takes the form of grants to help with their travel and training. They also get some valuable input from King of Shaves Olympic Sportsmen and Women... like Shelley Rudman the Silver medallist in the Bob Skeleton who is preparing for the Ontario Winter Olympics Games in 2010.

Wade Bennett-Jackson
Event: 100m
Age: 21

"My most recent Championships were the 2005 European juniors where I took the 200m bronze medal, 2006 world junior 100m finalist in 6th place and 4x100m bronze medallist. I am aiming to make the 2009 European Indoor Championships, and then the European Outdoor Championships later on in the year. All in all I want is to make the Olympics in 2012 as that would be a dream come true...

Today I came down for a quick shave, which was actually the best shave I've ever had and have definitely learnt a few new tips from Diane the King of Shaves Barberess."

He was joined by:

Gav Sidhu
Event: Taekwondo
Age: 20

"In April I travelled to Scotland for the Scottish Open with Team England for a Sparring Showdown with Team Scotland! It was a tight contest but we came through winning 3-2. I also made the Semi-Finals in Individual Sparring & Patterns!

I have also attended Championships in Bristol and Cornwall since and came away with a Silver Medal from each Champs in Senior Sparring (Heavyweight). In October are the Nationals in Reading, with Argentina and Ireland travelling for a Tri-Series Sparring Team event against Team England! In November is the World Cup in Uruguay with my main target making the Podium!"

and his sister...

Prity Sidhu
Event:Taekwondo
Age: 19

"The first Championship of the year was the Scottish Open in April where I defended my title as Patterns Gold Medallist but this time in the Senior Division. The European Championships were held in Sardinia, Italy in July. This was my first international competition as a senior. I got through to the semi-finals in sparring and lost by a slight margin. I wasn't too disappointed as it was my first senior championship and I had come away with a bronze medal!"

There was a bit of sibbling rivalry when it came to the Azor Footie game...

...and there was a new contender for the Azor Footie throne...

...and the Azor Guitar Challenge rolled on... todays high score is resting at 171,138 with Ineshan Reddy - if you are reading this before 17.30hrs and you think you can beat him then get down to the Azor Battlebus in Finsbury Avenue Square and show us what you are made of... today's winner gets the Guitar Hero Game for the Wii!!!

We've put up some pictures on our flickr.com pages when our King of Shaves Azor Campaign BattleBus was at the Sheffield Motorshow, 26-27th July 2008 whilst on the summer 2008 'fair shave' tour. Click here to see them.

We've put up some pictures on our flickr.com pages when our King of Shaves Azor Hybrid Synergy System Razor Campaign BattleBus was at Finsbury Square, London, 29-30th July 2008 whilst on the summer 2008 'fair shave' tour. Click here to see them.

The King of Shaves Azor Campaign BattleBus was back in London last Thursday (31 July 2008) for its second tour stint at Canary Wharf.

As ever, Phil, our chatty and engaging compère, encouraged passing city workers, tourists and anyone else he could find (!) to have a go at our ever-popular footy game and to try and record the day's high score on our Guitar Hero challenge.

Despite the second degree burns suffered by Diane at the hands of some ceramic tongs, along with Shelley, they were still offering shaving and skin care advice plus demonstrating the Azor Hybrid Synergy System Razor to members of the public from 7am in the morning until 7pm in the evening.

I dropped in for a four and a half hour stint (which is nothing compared to the 12+ hour days worked by the regular bus tour team including Ronnie the Tour Manager and the three ladies who collected over 1000 names and addresses of people interested in the Azor) and almost lost my voice explaining the benefits of our 'shave closer, longer for less!' Azor to a constant stream of people. I was amazed by the interest the Azor created and by the non-stop questions from the crowds.

Lastly, congratulations to Chris who managed an awesome 216,504 on the Guitar Hero game including a run of 280+ perfect notes! Chris won a whole load of Azor, King of Shaves and Ted Baker goodies.

