On Wednesday, May 21, the British band, The Kooks, performed for Jimmy Kimmel Live as part of the show’s outdoor summer concert series. I was lucky enough to snag a ticket and watch this increasingly popular band perform songs off of their new album, Konk. The concert took place in the parking lot behind the El Capitan Theater, with an audience of about 200 people, which allowed the band to effectively connect with everyone, as it was such an intimate setting. The band casually entered the stage, humbly introduced themselves, and opened with their newest single, Always Where I Need to Be. In contrast to their signature laid-back appearance, I was instantly grabbed by the intensity and emotion in singer Luke Pritchard’s facial expressions and stance as well as drummer Pane Garred’s constantly changing facial expressions and body movement, which mirrored the intensity of the music. This dynamic change in presence from the moment the band walked on the stage to the start of the show set the tone for the strong performance they were about to give. The array of songs continued to showcase the band’s innovative sound by performing some of their acoustic driven songs, such as Tick of Time, a personal favorite as it is a more raw sound that presents Pritchard’s wide vocal range.
Pritchard worked to further rev the audience’s energy level, which allowed the audience to continue to connect with the band as their personality seeped through their musical performance. This, intertwined with the balance of lyrics and instrumentals made for a great set, as neither aspect of any song overpowered the other. I have only listened to The Kooks’ music on albums, so I was extremely happy that their live performances did not stray from the sound they present on records.
*photos from http://www.thekooks.co.uk/
