THE KOOKS BRING THEIR LATEST ALBUM ‘NEVER/KNOW’ TO MANCHESTER’S CO-OP LIVE

LIVE REVIEW | THE KOOKS | Co-op Live, Manchester 3rd October 2025 by Jenna Laband

Manchester’s Co-op Live welcomed indie rock sensation The Kooks for the first night of the ‘Never/Know’ headline tour. This performance marks the beginning of two weeks filled with some of the most monumental shows of their career as they embark on their largest headline shows to date.

Opening the tour with their largest headline show to date, The Kooks‘ seventh studio album ‘Never/Know’ took centre stage on Friday night following its release earlier in the year. Becoming their highest charting album since 2008, The Kooks have seen a mass new following after both the album release and resurface of their older music. The band’s career, spanning nearly two decades, has certainly set them up for their biggest tour to date, widely anticipated by fans both new and old.

Indie music fans were in for a treat as the night opened with the Australian brothers Day We Ran, kicking off the show with the indie sound the crowd knows and loves. Rising stars The K’s then took centre stage with “Before I Hit The Floor”. Since their announcement as the Kook’s special guest, fans had anticipated this lineup, and seeing it unfold in the UK’s biggest arena was definitely something else.

With fans already on a high from the incredible support acts, The Kooks walked out to a roaring crowd for the first night of their biggest headline tour to date. The curtain rose to reveal the neon-trimmed stage setup, with Alexis Nunez on his own high-set drum riser. Luke Pritchard, the band’s lead singer, danced out onto the stage in a sequined top and leather pants like he’d never left. Kicking off the night with the iconic “Sofa Song” and “Always Where I Need To Be“ before heading into new tracks from the title album Never/Know.

In light of recent events in Manchester, Pritchard took a second to thank the crowd and welcome them to the tour. Stating “The world’s crazy, but I’m going to put a bubble around us and it’s all peace and love”. The united crowd cheered in response, ready to soak up the atmosphere of the night and escape from reality into a night of mid-2000s indie nostalgia.

With the new and unpredictable setlist, fans were kept on their toes in anticipation for each next song, sensing the introductory basslines and chords to decipher which of the band’s iconic tracks would be next. The entire 26-song setlist intertwined both new and old hits from the band, with Pritchard commenting on his wife’s feedback that the band needs to “bring back” some of their older hits to their set.

As the concert progressed, one particular fan was spotted holding up a sign that read “Can I play Seaside with you?”. Unexpected to the fan, Pritchard notices the sign and soon enough, the young man was hurled over the barrier and took centre stage to perform in front of 18,000 people. Pritchard embraced Joe with open arms and introduced him to the arena before the two of them began performing the iconic song. The first fan ever to be brought up onto stage with The Kooks.

The most emotive moment of the night has to go to the tribute paid to Pritchard’s father, Bob Pritchard. Luke opened by mentioning how the band “don’t really do ballads“, emphasising the strong sentiment behind “See Me Now“. During the performance, fans held a light in memory of his late father. The ending of the song was met with immense cheering and applause from the audience as the lead singer bowed to the crowd and thanked them for helping him through the song.

Closing the night with the hit single ‘Naive’, the Kooks had the whole arena on their feet, dancing in the confetti. The band’s most-streamed song certainly united the widely diverse crowd, from the teens in the pit throwing their cups and up on their shoulders to the longstanding fans in the stands who have watched the band grow.