The Kooks @ UEA
It’s time for a break boys.
Named after the David Bowie song Kooks, the band rather fittingly enter the stage as the song plays over the sound system. Straight from the off a mass singalong ensues to one of their best known numbers Seaside. "Do you want to go to the seaside, I’m not trying to say that everybody wants to go”….
This rescheduled gig sees the band return to one of their favourite tour stops to promote their new remix album, Hello, What’s Your Name? Considering that they were only here as recently as November 2014 the event is a sell out; it’s quite striking that the audience is a lot younger than the last time they were in town. Many, I would suggest, are at their first ever gig.
The main floor completely becomes one big mosh pit for the entire set and judging by the reaction everyone here was having a great time. Well, maybe not everyone.
The band come across a lot less energetic than the four previous shows of theirs that I have seen in recent years at various UK venues. Something is definitely lacking, and the lacklustre remix album maybe best sums up the current state of affairs with the band. Sure there are plenty of hits and great tracks played tonight amongst some of the new remixes, but quite frankly it all becomes rather boring.
A twenty one song set list including Always Where I Need To Be, Ooh La, She Moves In Her Own Way and the Sofa Song is commendable but even this doesn’t save the day for me.
“It’s great to be back in Norwich. It’s like we’ve never been away!” says lead singer Luke Pritchard. But based on this performance it feels like it is indeed time that they went away and came back with some fresh new material. It’s ten years since their debut album Inside In, Inside Out, and used on this experienece a Best Of or greatest hits album and tour would’ve been a more fitting end to their hugely successful decade.
The kids scream for them to return for the encore and they duly oblige upon their return with another three songs, Shine On, Junk Of The Heart and Naïve.
It’s just not the high energy performance that we have come to love from them during the past decade. The momentum has been lost. It’s time for a break boys.
6/10
