Photography + Words – Darren Chan
UK indie-pop band The Kooks have stayed the distance. Their Australian tour marks 15 years since their iconic debut album “Inside In / Inside Out”.
To a packed crowd at Festival Hall, The Vanns opened the evening unleashing their brand of loud and proud alternative rock. They didn’t hold back from delivering a short but energetic live set, complete with plenty of ear bleedingly loud fuzzed out guitar solos.
The Kooks hit the stage to cheers, performing the first six songs from the debut album. Starting their acoustic anthem “Seaside”, rolling into the guitar-driven “See the World”, “Sofa Song”, “Ooh La”, and “You Don’t Love Me” had the crowd dancing.
The crowd chanting “Ohh Aah” in unison to the start of the anthemic “Bad Habit”, then leading into the catchy “Sweet Emotion” off their 2014 album “Listen”. The band showcased a few tracks off their latest “10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark” with “Modern Days” and “Connection”.
Singer Luke Pritchard thanked and acknowledged the fans in attendance, with guitarist/keyboardist Hugh Harris remarking “it felt like coming home”.
The band didn’t disappoint fans as they played more tracks from “Inside In / Inside Out” finishing with their hit song “Naive”.
The Kooks mentioned in a recent tv interview that at their stage of life, they chase nostalgia. And for myself and those who attended, hearing their music was a flashback to our youth.
