Kooks at Alexandra Palace

Unfortunately the mate who was going to come to this gig with me had to pull out due to family commitments. But at least it meant I could go before doors opened (although already a long queue) and get a spot at the front guilt free.

What the venue looks like before the crowds arrive.

It was lovely walk from my house too, about 30 minutes but a perfect evening, with beautiful views from the Palace across London. Telephoto zoom came into its own.

The other general comment I would make is that the audience was amazingly young looking. Now one reason for this could be because I have got to the age where all policemen look young. But seriously much of the audience looked mid-teens to me, and I felt that the height of the Kooks popularity was about a decade ago with the release of Inside In/Inside Out, their strongest album. At which point most of the audience should have been in primary school.

Anyway, first support came from an Aussie band Fickle Friends. When they came on I thought they were the ideal opener, bouncy and brash to try and get a small crowd of early-arrivals going. Sadly I got a bot bored quickly.

Main support came from Clean Cut Kid, a Liverpool band who were clearly a cut above the openers. I had never heard of them before, but the songs were immediately catchy. And impressive as they looked "all wrong". Lead singer looks a bit like Rag n Bone Man with what he himself described as a rat on his face, a big belly and thick scouse accent. Lead guitarist looked like a younger version of Catweazle (in the week when the actor who played him died). So not auspicious. But they were good which is what counts. And likeable.

So onto the Kooks. Now I have seen this band several times over the years and a s a live act they get better and better. This is all about Luke Pritchard. He has gone from being a bit of a shoegazer when I first saw him to this energetic and quite magnetic frontman. As a recording act I would have to say their first two albums are the best, Inside In/Inside Out and Konk (although more recent stuff and the new material played here is not bad), but as a live act it is all about now. Some acts just seem a bit tired an knowing after a few years. It just feels a bit too rehearsed, and the band members start to put on weight and lost their hair and it all feels a bit of a nostalgia trip. But if you see the Kooks now maybe you are seeing the band at the height of their powers. I don't know how old Luke is, but he still looks a very handsome young chap, and as slim as when he started. The vocals are good, so is the rapport with the audience. And he bounces around and seems to live each song. This felt like a great performance as if it was what their careers were building up to, rather than a slick, learned routine. The young audience lapped it up. And it was also an audience very evenly split between the sexes, this is no boy band, nor a macho or geeky vibe. The Kooks are for everyone. And you can't go wrong with a song like Junk of the Heart with its simple chorus of "I want to make you happy". With which they closed the show (pre encore) and yes, it did make us happy.

 

 Most bands who have reached this level of gig tend to use some big set piece with the audience, and they were no exception, starting the encore with shiny confetti. Very effective.

This was intended as greatest hits tour, so all the favourites were in it like Shine, Always Where I Need to be, She Moves in Her Own Way and inevitably it closed with Naive.

Which just left the walk home. Buzzing (mostly in my right ear - standing too close to speakers with excessive base - don't go to Ally Pally for the sound quality) and enjoying the lights across London, including a blood red (well. pretty orange) moon.