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The Kooks Live/Vancouver CommodoreSongs From Inside In/Inside Out & Konk Fizzle for Brit-Pop Band
Review: Brighton rockers The Kooks faced a sold-out Vancouver crowd with catchy, commercial 60s-tinged pop music. But was that enough?
Oh dear. It’s not looking that good for the boy wonders. It’s the first time sunny Brighton rockers The Kooks have played Vancouver, and halfway through the set, the sold-out Commodore Ballroom crowd has thinned, the merch stand is empty and the remaining faithful have lost a bit of spring in their steps. “Awright? Having fun? Are you still alive out there?” singer/guitarist Luke Pritchard asks the throng. Never a good sign. Inside In/Inside Out and KonkBut bless ‘em for trying. Young-sounding (most of the band are in their early 20s) and named after a Bowie track, the Kooks play beachy 60s Brit-pop/rock with songs about, to borrow a Kings of Leon album title, youth and young manhood. Their debut Inside In/Inside Out (a solid starter filled with hooky nuggets) bubbled up to number two on the UK charts, while their latest, Konk, made it to the top spot Britside. Konk, a bit more hit and miss than its predecessor, took its title from the Kinks’ London studio where the album was recorded and was, by turns, celebrated by some reviewers and uncharitably described by others as the “sound of beige”. Yikes. Be that as it may, Konk’s release saw the band enjoying award noms in the UK and mainstream media buzz in the US. Plus, the girls love ‘em and they drew a nice crowd in Vancouver, including 150 or so to an earlier in-store - a fact which Pritchard gratefuly acknowledged by pointing a few fans in the front rows, saying: “I saw you at HMV. Cool. And you too...”. Still, it comes down to this: the Kooks are not kooky in the slightest. Are Catchy Singles Enough?Fun for all ages (or so it seemed -- Vancouver's crowd was mixture of young girls, frat boys and 30-something MOR fans), The Kooks may in fact be the dictionary definition of the word “harmless.” Just enough rock to roll, but otherwise...meh. Bounding on stage all curls, patchy skin and video camera to document their first visit to Vanhattan, Pritchard, Hugh Harris, Paul Garred and Dan Logan launched into the instantly accessible single off Konk, “Always Where I Need to Be” and to be fair, sounded quite sharp. In fact, turn away from the stage and it would seem the band’s live sound is pretty near album-perfect. A commendable achievement for the studious bunch, and the ragtag assortment of standouts from the gig (“Ooh La”, “She Moves in Her Own Way”, “Eddie’s Gun” “Do You Wanna” and “Mr Maker”), all do have an irritatingly happy way of lodging inside one’s brainpan. Wanted: Time and TouringBut the band lack charisma and Pritchard himself isn’t a natural rock n’ roll frontman...not yet, anyway. Try as he might to crack wise, hold his hand out plaintively, bounce around or lean his mic-stand audience-way, a proven showman he is not. Slightly nervous and possibly all still a bit too new at this even on their sophmore disc, the Kooks haven’t yet found their roadlegs. As for being a decent band who play commercial rock music, it could really just be that The Kooks just need a bit more time to simmer and develop in the rock stew. After all, it’s not a crime to be catchy. Is it? The Kooks live at the Commodore Ballroom was presented by LiveNation. The Kooks tour the US, Canada and Europe through to July 19 2008, then appear at the UK's V Festival on August 16 and 17. For more information, visit LiveNation or check out your local online ticketing vendor.
The copyright of the article The Kooks Live/Vancouver Commodore in Rock Music is owned by Mikala Taylor. Permission to republish The Kooks Live/Vancouver Commodore in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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