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The Kooks Bring the Lovefest |
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Written by SAMUEL JEMIELITY / Photos by BARRY BRECHEISEN
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Wednesday, 22 October 2008 |
“You don’t love me, you don’t care.” That’s what the Kooks lead singer and rhythm guitarist Luke Pritchard belted out 90 minutes into a sold out show at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre, but it couldn’t have been further from the truth. The sweaty, moshing, largely teen-age crowd hung on Pritchard’s every broken-hearted Bono-esque wail throughout a high-energy two hour set from the moment the band walked onstage bathed in red light to “Miserlou,” the theme from “Pulp Fiction.”
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The Kooks
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 Entertainment
 Art
Riviera Theater
Chicago, Ill.
October 11, 2008
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The Kooks kicked off the show with upbeat rockers “Always Where I Need to Be,” the first single of their latest album, “Konk,” plus three strong songs off their debut album, “Matchbox,” “Eddie’s Gun,” and “Ooh La.” Clad in a white turtleneck and skin-tight rocker jeans, Pritchard kept the stage prattle to a minimum, which was just as well, because most of his banter was unintelligible, thanks to his heavy British accent and the screaming crowd.
The melancholy ballad “Sway” – one of the best songs off “Konk” – brought out the cellphone cameras and even a few lighters, and acoustic-spined jams “She Moves in Her Own Way” and “Mr. Maker” proved high-points midway through the show, while the bluesy jam “Do You Wanna” stirred up a crowd not the least bit bothered by the cock-rock banality of the refrain, “Do you wanna make love to me.” But you can forgive the Kooks for their occasional lyrical lapse, thanks to their exuberance and sly wit. The band also impressed live musicians, Pritchard’s vocals never faltered and guitarist Hugh Harris sounded pitch-perfect throughout the show.
The band left the stage and Pritchard returned for several mellow solo acoustic songs, including “Seaside,” where he gave props to a few fans in the crowd for breaking out the “old-school” lighters. Then the rest of the band returned to close with crowd-pleasing rockers “Stormy Weather” and “Sofa Song,” putting an exclamation point on the evening’s Kooks’ lovefest.
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