The Kooks at Festival Hall, Melbourne
Last on our shores in 2019, The Kooks had a triumphant return to Festival Hall for their Inside In / Inside Out 15th Anniversary tour. A nostalgic night of throwbacks and hits; the audience young and old were dancing and singing to every word, shouting at the top of their lungs to their favourite tunes.
The night began with Illawarra band The Vanns who were the perfect choice as a support – described by others as ‘four mates playing their instruments loud and live’. Lead vocalist Jimmy Vann in tow with Cameron Little, Tom Switlek and Andrew Banovich showcased the best of Australian rock and roll, performing all of their hits, as well as a bonus Like A Version cover. Highlights from the set included opening track Keep My Cool, the guitar solo in Mother, our favourite Feels Good Now, their Bon Iver cover of Hey, Ma, and final track Fake Friends.
Before long, it was time for the English indie-rockers from Brighton to take the stage. The Kooks‘ set began with Luke Pritchard on stage performing a solo acoustic rendition of Seaside, before the band including Hugh Harris, Alexis Nunez and touring musician Jonathan Harvey joined to launch into an array of hits from their debut album; See the World, Sofa Song, Ooh La, Eddie’s Gun, and She Moves in Her Own Way. Throughout these opening tracks, the band constantly exclaimed ‘It’s amazing to be back’.
The next portion of the set included two tracks from Listen, with Bad Habit and Sweet Emotion, before performing some tracks from their latest album with Modern Days, Connection, and Beautiful World with Shine On also thrown into the mix. Hugh took the opportunity to tell the crowd he was ‘feeling fucking awesome man, we’re home’, while Luke dedicated Beautiful World to his boy Julian; missing him on the other side of the world.
The last section of the set finished strong, with a mix from all of their albums new and old. Jackie Big Tits, Cold Heart, and Closer lead to the crowd being told to go crazy for Always Where I Need To Be, Do You Wanna, before closing on Junk of the Heart (Happy). While the audience waited for The Kooks to return for an encore, murmurs in the crowd were heard guessing what tracks were left in the already incredible set. As they returned to the stage, the band told the audience ‘We’ve had quite a journey as a band – always brings me back here’; performing crowd favourite Matchbox, a song for the lovers with No Pressure, and finishing the performance with Naïve.
As the band announced ‘I wish we were staying here for the week and playing every night’, we felt the feeling was mutual. The band, in as great a form as ever, left the stage, and we now wait again for their eventual return.