The sneaky banger factory that is The Kooks lead a British Invasion of the Fillmore Minneapolis on Saturday night.They are out celebrating the 15th anniversary of their debut album Inside In/Inside Out. Joining The Kooks on the Inside In/Inside Out Tour were The Vaccines and Daisy The Great.
First up were East Coast pop rockers Daisy the Great. Swathed in blue and pink light for most of their set, front women Kelley Dugan and Mina Walker balanced harmonies with bright poppy garage rock. Both of them were comfortable and engaging with the audience, giving a shout out to the lobster rolls at Smack Shack. Guitarist Nardo Ochoa was fire, adding a rawness to the poppy vibe of the rest of the band. Highlight of the set was the sing along to “Record Player Song”.
Next up England’s The Vaccines. Their walk on music for Saturday night was The Wings “Live And Let Die” which transitioned into “Love To Walk Away” as the band started their set.. These guys brought headliner energy right out of the gate. They are out touring in support their sixth release Pick Up Full Of Pink Carnations. This would explain the carnations on the mic stands. The band’s set had flavors of The Strokes and The Killers. Energetic frontman Justin Hayward Young brought tons of energy, perching at the edge of the stage several times throughout the set to connect with the crowd. Highlights of the set include “Wet Suit”, “I Can’t Quit” and and amazing live version of “All My Friends Are Falling In Love”.
The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard came out solo sporting a blonde Fender Telecaster to start the set right around 9:30. He broke the ice with “Seaside” off of their first release. The band filed out to the cheers of the packed Fillmore. With the full band jamming to “See The World”, Prichard dropped the axe in order to move more nimbly around the stage. The band brought tons of energy, and guitarist Hugh Harris was particularly enthusiastic “She Moves In Her Own Way”, which most of the audience sang along with.. The whole band was tighter than 2 coats of paint as they ripped through “Westside”, “Forgive & Forget” and “Closer”.
One of the loudest reactions was when the band did a jammy version of “Do You Wanna”. The instrumental jams gave Prichard a bit of a break. The Kooks are kings of the British indie pop-rock sound. The set was well engineered, spacing some of the mellower tunes in with the rockers. The band saved the best for last, ending the set with a tune that had the entire Fillmore dancing. The raucous “Naive” the perfect way to end the set, and the audience showed their appreciation with copious applause.
The energetically charged set Saturday night showed The Kooks possess the power to sustain there reign of domination for the foreseeable future.
