Miles Kane @ Roundhouse, Camden
I’ve had a strange dislike for Miles Kane for no real reason at all. An old quote of his from 2016 or something, “I really wanted to be a frontman at that time. I hadn’t been a frontman. I had a hard-on for that” stuck with me and I dismissed him as self-centered.
After last night’s show at the Roundhouse in Camden, I stand corrected. Self-centered is incorrect; arrogant is probably a better description – and something I can get on board with. Supporting point number one, he came on stage to Gonna Fly Now (the Rocky theme).
Like a barometer measures and helps predict the weather, the number of pints thrown and how soon after starting is an equally reliable source of predicting how rowdy a show will be. Yesterday, it took three seconds into Don’t Let it Get You Down – we were in for a treat.
You see, arrogance mixed with genuine talent motivates crowds as it did last night. It’s what gives you the ability to kick off the show at level 100 instead of working your way there. “Are you fuckin’ up for it? Come on then!” he screamed, to then receive hundreds back in response.
With the swagger and soul of his Motown inspired records to the drive of his heavier rock tracks such as Cry On My Guitar, we were swept up in a frantic storm of electricity that charged your dancing shoes. With RAHH supporting Kane on the vocals throughout the show, it was an exhibition on how to masterfully command a crowd and leave them desperate for more.
Although his newer tracks from his latest release, Change The Show, were slower, they carried well in the venue full of loyal fans singing along.
It’d have been rude of him to not dip his toes into the Last Shadow Puppets tracks, so, naturally, the crowd erupted at the first hints of Aviation and Standing Next to Me. At this point, with the flick of a finger, he could start a riot.
He brought both of his support acts during the show, Brooke Combe to duet with a cover of Tina Turner’s Nutbush City Limits, and Corinne Bailey Rae made a special appearance for Nothing’s Ever Going to Be Good Enough. In fact, the only guest I think he was missing was Paul O’Grady for his sound clip at the beginning of Don’t Let it Get You Down.
The madness continued exponentially for the duration of the show. At the break before the encore, the crowd chant ‘La, la la la la la la’ from Don’t Forget Who You Are until they reappear, “keep singing it then” Kane says as they take back the reins and finish the song.
Come Closer and Inhaler took what little energy anyone had left from the rest of the show and had you caught up in a mosh pit, wherever you were in the venue.
Since the gig, I hear his music differently. I feel his stage presence behind the tracks, I understand him much more and I’m sad I had a warped perspective before.
“Until the day I die, I’ll keep writing great tracks”. I absolutely hope he does.