There was an electrifying buzz at the Leicester O2 Academy on Thursday, with queues snaking around its walls as The Kooks kicked off their 2014 UK tour.

Opening for them, was the highly memorable Walking On Cars. This band are remarkably fresh and interesting; their somewhat quirky line-up goes against the indie boy-band stereotype of the genre, and they incorporate beautiful three-part harmonies and fantastic synth riffs to develop their sound and produce some really catchy tunes. Frontman Patrick Sheehy has an expressive, soulful voice that drives home the brilliant hooks and lyricism of ‘Catch Me If You Can’ and ‘Always Be With You’. The sound isn’t just good though: the band put their all into audience interaction and making their performance raw and atmospheric. Carrying the responsibility of being The Kooks’ single support band for the rest of the tour, means they certainly have a challenge ahead of them. Yet after seeing that performance, I have no doubt they will win over every crowd they play to.

The Kooks commanded the stage the moment they took it. They opened with a beating, bassy new song, which was effortlessly cool; laid-back yet rhythmic and exciting, and mesmerised the audience. Following with another pumping, energetic song sustained the electric atmosphere and had the crowd jumping.

A switch to their older, better known material brought a slightly more acoustic feel; a brilliant, anthemic performance of ‘Ooh La’ prompted the crowd to sing along. Indeed front-man Luke Pritchard lead his audience with admirable confidence and prowess; inciting atmospheric chants that seemed to double the venue’s size with their volume.

The performance of newer songs such as ’Forgive and Forget’ definitely show progression and development into an older, more experienced group of musicians. The newer material is distinctively groovier than the older, more acoustic tracks. The high, jazzy guitar riffs and deep bass are fun, catchy and memorable.

However, the audience response proved that they loved the older stuff just as much as the newer. Pritchard noted ‘I hope you remember this one’ with comic sincerity before performing the intro to ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’; and the deafening scream of the crowd indicated that it probably rang a distant bell. To see this song performed in such a heightened atmosphere proved its timelessness and no doubt was one of the most memorable moments of the evening.

Another highlight was ‘Seaside’; stripped back to acoustic guitar once more, for a short time a real sense of unity was achieved as the audience sung along to this beautifully simple and poignant song.

Predictably, but satisfyingly so, The Kooks ended the night with ‘Naïve’. It was everything it needed to be; loud, proud and full of flair; ending the night with an undeniable bang that was sustained till the last person left the venue.

Photo: Press