The Kooks, O2 Academy Birmingham - review

That's exactly what happened this Saturday, as the sun set on a perfect sun-tinted day and the Kooks came to Birmingham's O2 Academy on their Best Of...So Far tour.

First up to rouse the crowd were experimental indie rockers Clean Cut Kid - and rouse the crowd they did with their precise vocals, sparing choruses and jagged guitar solos that provided the perfect opportunity for the crowd to sway, dance and jump to the beat.

With an extensive back catalogue to showcase, The Kooks had no time to chit chat and took to the stage with a constant whirlwind energy that they maintained for a full hour and a half.

Not only are their songs infectious, their attitude is too, as The Kooks' vocalist Luke Pritchard builds an immediate rapport with the crowd, constantly dancing across the stage with a smile across his face - the stage is his natural home and it shows.

Their back-to-back set took the audience on a journey through their history, from the hip-swaying roots of Inside In/Inside Out with the likes of Ooh La, Eddie's Gun and Seaside to brand new single Be Who You Are.

Whether hit single or acoustic B side - the crowd hung on their every word creating a red hot, electric atmosphere that kept the party going.

Performing not one but two encores, the crowd turned into a wall of people on shoulders illuminated by lighters to the uplifting Shine On before the band ended on iconic single Naive.

"It's great to be here Birmingham, we've played here so many times now, and I just want to thank you for all that you've done for us," Luke beamed before they bid farewell to the crowd.

The Best Of...So Far is the perfect message to accompany the Kooks on tour. Their show in Birmingham's O2 Academy proved once and for all that they are not simply the band that wrote Naive, they have the drive and talent to consistently make passionate and rousing singles that make for one of the most electric live performances.