Some of the hot motor action plus a bit of chat from Olympic Silver medalist Bob Skeleton Slider, Shelley Rudman, was captured on our BattleBus-Cam...

A quick montage of some of the video shot by the Azor 'Battle Bus Cam' of the fun being had at the Lowestoft Air Show.

The storm clouds gathered in Birmingham City Centre but it did not deter the 40 or so players of the Azor Footie challenge and the people queuing to play the Azor Guitar as the Azor Roadshow rocked into town.

People streamed to the bus all day to get a free shave, sample the delights of the Azor and take a few lessons from our professional shavers !!!

One Primary School Teacher, Mohammed Moheen from Shawhill Primary School, took advantage of the chance to have a shave with the Azor but first we had to deal with his beard.... what follows is the before ... during ... and after sequence of Mohammed's close shave ....

When asked how he thought the Azor had performed against "other" razors, Mohammed said that it... "Glides with the contours of your face... and clearly shaves you closer..."

Why don't you come down to the bus and experience the Azor-difference for yourself...!?!

The day also saw the first pair of "Rock Chics" that we have seen take up the Azor Guitar Challenge and they battled it out on stage to the delight of the crowd. The high score of the day currently sits at just over 209,000 if you live in Birmingham and you think you can beat the total then get down to the bus before 17.30 hrs and you stand to win a luxury Ted Baker Gift Set and an Azor goody bag courtesy of King of Shaves.

BIRMINGHAM ROCKS WITH THE KING OF SHAVES

Mark Sproston... AKA 'The Shaving Doctor'... from www.shaveschool.com is a legendary male grooming guru who has taken the traditional wet shave and given it a modern twist. At The Shave School they train for the hair and beauty industry and he had this to say to the people of Birmingham when he visited as part of the King of Shaves Azor Battle Bus Fair Shave Tour... helping to "Shave the World".

Mark advises:
Preparation is the key... King of Shaves pre-shave products help to ensure the smoothest of shaves and when used prior to a King of Shaves Shave Oil or Gel they mean that the Azor literally glides over your face giving you an incredibly close shave. The Azor is so flexible that it follows the contours of the face and gives you a comfortable shave as well. Afterwards be sure to moisturise your face (or use a post-shave balm or gel).

Many men suffer badly from razor burn but the combination of the King of Shaves shaving products and the new Azor makes that a thing of the past!

"I have seen a major difference in the quality of shaving since the Azor was introduced", said the Doc. "I have never seen people take to a product so easily - traditional razors tend to leave redness but this one doesn't!"

1 in 2 of men who shave suffer some discomfort but if they use the right preparation, the Azor and most importantly a King of Shaves or XCD Moisturiser afterwards, the experience would be completely different. It is a little known fact that men need to moisturise more than women as each shave can take as much as two layers off the surface of the skin!

Those who benefited from the Doc's Words of Wisdom were clearly impressed as you can see from Mohammed's shave sequence earlier on this blog.

For more information and the complete shaving experience why not come down to the Azor BattleBus as it tours the UK... new venues to be announced shortly...

Shave in style with the new King of Shaves Azor Hybrid Synergy System Razor! Bristol Cribbs Causeway, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th August 2008, a date for every bloke's diary, as the UK's leading shaving brand invites Bristol to celebrate the launch of the Azor - the first British designed, engineered and manufactured razor in over 100 years. The amAzor Campaign BattleBus is a fully fledged interactive bus designed to fulfil every man's grooming needs will be visiting Bristol Cribbs Causeway this Saturday.

The people of Bristol will have the opportunity to be introduced to the stylish Azor ("The must have item" according to Shortlist magazine) via a team of expert King of Shaves Barbers offering complimentary professional shaves at specifically created 'shave stations' installed on the BattleBus. There will also be grooming experts on hand to offer free advice on shaving and skincare, plus numerous competitions and giveaways.

