Words by Kate Lockyer
On the first day of March, The Fortitude Music Hall was treated to a step back to the 2000s with The Kooks and their roster of irreverent pop. They were supported by the quirky Briston Maroney who blew the audience away with his introspective lyrics and catchy tracks.
Briston Maroney kicked off proceedings with the introspective song Body, which seems nihilistic at first, as he plays and sings staring into the mic, but reveals itself to be optimistic in its embrace of living life to the fullest. He told us he likes Brisbane, because it kinda sounds like his name – “I’m a fuckin egomaniac baby, let’s go!” he yelled before launching into the Bottle Rocket with some heavier, darker tones from his white tele covered in stickers, and more lyrics about deciding to make something of life – “Come to find I’m the one that will decide my life / It just takes a little time / It’s a bottle rocket”.
This gig had plenty of audience members who were particularly here to see Maroney, with lots of engagement from the decent early turnout of people. He played a couple of songs off his early EP ‘Indiana’, including Small Talk, which the audience were clearly keen to hear. After building up near the end in the final chorus, he pulled it back with rubato as he sang the repeated line “sick of this small talk”, as if he was wandering off, sporadically kicking a can down the road before deciding to leave it be. This felt reflective of the song, refusing to indulge the subject’s bad habits any longer.
Looking out at the crowd, he remarked that The Fortitude Music Hall looked like a gladiatorial arena – an interesting take. He grabbed a strat to produce a funky, catchy riff that ran parallel to the melody and rhythm of the lyrics, much like the “low and down feeling” he sang about that was getting under his skin. This was another early song that was super popular with the fans assembled. Then we got Caroline, where he picked at the meandering guitar line as if not even paying attention, as if all his thoughts were on the lyrics, which are softly encouraging – “Your name belongs in lights with all the constellation / Change is hard / But it’s gonna take you far.”
Green lights bathed the stage for Paradise. His more recent songs have a harder edge to their sound, and this one had a higher energy, although still with his same incisive lyrics, this time about going all in with someone. The lyrics paint a fun picture while they shatter the illusion of our detached society – “How easy would it be to put the nine-to-five behind / A sandcastle royalty and seven seas in heaven shinin’ / Don’t you find a calming world a little scared to dive in?”
June has a grounded, slow sound that fits the mood of the song, about how we always want something more than what we have. The lyrics say it so perfectly – “Ain’t it funny how we all want to be someone new? / Ain’t it funny how I fell in love and then came June?”
Then he played his newly released song, Real Good Swimmer. Again, it’s more acerbic than his older stuff, and has more of a southern, grungy rock sound to it. The bass player is having a moment with this song, going for his life. The lyrics also evoke the south with some humorous imagery and slang – upon looking Maroney up, I find he is from Tennessee. He sang, “I can see myself sittin’ down by the river / Smokin’ cigarettes and chewin’ on a gizzard / Sittin’ in the sun, man skinny as a lizard / My baby fell in, but she’s a good swimmer”. Don’t take life too seriously, he is saying. Throughout his set he has been putting on a show, grooving to his songs with his guitar and running around the stage (some may say maniacally, in the best way), and his antics seem to be amped up in this one.
I felt like there were a few layers to Sinkin’ – at times he seemed ironic, but sometimes sincere, when he sang “But some things are out of your hands”. Maybe he meant that it was that attitude that would lead to the ship sinking. Either way, this enigma of a song had a fun drumbeat and a driving bass.
Before the last song he gave a shout-out to the venue staff, as well as his band, Zack Lockwood and Nathan Knox, and reminded everyone about his merch, including his lizard t-shirts, which fit with his quirky brand.
Freakin’ Out On the Interstate is full of questions and worries that are familiar to all of us – perhaps why this song is his most well-known. There is a moment in the chorus halfway through the line “I won’t be satisfied with anything I’ve earned” where the music drops into a minor chord that feels like the way your stomach drops when you have a scary thought, which makes this song so addictive to listen to. He fell to the floor dramatically at the end of the song, ending his show with a moment of vulnerability the audience seemed to really appreciate.
