Kooks

Sonnet and I head for the Brixton Academey and the Kooks, the hottest band in the UK at the moment. The Kooks come from Brighton and bring two crucial things to their music: a wealth of ideas and an awareness of their place in their musical lineage. Which is why it's probably so appropriate that Inside In/Inside Out was recorded at The Kinks' Ray Davies' own studio - Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard, like Davies, seems to have a knack for churning out catchy guitar-pop nuggets. I've been following the band since their '06 debut which is smashing (their follow-up, released this week, average). The sold-out Brixton lives up to the billing from the first song "Ooh La", which sends the audience wild. Sonnet is a trooper, as usual, probably dreaming of opera or the ballet. The photo I chose conveys (at least I think) the intensity of the show. On the grand-finally call-back, lead singer Luke Pritchard's guitar is fucked and he throws the thing down and jumps into the audience - surprising everybody - while continuing to belt away "Sea The World." Classic stuff. On the way out I buy the concert T-shirt which has their UK tour stops - while places I never want to visit, it is way cool nonetheless.

"But uh oh, I love her because
She moves in her own way
But uh oh, she came to my show
Just to hear about my day"
Chorus, She Moves In Her Own Ways