The doors finally opened and I ended up right in front of where the bassist, Peter Denton, would be. I was initially bummed about; I was hoping to (obviously) be right front and center in front of Luke Pritchard (the lead singer) or Hugh Harris (guitar and keys), but it actually worked out for the best because if I had ended up in front of Hugh I wouldn't have been able to see over the keyboard stand.
The first band, Priory, are a local Portland band, and played a great set. They sort of sounded like The Mowgli's and Fun had had a baby together. It was poppy, upbeat, and sent a good message. I could see it being used in a Toyota commercial or something.
The next act, Halsey (and anagram of Ashley), was interesting. She was 19 (her 20th birthday was the day after this show), and had shockingly teal hair. She came out wearing a lingerie teddy and made a crack about her manager saying her nipples were showing and "if there were any city to have my nipples out it would be in Portland fucking Oregon". I thought she had a good voice, and the songs were pretty good. She even gave me the flower she was wearing in her hair during the first song. I can see her youth and carefree "I don't give a fuck attitude" being very appealing to younger audiences, and I imagine we'll be seeing more of her in the future.
Then, finally, The Kooks came on to loud applause. It had been such a long time since I last saw them live, and I was so excited! Their first three albums all had similar sounds, but Listen had songs produced by a hip-hop producer and used a whole gospel choir in songs like Around Town, and Bad Habit. It was really great to hear them grow as a band. They went through a rocky patch were Luke was heavily relying on alcohol, and the band almost called it quits. I'm glad they pulled through and created such a great album - proof that music and save you!
They played a nice mix of old and new song. Surprisingly, the younger members of the audience knew the older material more than the newer songs (you'd think it would be the other way around!)
based on the volume of the audience singing along.
Luke was wearing tight black jeans and a motorcycle jacket and danced around the stage in the sporadic, jumpy way he always has. He went to every corner of the stage and engaged the audience throughout the entire show.
After the first few songs Luke asked the audience how they were doing, then - having remembered me from the Bing Lounge show earlier - looked at me and asked if I was good and that it was good to see me again. That certainly made my day and made me feel special!
For the song Dreams Luke was on the stage solo. There's a part in the song where the keys play a high little melody, but as it was just Luke and his guitar, he sang that little part, and damn if he didn't sing it perfectly! It's a beautiful little song, and him hitting the high notes spot on made all the teenage girls' hearts melt.
After the set, Luke came out alone for the first song of the encore See Me Now - a song written about the death of his father and the progress he's made in life. This time he was playing a keyboard, and the placement of where he was on the stage couldn't have been better for me! He played it beautifully and then the whole band just let loose for the last song - the classic hit Naive.
It was a fantastic show, and the combined energy of the band and audience made it that much better!
