The Kooks @ Moth Club Hackney

The Kooks have earned the right to be called one of the most legendary UK indie guitar bands in the world. For over a decade, we’ve been treated to some of the best singalongs of our generation, ‘Ooh La’, ‘Naive’, ‘She Moves in Her Own Way’. Banger after banger after banger. Luke Pritchard has been the voice of the 00’s guitar music generation and will continue to do so for years to come.

It was almost too rockstar to be true. The newly crafted four piece consisting of Luke, Hugh, Peter and Alexis came through the main room door with white stage lights burning the pathway. It was like watching four Gandalf the White’s march through the crowd. Met with a 300 cap eruption of excitement; I couldn’t help but notice the unavoidable sea of mobile phones and the complexity of the different type of individuals and ages that’d all come together to celebrate the new age for The Kooks.

It became a theme for the evening – phones. Every song that was in some way a bit of a fan favourite was met with all sorts of tossers recording the entire thing. Waving about, overly zoomed in, crusty phones recording 20 seconds of shit footage that was never going to be used – other than to gloat to Karen in accounts that you saw this “proper good band” last night. You’re not impressing anyone Mark. Just watch the fucking show.

It has to be said that although the crowd was full of arseholes that found some sort of sexual pleasure blocking your view, the music was phenomenal. Luke’s voice is distinctive British memorabilia. Every song – even on the few days old album, was met with singalongs and the novelty of playing their hits didn’t come with an air of cringe. It was pure nostalgic pleasure. Absolute bliss singing along to ‘She Moves in Her Own Way’ till the point of nearly voming in my own mouth. Bucket lists where ticked off and I left the venue knowing that’d I’d seen one of the best live bands Britain has offered to the world.