The air of the theatre was light with the girlish screams of hundreds of young twenty-somethings; they echoed off the walls, hungry for the nostalgia of years past, aching for a simpler time of beach days with friends and sneaking swigs from dad’s beer at a family function. As The Kooks took the stage, the rising shouts erupted into a crescendo. For the night, we were all sixteen again, freshly released from school to rule the world for a summer while The Kooks provided the soundtrack to our canyon drives. You could almost hear your friends in the backseat butchering “Junk of the Heart” and for a moment, everything was okay.
There’s something to be said about a band past their artistic prime filling an arena, and even more to be said for a band that can do that outside of their home country. Yet, here we all were, witnessing the full force of a sold-out crowd at The Wiltern, while The Kooks regaled the crowd with all manner of hits and new tracks. As far as the production value was concerned, it was a relatively simple show; the standard set of stage lights were embellished with responsive LED bars placed strategically about the stage, set to shine lights or animate in patterns during key sections of the song. But much like their music, they preferred to rely on tried and true tricks to make a memorable experience for the audience.
The one notable gimmick they employed was during their stage entrance, where they played sections of popular songs by bands from the UK, as if to establish themselves in the same lexicon as the Beatles. While the gesture may have been somewhat grandiose and on the nose, to the crowd at the Wiltern they may as well have been the Beatles, and perhaps that is all that really matters. Song wise they did the standard come back tour regiment and performed mostly hits, though for the song “Bad Habit” they did an excellent job of having the crowd perform the main chant, a move that rarely, if ever, works on large crowds.
The lead singer wore a sweat-soaked loose fitting white shirt with a deep v-neck and ruffles, a detail that is only relevant for the comical juxtaposition of his distinctly non-rockstar appearance, though it was all pulled off in good fun. Each of band members seemed to be having a wonderful time as they plowed through renditions of “Fa La La” and “Sway,” as well as their recent hit “No Pressure.” The new direction of the band seems to edge further into the pop territory, and despite some of their material after their first few albums not quite living up to critical expectations, they seem to have found a way to maintain a career and have fun while doing it.
The Kooks may not quite be legends, but to the crowd at the Wiltern, they were most assuredly rockstars. Most bands will never reach the levels of fame and dedication that they have. The fact that they were able to maintain such a strong presence throughout the show is a testament to their skill, professionalism and staying power as one of the most fun British pop-rock acts outside of The Wombats. The Wiltern show proved to be an excellent closing for their US tour, and those who have always wanted to see the Kooks should look forward to coming dates after the release of their upcoming album Let’s Go Sunshine.
Setlist
– See the Sun
– Be Who You Are
– Bad Habit
– Sofa Song
– Ooh La
– She Moves in Her Own Way
– Westside
– All the Time
– Down
– You Don’t Love Me
– See Me Now
– Fa La La
– Four Leaf Clover
– Sway
– Is It Me
– Sweet Emotion
– Shine
– Around Town
– No Pressure
– Junk of the Heart (Happy)
Encore
– Seaside
– Always Where I Need to Be
– Naive
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