The Kooks bring indie anthems to Melbourne’s Palace Foreshore
Returning to Australia for the first time since 2022, The Kooks kicked off the first leg of their All Over The World tour with a night of indie singalongs, fresh material and all your favourite throwbacks at Melbourne’s latest pop-up venue, Palace Foreshore. Against the scenic backdrop of St Kilda’s coastline, the Brighton indie-rockers reminded fans why they remain at the forefront of indie music over two decades into their career.
Before the main event, American singer Briston Maroney opened the night with his signature blend of alt-folk and garage rock. Visiting Australia for the first time, he was having a great time on stage laughing and engaging with the crowd. From opening song Body, to the shredding guitar solos of Under My Skin, we heard everything from Caroline to June in the set. Joking about everything from his new goatee to (lack of) self-control around Tim Tams, the band played a mix of recent releases including Real Good Swimmer as well as closing out with fan-favourite Freakin’ Out on The Interstate.
As day became night, The Kooks appeared and launched straight into Sofa Song followed by Ooh La – a sign of the high-intensity energy that would continue throughout the evening. Frontman Luke Pritchard greeted the crowd with a ‘Thank you so much, good evening St Kilda, Melbourne… what a beautiful evening!’. Expressing how he couldn’t wait to get to know the audience better, the band performed She Moves In Her Own Way before the first surprise of the night with Stormy Weather – the first time it’s been performed live since 2012. Talking about touring with some new music up their sleeve, the band played Sunny Baby (a self-labelled rock and soul track) before returning to the electric guitars for Bad Habit. Westside continued the hits from album Listen as did See Me Now, as Pritchard reflected on bringing the song back to their live shows. He told the audience, ‘we started playing this again recently. It’s a ballad, a letter I wrote to my dad who died when I was a kid. It’s nice to share it again. This is for you.’
The energy shifted again for Eddie’s Gun and Sweet Emotion – continuing on the good vibes. Pritchard, knowing what was next teased the crowd with a ‘If there’s one time you’re going to go absolutely crazy, now is that time’ as they performed Always Where I Need to Be. We always love hearing Do You Wanna live as the intensity builds, and latest single Never Know was well received. We’re told ‘There’s never been a more perfect venue to perform this song’ as they rolled out Seaside as well as surprise two of the evening with Watching the Ships Roll In from Konk – performed acoustically and for the first time since 2019. The main set concluded with Matchbox and Junk of the Heart (Happy); a track that had everyone dancing and singing along at the top of their lungs.
Returning for the encore, The Kooks kept the crowd on their toes with See the World, followed by a snippet of fan-requested Jackie Big Tits, with Pritchard teasing ‘That’s all you get. We’ll play it in full next time. We love you, goodnight!’ Closing with Naïve, the crowd erupted; voices carrying the song long after the final note. As the band left the stage, they once again expressed their love for Melbourne, promising to return soon. The Kooks have long been one of the UK’s finest indie exports, and if this show was any indication, they’re far from slowing down.