Considered by critics as one of the most important indie pop groups in England, The Kooks arrived in Lima for the second time on May 24 to finish a small tour of South America that also covered Argentina and Brazil. This time, and thanks to Move Concerts Peru, the British came to celebrate 15 years since the release of their successful debut album Inside In/Inside Out, which they fully performed in addition to other hits.
This writer once again had the opportunity to represent All Music Magazine and arrive at Arena 1, where a few days ago the North American band KISS also played. This time the entrance to the auditorium was more orderly and the schedules were fullfilled in a timely manner. I arrived at the venue minutes before 6pm and the doors were already opening for the more than 4,500 people who bought their tickets months in advance.
At 8:00pm the local band Inzul started playing an indie rock that was well received by the attendees. This band began their musical career in 2014 and in 2017 they released their first album Subterráneo. They opened their set with the song “A+B” and received the immediate attention of the public, then came the single that gives their name to their second album, “El Muro”, a song released last year that has helped the band to be better known in Latin America. The short set they performed was a mix of their two albums to date and ended with the song “150.” The audience cheered for them as the lights went down and the band staff cleared away the equipment to prepare the stage for the headlining band.
Inzul:
Stefano Cedeño – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Gianfranco Arias – Bass
Angelo Grijalva – Drums
Renzo Romaní – Guitar
Daniel Gómez – Keyboards
Setlist:
1.) A+B
2.) El Muro
3.) Sharon
4.) Tan Solo
5.) Para Que Volver
6.) 150
A few minutes after 9pm and with the venue full as expected, vocalist Luke Pritchard came on stage accompanied by his acoustic guitar, starting the concert with the song “Seaside”, the first song from the debut album. It was a perfect start that set the tone for what would be the second presentation of The Kooks in Lima after 4 long years. Although it is true that the setlist for this tour had no variations, starting with an acoustic song called “Seaside” was special because Arena 1 is a few meters from the seashore.
For the second song “See The World”, the whole band would take their place on stage: Hugh Harris to the left of the audience on guitar and synthesizers, Alexis Núñez behind on drums and to our right bassist Jonathan Harvey who is accompanying the band on this tour. Next would come “Sofa Song” with an audience singing with their hands up. Pritchard showed off his good voice when interpreting “Eddie’s Gun”, a moving theme that kept the audience chanting and dancing. Another acoustic moment came with “Ooh La” before turning the energy back on with “You Don’t Love Me” and “She Moves In Her Own Way.”
After performing 7 songs from their debut album that celebrates 15 years since its release, the time would come to put it aside for a moment to listen to other hits and that is how “Bad Habit” from the album Listen was played and then “Connection”, a song taken from their new album 10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark, an album that brings them back to the music scene after the long pandemic. These tracks, along with “Shine On” from the Konk album, pleasantly surprised the audience as the band was expected to perform the entire debut album in one go.
From this moment on, the concert followed the dynamic of interspersing slow songs with more lively songs that made the public totally surrender to the British band. Songs from Inside In/Inside Out were combined with those from the second album called Konk until reaching a moment of great excitement with songs like “Got No Love”, “Time Awaits” and the popular “Junk Of The Heart”. from the album of the same name and one of its most popular songs in Peru. With this theme the band said goodbye momentarily while the lights went out and the people began to scream.
After a few short minutes, the band came back out for the encore with “Matchbox”, “No Pressure” from the 2018 Let’s Go Sunshine album and finally “Naive” which was sung by all the concertgoers. The moment of farewell had arrived, and the public did not ask for more, “The Kooks” had fulfilled all expectations and the smiles on the face of the attendees proved it.
The Kooks:
Luke Pritchard – Lead Vocals/Guitar
Hugh Harris – Guitar/Synthesizers
Alexis Nuñez – Drums
Jonathan Harvey – Bass
Setlist:
1.) Seaside (Luke solo acoustic)
2.) See the World
3.) Sofa Song
4.) Eddie’s Gun
5.) Ooh La
6.) You Don’t Love Me
7.) She Moves in Her Own Way
8.) Bad Habit
9.) Connection
10.) Shine On
11.) I Want You
12.) Jackie Big Boobs
13.) If Only
14.) Always Where I Need to Be
15.) Do You Wanna
16.) Got No Love
17.) Time Awaits
18.) Junk of the Heart (Happy)
Encore:
19.) Matchbox
20.) No Pressure
21.) Naïve
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I’m a photographer with extensive experience working for national and international media. I’m also a passionate photography educator with extensive experience working with students of different ages. I love Heavy Metal music and I began shooting concerts in 1992. Concert Photography is my passion. I’m based in Perú but willing to travel anywhere.
