The Kooks has been around for a while, with lots of previous shows in the Netherlands. The last time the band was here in Amsterdam was exactly 3 years ago, also at the same venue: AFAS Live. Back then they celebrated the, because of covid belated, 15-year anniversary for their debut album, Inside In / Inside Out, and now they were back to celebrate the 20-year anniversary. This album then took up most of the setlist, with 8 of the 14 songs making their way on it.
The band consists of vocalist Luke Pritchard, guitarist Hugh Harris, bassist Jonathan Harvey and drummer Alexis Nuñez. After the members took their places on the stage, they started their set with “Sofa Song” followed by “Always Where I Need To Be.” Pritchard now grabbed his electric guitar to play the next song: “Eddie’s Gun.” Two of their more known songs, “She Moves In Her Own Way” and “Bad Habit,” were played pretty early on in the night, giving the less hardcore fans something to sing and dance along to. “Bad Habits” of course started with the “ooh ooh” from both the band and the crowd, snapping them right into the song.
The next song on the setlist, “Westside,” was written in a dark period of Pritchard’s life, while imagining how life could be. It then kinda ended up being a manifestation song for him as it all came true. The crowd clapped along to the song and when Pritchard asked if Amsterdam was still with him, they replied with loud cheers. When “Junk Of The Heart (Happy)” started playing the crowd visibly perked up, with some fans jumping up and down from excitement. The chorus was of course sung along loudly. The show might now have been sold-out, but everyone in attendance was thoroughly enjoying their evening.
After the fun energy a keyboard was put in the center of the stage and it was time to slow it down a bit. At the beginning of February they released a live version of their 2014 song “See Me Now,” recorded at the O2 Arena in London. Pritchard wrote the song as a letter to his dad, who he lost when he was just three years old. Since he is a dad himself now, he can feel the song from a different perspective now as well. He dedicated the song to anyone going through their own stuff, giving them lots of love and asked the crowd to help him out if he got emotional. During the song fans put their flashlights up and in the air, creating a beautiful atmosphere.
The keyboard was replaced by an acoustic guitar and while the crowd did not know it yet, Pritchard had something very special planned for Amsterdam specifically. On Inside In / Inside Out one song was actually written while they were in Amsterdam. While not originally on the setlist, he could not help himself to play “Jackie Big Tits” at this special show. While the rest of the band was still off the stage, “Seaside” was also played by Pritchard and his acoustic guitar. The crowd was singing along, while gently swaying from side to side.
The encore consisted of two more songs, “Ooh La” and “Naive,” ending the set with more from Inside In / Inside Out. The latter got the loudest crowd of the evening, with everyone dancing and singing along one last time. The European tour will last a few more weeks, but their summer schedule is filled with festivals. Check out if they are coming near you here: https://thekooks.com/