Kooks Live at HOB Anaheim

 We celebrated my wife’s birthday (actual day October 29) early this year by seeing The Kooks play at the House of Blues Anaheim on Monday, October 27.  The Kooks released their first CD two years ago and another earlier this year.  They’re from Brighton, England.  My wife first heard of them within the past year.  She read in an online music journal that they had a bassist named Max Rafferty.  He has since left the band and been replaced twice, though his playing and co-writing are featured on the two albums.  This was our second concert at the House of Blues Anaheim in one month and our third in three months so we knew fairly well how to get there.  This time there was no Miley Cyrus Sweet 16 or anything like that.  We just parked at Downtown Disney like we did for the Gospel Brunch in August.  We arrived at Downtown Disney at 5 pm.  It only took us one hour to drive from downtown L.A. but it probably would have taken us longer if we had left later.  Downtown Disney was crowded as usual with parents and young children and others.  We had dinner at Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen Express that serves ready-made Creole and Southern food.  We had eaten at the sit-down part of this restaurant back in 2001, my first time at Disneyland.

The restaurant is right across from the House of Blues Anaheim.  As we finished eating at around 6 pm we could see a queue of young people forming at the foot to the staircase to the venue.  It was one hour before the doors were scheduled to open.  We queued up and waited.  Most of the queue consisted of young women, teenagers or not much older, mostly Caucasians, though there were also many young men and some Asians.  I saw a few parents with their son and/or daughter.  Some of the young people wore Kooks t-shirts.  At 6:20 they started putting up poles with chains to make it into a more orderly “Disneyland-style” queue.  They finished setting it up and let us assemble in it.  A venue employee worked down the line giving everyone wristbands.  She asked each person whether they were over or under 21.  If they were under they got a pink wristband, over they had to show ID and got a black one.  We had to show our ID’s but I noticed that she didn’t check ID for one of the parents.  Another venue employee announced that the band would be signing CD’s after the concert and they would be selling CD’s inside for this purpose. 

By 7:10 the queue extended outside the poles and chains, around the perimeter, in front of Tortilla Jo’s Cantina and beyond.  Some young people near the front of the queue started cheering and whooping.  It was ten minutes past when the doors were scheduled to open and they were getting restless.  At 7:12 pm, the venue employees started taking tickets and the queue moved briskly.  Security consisted of a pat-down, though I saw one employee with a wand.  We climbed the staircase into the venue.  They were selling merchandise for cash only at a table at the top of the stairs just outside the door.  My wife bought a yellow Kooks T-shirt and some Kooks buttons.  At another table they sold CD’s that fans could buy and have the band autograph after the concert.  The House of Blues restaurant was open and kept separate from the concert venue.  I went downstairs and handed my parking slip to a venue employee who had it validated at the restaurant bar.  While going down there I saw someone who looked like a parent tell her daughter and daughter’s friend that she was staying upstairs while they went downstairs.  It seemed like the young people were on the ground floor standing in front of the stage while us older folks sat on stools on the upper floor.

We entered the upstairs part of the venue and found seats at stools along the upper railing.  They were in the back left corner facing the stage.  Most of the stools in the back were taken by the time we entered since it’s easier to see the stage from the back than from the sides.  In the upper far corners they had mounted large screens that would show the stage allowing us to see the obstructed parts.  Before the performance began the screens showed promotions for Live Nation concerts including footage of a Mika concert.  The House of Blues was decorated similar to when we saw James earlier in the month.  The only difference I noticed was that they had cobweb decorations hanging from the ceiling for Halloween.  From the upper level I could read the message above the stage that said “Unity in Diversity” and “All are one.”  For the pre-show canned music, they played Blues, appropriate for the venue.

Unlike at the James concert, there was no curtain covering the stage and we could see all the equipment set up.  At 8 pm the opening act, The Whigs, came out on stage.  The lead singer/guitarist said, “Hello y’all.  We’re The Whigs from Athens, Georgia.”  The Whigs consisted of the lead singer/guitarist, bassist, and drummer.  They played loud and fast with the lead singer moving kinetically around the stage.  He wore a red flannel shirt and his longish hair partially obscured his eyes.  He had a loud, slightly lower voice, though he didn’t have a thick Southern accent.  They made use of the spotlights, primarily red and orange colors.

As we watched some employees gave these stickers to the group of people next to us permitting them to sit at the lower rail.  The seats at the lower rail were blocked off with rope and anyone who ducked under the rope on their own was sent back.  They seemed to give stickers to people who ordered many drinks from the bar servers.  As they moved to the lower rail we were able to move over to the stools they left that had slightly better views.

The Whigs continued through their set that seemed long at 11 songs for an opening act.  Some songs were more rhythmic featuring the drumming.  Others featured the bassist or the lead singer on keyboard.  Between songs the lead singer talked a bit asking if we were excited about the Kooks and saying this was their first show in Anaheim.  One song with the lead singer on keyboard and the bassist on guitar started slow and atmospheric sounding a bit like The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”.  But it got louder when they added the drum and had an extended guitar solo.  Another song had the folksy-sounding line “I don’t care what your old man thinks.”  Towards the end the lead singer said, “You guys pumped about The Kooks?  We got two more.  Thanks for having fun with us.”  His Southern accent was evident in the penultimate number.  He sang fast sounding a bit like the verses of The Beatles’ “Get Back”.  They got everyone clapping for the last song, played an extended version and kept playing louder and faster.  They finished and walked off the stage to loud cheering and applause at 8:45 pm.  No curtain fell.

