It’s been a phenomenal year for the Earlestown indie-rock quartet, The K’s. Their second studio album ‘Pretty on the Internet’ reached number 1 in the UK charts at the start of August, and the band have been tirelessly touring all year.

Fresh off a huge arena tour supporting The Kooks, The K’s concluded their run of album playthrough shows at Concorde 2, Brighton. This music venue come nightclub is located on the rugged shores of Brighton Beach.

Up first on the night were sister duo Passion Parade. Boosted by drums and bass on the night, the two sisters took turns playing keyboard and guitar as they treated the seaside crowd to a sense of theatre. The pop duo harmonised in perfect unison, rallied with the occasional synchronised dance.

Next on the bill were hometown experimental art-rock band congratulations. Perhaps not the right fit for the youthful crowd, no-one in the room could deny the energetic and punchy performance on the night. Taking art-rock and combining it with garage, synth-rock and even post-punk sounds. They certainly raised temperatures in the room.

Just 2 days after playing the O2 Arena with The Kooks, The K’s were ready to take to the stage. The room plunged into darkness before bright white lights entangled with a whirring hum. Faint echoes of the band’s headlines rattled off the glass windows and wooden flooring before they took to the stage to tumultuous applause and cheers.

Dexter Baker (Bass) struts over to his usual position on the left of the stage, meanwhile Ryan Breslin (Guitar) is already armed with his weapon. He starts the opening whirr of ‘Before I Hit The Floor’ as Jamie Boyle (vocals and guitar) joins them on stage.

Regular drummer Nathan Peers is missing today, having suffered a fractured wrist whilst on tour with The Kooks, so Jake Hopkins is filling in. Boyle takes on the opening line “I can’t really describe it so I try to hide it” and the crowd all bounce in unison. It’s an energetic start to the album that translates to the club floor.

Without hesitation, Baker begins the funky bass tune that fans will associate with ‘Rat Poison’, an energetic and infectious hit that showcases what The K’s are known for. Upbeat indie riffs layered with powerful lyrics.

Boyle greets the crowd and mentions how amazing it has been to play arena’s the past week or so, but how “There’s nothing like your own crowd”. The band set into ‘Breakdown In My Bedroom Again’ encapsulating the perfect balance between an upbeat indie tune and meaningful lyrics. This was the first single released from

‘Pretty on the Internet’ and the key change towards the end solidifies the energy in the live performance.

Following a similar trend, the next song is ‘The Bends (Here We Go Again)’. Another upbeat song that entwines bouncy melodies with personal lyrics. An impressive feature on the night is the bridge being pumped over the sound system, sandwiched by the final 2 choruses. This bridge features a voicemail message left by Boyle that builds and builds until the band rip back into a final and booming chorus to end the hit.

Now the band take a momentary pause to switch to acoustic guitars and, accompanied by Luis Sullivan on the keyboard for the classical feel of ‘Helen, Oh I’. Frontman Boyle really takes the lead on this ballad as his voice rises above everything else in the room. He ditches the guitar for this raw and emotional song
allowing him to show the real stretch of his voice. “I hate to see you go, but I just had
to watch you glow. Oh, just one final time.”

The band now rips into the catchy and upbeat ‘Picking Up The Pieces’ followed by the tongue-in-cheek number ‘Me and Your Sister’. Boyle described this song to the room as a chance for them to write some upbeat and jovial lyrics, after reflections in the studio led to the realisation they tend to produce the opposite.

Next up is another change of pace, this time slowing down for ‘33 Heads’ and ‘Sold It, Own It’. The latter is dominated by a thrilling Breslin guitar solo as he concludes the crescendo. He carries the energy into ‘Running Away Now’ before Boyle steals the attention of the crowd with the chorus “I wish I wasn’t so off my face now. ‘Cause I swear there ain’t much more I can take now. Kinda feel like running away now”. The band take a small breather as the backing track for ‘Gravestone’ starts up. This song really captures the best of The K’s live. Fast paced versus into even faster choruses, embedded with meaningful and raw lyrics and offset against strong instrumentals.

The rest of the band exit the stage, leaving just Boyle on vocals and Sullivan on keys for the final song off the album, ‘Perfect Haunting’. Every set of eyes in the room follow him as he graces the stage back and forth. This is a chance for Boyle to show not only his versatility but his ability to convey sincere lyrics.

The band reunite on stage for one final song. On these album playthrough shows, they’ve been ending with a variety of songs from 2024s debut album ‘I Wonder If The World Knows’ and before. Boyle grabbed the mic and addressed the crowd one final time. “To end this run of shows, we thought it was fitting to play our oldest song. We’ve been The K’s from Earlestown…”. “And this is Sarajevo” chipped in a crowd member. Boyle laughs and the band begin roaring into their biggest song. Breslin’s catchy riff is echoed back by the crowd as they jump in unison. “And it’s all out war, war, war, war. I feel it coming”. Sends the crowd on their way out and into salty sea breeze.

Live Review and Photography by Bradley Halcrow

for THE SONGBIRD HQ