The Kooks started their show with Sofa Song, a feel good track that had everyone dancing along straight away. It was like a time warp from the early 2000s to watch them all in black, frontman Luke Pritchard in his tight v-neck shirt and skinny jeans. The screen behind them lit up the whole set with engaging images and videos of them on tour, alternated with different definitions of the word ‘kook’, a touch which I loved.
Switching to the acoustic, they played another hit – Ooh La, which everyone got into greatly in the chorus. “It’s been too long,” Pritchard said, “I can’t wait to get to know you better tonight.” They mentioned they are now about to release their seventh album, but before we heard any new tracks, they delivered another classic to us.
As they played She Moves In Her Own Way, another definition flashed onto the screen: “One whose ideas are eccentric”. This song, a classic and beloved earworm, had everyone singing along. Heavy bass started Stormy Weather which rocked along as we all felt the love for the band. Westside produced a similar reaction as Pritchard got out from behind the guitar to engage even more with the audience. In a marked departure from one of their early songs, Jackie Big Tits, this song from 2014 is a bit more mature and sweet, about marrying your best friend, settling down and starting a family. The crowd clapped along with the cheerful guitar riff and sang along to the final chorus with gusto.
The next was one that Pritchard said they have only just started playing again, about his father, who passed away when he was just a kid. It was simple, but effective, maybe a little saccharine, but the audience waved their phone lights in recognition of the emotional moment.
Dramatic drums ramp up the mood with flashing lights and an upbeat tempo, getting the crowd bopping along for Eddie’s Gun – who knew a song about erectile dysfunction could be so fun? Then we had Sweet Emotion, with a simple riff and a slightly more evolved theme.
Their brand new song had an energetic riff and some more sweet emotions, a syncopated rhythm in the bridge keeping the song fresh, while the bass and percussion throughout kept up a catchy rhythm that is iconic to the band.
Then they said: “If there was one song tonight when you go absolutely bananas, now is the time.” Pritchard was back on the microphone without his guitar, pointing at the audience, conducting the “do-do-do-do” as we sang along. Hugh Harris’ Gibson soared over the music in a great solo that a man standing near me in the crowd described as “like cream”.
Drums and clapping started off the next song, with juts of guitar call and response from Pritchard and Harris, creating a bluesy sound that suited the seductive lyrics of Do You Wanna. A cool chromatic lick and feverish drums toward the end had the crowd clapping along. Echoey vocals for “do you wanna”, then the guitar came in, following up the questioning, and the song finished with lingering distortion in the air.
After that intense track, Pritchard pulled out his acoustic and it was just him and the guitar as he said, “Let’s sing a song together.” He did a short and sweet version of Seaside, and then at the request of an audience member, he crooned See The Sun, finishing after a couple of verses. He said he hadn’t done that song in a long time, and didn’t have a capo to continue. While on the wholesome train, they performed their new single Never Know which is driven by a prominent drumbeat and lots of fun.
Wiry guitar featured in Kids, a more pessimistic moment as they sang “The kids are not alright”. But the mood perked up with Junk of the Heart (Happy), complete with cool purple lighting and some light staccato lines from Pritchard’s tele.
For the encore, they walked out in dramatic white lighting, lively drums and glassy guitar for See The World. The song finishes with lush instrumental and vocal improv over the top. Naturally, the final song was barely heard over roar of the crowd singing along. You’d have to be Naïve to not expect the final track to be a banger, and we all rocked out to the 2008 classic about getting taken for a ride by a pretty girl.
THE KOOKS
AUSTRALIAN TOUR 2025
w/special guest Briston Maroney
Tickets For Remaining Dates On Sale Now
Tuesday 4 March – Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide SA
Thursday 6 March – Red Hill Auditorium, Perth WA
Also appearing at:
Sunday 2 March – Yours and Owls Festival, Wollongong NSW – TICKETS HERE
With thanks to Morse Code PR
