SHORT N SWEET: THE KOOKS AT LEADMILL AHEAD OF NEW ALBUM ‘NEVER/KNOW’
LIVE REVIEW | THE KOOKS | THE LEADMILL, SHEFFIED by Isobel O’Mahony
The Kooks were a staple of the indie genre in the 2010s, reaching amazing heights with legendary tracks like “Naive” and “She Moves in Her Own Way”. The duo made up of original members Luke Pirtchard and Hugh Harris, delighted Sheffield last week with a quick tour through their indie classics and a few tunes off their new record Never/Know.
Despite only being a 40 minute set (coming out of a gig in daylight was incredibly odd), the band gave a brilliant acoustic set, with Pritchrd’s vocals hardly different from 2006 famed released Inside In/Inside Out. Before getting into the new stuff, the crowd was ecstatic for fan favourites “Sofa Song”, “Ooh La” and “She Moves in her own Way”. Looking back, it’s hard to hear Pritchard on any of the videos, the crowd knew every lyric (and knew them very loudly).
In comparison to some of the old tracks, which you find are kind of darker twinged indie, a little heartbroken, the new songs were incredibly sweet. “Sunny Baby” and “Compass Will Fracture” were met with warm reception and performed with pure joy. “If They Could Only Know” and title track “Never Know” were equally as romantic and brilliant, and whilst perfect for an acoustic set, will just as easily move and entertain big crowds with a bigger set. For bands with such an incredible discography, and a band that will have changed in the 20 years since then, it’s always great to see such a warm welcome to new music and not just a call for the classics.
However, they didn’t skip on the legendary tracks that made them a household name. “Seaside”, “Always Where I Need To Be”, “Stormy Weather” and “Junk of the Heart (Happy)” were scattered amongst new tracks to show that whilst their sound has naturally evolved, it’s not because they’ve left the old Kooks behind. This is a new era, and one fans can’t get enough of already.
Finishing the night on an acoustic yet electric feel rendition of “Naive”, this short but sweet set was a perfect transition into their bigger headlines shows and an expiring new time for the bands music. Never/Know the new record, produced entirely by Luke Pritchard himself, released 9th of May and promises to be the lovestruck, sweetly sung indie classic of your dreams.
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