We had full view of the crew taking down The Whigs’ equipment and setting up for The Kooks.  The Whigs’ lead singer and bassist helped them out.  There were some cheers from the crowd, possibly for them.  The crew set up an elevated drum kit towards the back of the stage.  They taped white pieces of paper to the floor near where the band members would position themselves.  At 9:05 pm the lights dimmed and the crowd cheered but it was just a teaser and they came back on.  We knew things would get going soon because smoke spewed from a pipe above the stage.

At 9:15 pm the lights went out for real.  We heard a guitar playing and lots of cheering.  I’m not sure if the playing was canned but the band came out on stage and with a “Hello, we’re The Kooks” they went straight into their first number, the loud and fast “Always Where I Need To Be.”  The Kooks consisted of the lead singer Luke Pritchard, the second bassist they’ve had since Max Rafferty left the band, the guitarist wearing a hat and vest, and the drummer who wore a suit and tie throughout the concert.  Luke played no instrument for the first number but would soon pick up an electric rhythm guitar and would also play a small acoustic guitar for several songs.  From where we were sitting we could see the bassist clearly and the drummer and Luke most of the time.  We couldn’t see the guitarist in person but could see him on the screens.

The next number, “Matchbox”, started minimally with the guitar and drums but got louder after the first verse when the whole band joined in.  Luke was handed an electric guitar.  The song contained the repeated self-referential line “The Kooks are out in the street.”  It ended with a line sung a cappella.  The next song, “Eddie’s Gun” started loud and fast and stayed that way through its short duration.  After wrapping that one up, Luke said, “Thank you very much.”  He spoke with a thick English accent I sometimes had trouble understanding.  “We’re from Brighton,” he continued, “We’re enjoying our time here in the Orange County.  We particularly enjoy the Mickey Mouse Police.” (Or was that last word “place”?)  “Maybe you can help us sing the next one.”  Luke picked up an acoustic guitar and they performed the slower but still loud “Ooh La”.  The song actually sounded more rockin’ live than the album recording.

They used only the colored spotlights for visual effects.  For the next song, “Sway”, they shined yellow spotlights from in front of the band causing their enlarged shadows to appear on the backdrop.  Like most songs, the song started slower and more acoustic but got louder by the first chorus.  In contrast, the next song, “Time Awaits”, began with a loud guitar, got faster after the first verse, and had everyone clapping.  It did get a bit less loud for the guitar solo.  At another point, Luke stepped in front of the speakers and closer to the crowd.  The next number, “I Want You” began with the atmospheric feedback of the guitar.  It got louder and more rockin’ with the addition of the drums and was especially loud at the end.

Before the next song someone seemed to be trying to tell Luke that his (the person’s) glasses were on stage.  Luke couldn’t find them but did acknowledge that one of the crowd said they were from Brighton.  The Kooks then did the more subdued and introspective “One Last Time” that began acoustically.  Most of the crowd sang along.  Before the next song Luke said he wanted everyone on their feet especially us watching from upstairs.  They then played the loud and rollicking “She Moves in Her Own Way” followed by the equally rollicking and fun song “Mr. Maker”.  Next, they played the equally loud but faster “Do You Wanna”.  The crowd sang along with the chorus.  This song is on the soundtrack for the TV show “Gossip Girl” on the CW that’s popular with young people.  This might explain why The Kooks are popular with them.  Luke got very close to the fans and reached toward them to shake hands.

The next song they played was “Naïve”.  When my wife got their first album and played it, this song sounded familiar to me.  I must have heard it as a soundtrack to a trailer or maybe on the radio.  They began the song quickly with just the guitar and soon added the rest of the band.  Before the next song Luke mentioned that the drummer performing with them was named Nick Millard and he wasn’t actually part of the band.  Tim, the bassist/keyboards for The Whigs joined them to play keyboard for the song “Shine On”.  The spotlights appropriately shined orange-yellow light and the crowd sang along with the chorus.  The next song, “See the World”, began with some feedback and loud guitar playing.  After that they performed “You Don’t Love Me” that was even louder and more rockin’ and stayed that way throughout.  They finished and left the stage at 10:15 pm.

The crowd cheered in fits and starts but it was enough for Luke to return.  He said he would play a few tunes and then “the boys would return.”  He had the acoustic guitar.  Someone threw their billed hat onto the stage and Luke put it on, thanking the thrower and promising to return it.  He performed “Seaside”, a slow but festive number.  It was amazing how much sound he created with just his voice and the guitar.  He’s really the dominant force in the band.  He then played a new song, “Princess of My Mind”, a slow, sad, and passionate number.  At the urging of a fan he tried to sing part of the song “California” that’s by another artist but recorded by The Kooks as a cover.  My wife downloaded and assembled a collection of their non-album singles that included “California”.  Luke couldn’t remember the lyrics even though the fan was singing along.  Luke complimented them on their voice.  Someone else requested the non-Kooks song “Young Folks”, also on that collection, but Luke said he couldn’t remember it.  Instead, he did a soulful, acoustic version of “Jackie Big T**s”.  Towards the end of the song he seemed to be suppressing a laugh.

The guitarist, Hugh Harris, joined Luke for the next song, “Tick of Time”, that was louder and more rockin’ than the previous ones.  Luke referred to him as “Mr. Hugh.”  After they performed he introduced “Peter Denton on bass” who returned along with the drummer.  The Kooks then played “Stormy Weather” that had a strong bass line along with loud guitar and bass solos.  They played an extended version that was nearly the duration of two songs.  Luke stepped into the crowd and they seemed to be holding him up.  They played loud and intensely and they ended at 10:42 pm.  They bowed and walked off stage.  The canned music coming back on signaled that there would be no more encores.

When we left, the parking attendant let us just drive out for free.  The concerts at House of Blues Anaheim continued to “Shine On” even this “One Last Time” this year.