The Kooks at The Anthem
Go To This Because We Asked So Nicely – A Concert Preview
By Amal Qazi
The Kooks Members; NME
The Kooks are a British indie/alt-rock band now consisting of Luke Pritchard, Hugh Harris, and Alex Nunez. Formed in 2004 and quickly gaining popularity with their 2006 debut LP, Inside In/Inside Out, a discussion about the 2000s indie scene would be incomplete without mentioning their success. At a time when indie culture’s biggest acts were coming out of the UK and even more were failing to gain any traction, The Kooks were able to cement their place in the scene amongst bands like Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. They fit perfectly into the decade’s obsession with British pop culture, with generation-defining shows like Gossip Girl, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, and Shameless all featuring songs from the band in their soundtracks.
With 6 studio album releases throughout their 20 year career, the latest released in 2022, the upcoming tour isn’t in support of a new album, but rather a celebration of their debut. Frontman Luke Pritchard said in a tour announcement video on X that they’d be playing the entirety of Inside In/Inside Out at every show, which means it’s sure to be a great time for old fans and the perfect introduction to the band for new ones, especially with the addition of prolific 2010’s British indie rock band The Vaccines. (Accents galore at this show I’m sure, God save the Queen, or something.)
The 5 W’s (and a few H’s)
Who: The Kooks with The Vaccines and Daisy the Great opening
What: Indie/Alternative Britpop/rock
Where: The Anthem, 901 WHARF ST SW, WASHINGTON, DC 20024
When: Wednesday March 13th, doors at 6:30 PM, show at 7:30 PM
Why: 2000s nostalgia and a bloody good time
How you might know them: Famed indie/alternative/pop rock band since the mid 2000s – their song “Naive” has almost 600 million streams on Spotify.
How to go: Tickets are $45 for general admission on Ticketmaster
To keep up with The Kooks you can follow them on Instagram and Twitter @thekooksmusic, check out their website thekooks.com, and listen to them anywhere you stream music.
