THE KOOKS AT LE ZÉNITH IN PARIS, FRANCE
Going to a concert of The Kooks is a bit like going back to our teenage years, just for a few hours. The Brighton, UK quartet never quite completely disappeared from the indie pop scene. Last year, they came back with a brand-new album named Let’s Go Sunshine, 4 years after Listen. Paris is their last date for this EU tour. They are joined with two other British names: Callum Beattie and Blossoms. A good night for lovers of UK indie rock, then!
The night started early with Callum Beattie. The Welch lad didn’t stay very long on stage, just the time for everyone to arrive in the venue. The atmosphere is not yet warmed up and the public stayed very quiet. Callum still had some nice tunes and a good contact with the crowd. It will be interesting to see him in a smaller venue, with his own headlining show.
Blossoms were the next one to take the stage. With two guitarists, a keyboard player, a bassist and a drummer, the band expended for this EU tour to play some new songs from their last album Cool Like You. It was still early compared to the schedule and the Zénith was still half empty. Their performance lacked a bit of energy. Clearly, the circumstances weighed on the musicians, tonight. Anyway, knowing what they are capable of, it’s just another excuse to go see them again in a better setting!
Finally, the whole pit seemed to light up when Luke Pritchard and his friends arrived. They were obviously very happy to be in Paris and it showed. For the biggest happiness of the crowd, they played a fair amount of songs from their first (and most loved) album Inside In/Inside Out. Starting with Sofa Song, Eddie's Gun and She Moves in Her Own Way made all the nostalgic fans sang their hearts out on some of their teenage anthems. Alternating between very energetic songs (Pamela, Bad Habits) and emotional moments (See me Now), The Kooks delivered a very rich and professional show. They obviously played Seaside, one of their biggest hits from 2006, strongly joined by the crowd that was seemingly just waiting for this moment to arrive. After an encore that didn’t let many doubts on their come back, they closed the night with No Pressure, the main single from Let’s Go Sunshine and Naïve, from their first LP.
The Kooks may not be most trending band anymore, but they sure still know how to put a hell of a show!