In addition to the state-of-the art shaving stations (did we mention the professional barbers offering free complimentary shaves!?!), there's a chill out area, a VSP (Very Smooth Person) lounge and also the chance to win a host of prizes by playing games including Guitar Hero III (Legends of Rock) on the Wii and a soccer wall challenge testing your precision and accuracy.

The King of Shaves amAzor Campaign BattleBus has been hitting the road spreading news of our Fair Shave mainfesto and spreading the 'Azor word' that you can now enjoy the King of Shaves without paying the ransom for replacement blades. It's time to shave closer, longer, for less!

Bristol Cribbs Causeway on 16th am 17th August
Manchester Trafford Centre on 23rd and 24th August

And coming soon... Scotland

Click here to enjoy the video of King of Shaves YoungBlades Wade, Prit and Gav at the Azor BattleBus at Finsbury Square. Or watch it below...

To see some photos of the King of Shaves Azor BattleBus in Birmingham, please click here.

To have a look at a few photos from the Azor BattleBus's weekend in Bristol, please click here.

The Trafford Centre in Manchester got a bit of a shock today as Beanius, the rock band supporting the Azor Tour of the UK rocked up to play 3 stunning sets under the mantle of the Entrance to the Great Hall. Fans had travlled from as far afield as the Isle of Wight to watch the band perform and locals gravitated to the bus to hear them play.

The band is lead by Matthew Bean who plays lead Guitar and their musical careers have received an unexpected boost from the King of Shaves. Will King ( Founder ) spotted their raw tallent and decided to give them a break - playing at the launch of the Azor and to KoS staff on the inagural gig of the UK amAzorbus Tour ....

The lead singer Scott Evanson gave it heaps on vocals ... blazing an amazing rendition of the John Tracey song ... Folly of Five ... the lyrics of which riducle the madness of superfluous blades and virbating handles of the competitors to the new Azor ...

The drummer, Doug Bean, played a blistering set ... and had the crowd screaming for more as he thrashed the beat out on some of the bands less known numbers ...

The bands fourth member, John Scott, played out of his skin with some awesom riffs on the mega bass guitar ( bought for a steal on e-bay ). His moves caught the attention of some of the ladies in the crowd ... was that the signing of autographs I saw after the last set.

The set ended with the band at full tilt and the sound echoing through the shopping malls of the Trafford Centre .... there could be no doubt that the Azor Tour was in town. You will be able to see more of the set in video form on the Beanius Website later in the week ... go to http://beanius.co.uk/ and get a feel for what you were missing !!

Even Ronnie the Tour Manager for the King of Shaves Tour was seen knocking out some radical beats in the interval between sets ... there was a perid where he and Phil Brown ( MC ) broke out into a rap thing that had people dazzed in the streets ....

At times the crowds gathered but nobody expected the proceedings to be overlooked by the angelic realms ... seen here atop the Amazorbus ....

They were not the only ones to be commenting on the new Azor ... the Lions posted to guard the bus at night were also uttering the Azor word by the end of the day ....

Finally the Azorbus was graced by the presence of Shelley Rudman for the second time in the Tour. Shelley won the Olympic Silever medal at the last Winter Olympics in the Bob Skeleton ( one man bob-sleigh ) and is sponsored by King of Shaves up to the next Winter Olympics which is in Vancouver in 2010. Shelley was interviewed by MC Phil Brown and answered questions about her campaign ... she was even seen demonstrating some of her moves on the stage ... but with out the benefit of snow ...

The Beanius gig and having Shelley visit us in Manchester was a really high note on which to end the initial phase of the King of Shaves Azor Tour ... we have one more day here in Manchester and then it's back down south to await the next chapter in the story that is the King of Shaves Battlebus Tour .... SHAVING THE WORLD !!

Early showers did not dampen enthusiasm for the King of Shaves Azor at the Machester Trafford Centre today. Our first recruit for the attentions of the Shave Doctor was Gary, who wanted you all to know that the love bite on his neck was nothing to do with his shaving experience at the King of Shaves Battlebus !!

