A number of factors contributed to the surreal experience that was Miles Kane’s appearance at Brighton’s Concorde 2 last Monday night. Wedged amongst a crowd of twenty-something football fans chanting “It’s coming home” at every opportunity, and mods ranging from their late teens to late sixties, I wasn’t entirely sure what I was in for as Candi Stanton’s “Young Hearts Run Free” blared over the speakers. With disco lights bathing the crowd in a mesmerising display of white light, Kane took to the stage to the sound of his own name echoed around the venue by the audience, and launched into “Counting Down the Days”.
“Inhaler” sent the crowd into a frenzied mosh, with drinks flying through the air and a sudden push from the back of the venue. The catchy guitar riff sounded fresh alongside Kane’s signature vocals, and the crowd sang along at the tops of their voices, accentuating every verb and never missing a beat. Treating the audience to some new tracks, Kane performed song, “Too Little Too Late”, before pausing to welcome a special guest onto the stage.
The excitement was electric as none other than The Modfather, Paul Weller himself, sauntered on from off-stage with guitar in his arms to perform a track he wrote with Kane. Followed by a cover version of T Rex’s “Get It On”, the entire crowd was buzzing as they witnessed the exclusive live collaboration, Kane and Weller’s vocals chiming perfectly as their energy bounced off one another and created an extraordinary atmosphere. As Paul left the stage, Kane took the chance to play a couple more new songs, including “Cry On My Guitar” and “Silver Screen”, before launching into most recent single “Coup De Grace”.
Returning for an encore, there was really only one song left to play; “Closer”. Despite the rowdiness of the crowd and the intense heat of the venue, you couldn’t fault Kane on his performance that evening. With incredible lighting, a surprise special guest, and vocals on point throughout the night, it is safe to say that the crowd left the gig with smiles on their faces, eager for Miles Kane to return to our little city again soon.
