Gig review: The Kooks at First Direct Arena, Leeds

Whilst some of the bands and venues have fallen by the way side over the years, bigger venues have appeared some would say to the detriment of the DIY indie music scene, and now the very bands that were built on that scene are touring anniversary shows where they would never have had a look in the first time.

The Kooks anniversary show at Leeds First Direct Arena is an exercise in showcasing current talent and wavering nostalgia.

Whilst the Kooks may have been indie-darlings of the mid noughties, support act DMA’s are one of the current acts that whilst untroubling the charts, have built a loyal cult following the likes of which haven’t been seen since the 2005 indie boom.

As a support act DMA’s held their own in the cavernous venue with fans getting in early to witness tracks such as Step Up The Morphine and Delete.

The Madchester swagger from an Australian export, may seem a little late for anyone that ever experienced the trend first hand, however the young crowd who missed out are now cultivating their own style and take on the genre that sounds both nostalgic and current at the same time.

The Kooks have toured and played debut Inside In Inside Out reasonably non-stop for the past ten years, releasing a handful of moderately successful albums in-between. The band are well rehearsed and full of energy, losing none of their indie leg-stomping crowd pleasing charm.

It is surprising then that mid-way through the set, the curtains are drawn and the stage is filled with armchairs, standard lamps and faux fireplaces to run through a meagre handful of acoustic tracks. This, the band say is to bring back the intimacy of their early gigs, getting up close and personal with the crowd. If an up close and personal gig was what they yearned, the question remains why play an arena and not the Brudenell, for example.

The decision to play arena venues is part of a current trend of bands pushing a re-issued vinyl by capturing the nostalgia money of the remaining hard-core fans whilst peddling their music to new ones.

The Kooks are not alone and are not solely to blame. They have their fans and the attending crowd reciprocated every last bit of enthusiasm the band portrayed. It would be nice to see bands step aside to allow new blood to come through. Step forward DMA’s, I believe it’s your turn.