In fact he was treated to a masterful shave by Mark, the Shave Doctor, who runs www.shaveschool.com when he isn't assisting with the Tour.

He finished the experience beneath a hot towel and with some King of Shaves moisturiser proving that shave preparation and after shave care is an important part of a good shaving experience.

The other activities continued with endless people coming up to try their hand at the Wii Azor Guitar Challenge

And there was no shortage of takers for the Azor Footbal Game ....

So despite the early portents ... the last day of this phase of the Amazorbus Tour was a scorcher ... thanks to all those who have supported us along the way.

There is a new pretender to the Azor Guitar Challenge Throne .... Abbie the newly crowned "Queen of Rock" scorched to an impressive 250,275 points on the Azor Guitar Hero Challenge outside the Trafford Centre here in Manchester much to the thrill of the crowd - she beat a large number of old cosmic rockers to the throne of the King of Shaves guitar hero hall of fame ( including me ) and had her name etched onto the high score-board for all time. Congrats from the Azor Team ... it was great to go out on a high note here in Manchester.

Due to popular demand from our Scottish friends, we'll shortly be posting details of our amAzor Scottish tour, this should be up within the week.

To have a look at a some of the photos from the King of Shaves Azor BattleBus's weekend in Manchester, please click here.

Dates for the King of Shaves Azor BattleBus 'Northern Tour' have just been released:

03-Oct: Glasgow, The Fort, main entrance.
04-Oct: Glasgow, Buchanan Street / Galleries, Donald Dewer main entrance.
05-Oct: Edinburgh, Fort Kinnard, Outside Boots.
06-Oct: Edinburgh, Edinburgh Bus Park / The Gyle.
08-Oct: Newcastle, Northumberland Street (plus we'll also be appearing at the Metro Centre).

Friday 3rd Oct - Glasgow Fort Shopping Park 11am-7pm
Saturday 4th - Glasgow Buchanan Galleries 10am-6pm
Sunday 5th - Fort Kinnaird Shopping Centre, Edinburgh 10am-6pm
Monday 6th - Edinburgh Business Park (8-11am) Edinburgh University (1-6pm)
Wednesday 8th - Boots Metro Centre Newcastle 11am-7pm

Starting tomorrow (Friday 3rd Oct) the King of Shaves Azor roadshow will be touring Boots stores across the South East offering live shaving, hot towel treatments, free samples, competitions and more.

Bromley (Blade Shopping Centre) 03/04 Oct
Brent Cross 05-Oct
Watford (Harlequin Centre) 07-Oct
Kensington High Street 08-Oct
Kingston City Centre 09-Oct
Croydon (Whitgift Centre) 10/11 Oct
Lakeside 12-Oct
*Liverpool St Station 13-Oct
Bluewater 14-Oct
*Oxford Street (Sedley Place nr Bond St Tube) 15-Oct

Follow the progress of this and the Scotland and Northern England tour here!

Having just experienced my first king of shaves, I am relaxed, chilled and well... amazed, but being a guy who generally is not a look in the mirror and admire myself, I have just had what I can only say is the closest, nicest shave. Obviously a young lady helped with hot towels, but what a laugh, shave, and a DJ at the same time. So what does this all mean, well I'm a Mancunian, I like to save money and spend the rest on fun things......I now don't have to spend half my income on razors, and line a large marketing budget, I can get an innovative shave, that we say again is so close, never had it so close, its given me a spring in my step and ready to take on the next meeting with vigour.

So get out there, buy the Azor and don't look back, it gives the closest shave you can get, it lasts longer than others, to me a simple equation, buy it, live it, love it...

So for me next week, running an event and I'll be looking like Tom Cruise...with a mancunian accent, but shaven to a tee...

Stewart (Guest Blogger)

Thanks Stewart for being our guest Blogger for today! Look out for more Guest Bloggers, or as we refer to them VIB's (Very Important Bloggers) over the weekend.The Azor bus arrived in Glasgow last night and we are located at The Fort shopping centre which is awsome! What a welcome we have received with plenty of Glaswegians  waiting to receive their free Azor shave and sample. They know a good deal when they see one around these parts!The guys here at Boots The Fort have done us proud with lots of posters and sales displays - great job guys. I know you will all call me a southern softie, but I tell you its a wee bit cold here in Scotland. We are here until 7pm tonight so come on down - we would love to see you, and if you can't because you are working, then make some time on Saturday to visit us at Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow City Centre. And remember don't shave....we will do that for you, when you come to the Azor battle bus!

Today the Battlebus is at the busy Fort Kinnaird shopping centre (just next door to boots) outside Edinburgh. The sun is shining and the men of Scotland are enjoying finding out more about the Azor. King of Shave software is on special offer in Boots (buy one get one free) and the Azor is £1off meaning there are some great shaving deals to be had (and by choosing the Azor you know you will be saving ££ every month as the replacement blades are only £3.99 for 4 if you use the money off voucher inside the Azor pack).

Unacustomed as the Scots are to the sun coming out on a shopping trip, being offered anything with the word 'free' in the title is something that is going to attract us.

So the claims of the new Azor to save money should be a hit at Fort Kinnaird. And those waiting for the free shave would seem to tally with that thought. It's at this point that King of Shaves staff will go on to talk about the price and availability of the product as well as the long term savings using the new razor bring about, but not me.

I'm just happy that the blade(s) managed to slice through six days of growth and still be sharp enough to go for another shave.

Guest blog by Ewan Spence. Check out the video here; http://www.ewanspence.com/blog/2008/10/06/a-close-shave-or-a-cheaper-one-both-in-fact/

www.ewanspence.com.

From Will King's mobile phone!

Whilst England may not have been as convincing in their win as anticipated, we hope that the presence of the Azor Battlebus - complete with St George's flags - helped to get the 80,000 rugby fans making their way to Twickenham stadium in the mood!!

Whilst the bus circled the stadium, the team of Azor staff ensured that the England (and a few Italian) fans en route to the match got their hands on a sample of King of Shaves Alpha Gel plus an Azor voucher.

The Azor BattleBus was at Wimbledon on Tuesday, soaking up the sunshine and bringing shaving heaven to the faces of the crowds with free King of Shaves AlphaGels! However, following an unfortunate incident with a faulty manhole cover, the Bus was immobilised! (Gillette not suspected).

Each member of the emergency services that attended received a fantastic Azor goody bag containing the revolutionary new Azor razor from King of Shaves. So rest assured, King of Shaves and the London Fire Brigade are working together to keep London 'Burn' free and cool this summer with our range of advanced shaving products.

To raise money for 'The Soldiers Fund', Worcester Warriors Rugby Team recently grew an extensive collection of beards. However, with the start of season rapidly approaching and the all important team photos to be taken, it was time to rid their faces of the unsightly facial fungus.

To ensure that the Warriors achieved the best shave possible, we took our King of Shaves Azor BattleBus along stacked full of AlphaOil, AlphaGel and Azor Razors. With help from the King of Shaves ladies and local barber Jon, the boys were soon looking ready for battle again.

A special thanks to Jon from Jon Bourne's Barber Town in Worcester who did a great job helping us tidy the boys up and good luck to the Warriors throughout the new season!

More images from the day can be seen on our flickr.com page.

King of Shaves is now proud to be the official supplier of shaving products to Harlequins. To celebrate this great collaboration, King of Shaves will be taking the Azor BattleBus down to Twickenham Stoop on Saturday 3rd October for the Quins v Bath match. As well as what is set to be a great match, the King of Shaves girls will be there handing out samples and providing the opportunity for a hot towel shave with one of our Azor razors.

If you want to attend you can receive a 20% discount on tickets in the South Stand. Call 0208 410 6062 to claim and quote: KING OF SHAVES (T&Cs apply).