Miles Kane

Across the 21st century, few artists have been able to carve out a career as well-respected as Miles Kane. Whether it was his initial break on the scene with The Rascals, to his highly-acclaimed work with Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner as The Last Shadow Puppets, the Merseyside rockstar has developed a cult following. Since beginning his solo career in 2011, there have been an array of brilliantly executed albums that have followed. Now, touring his newest record released last October, Sunlight in the Shadows, the accompanying tour has taken him all across the UK to play for thousands of adoring fans and new listeners. Now wrapping up the UK leg of his tour at the O2 Institute in Birmingham, Miles delivered a fantastic show fit to end any leg of a tour.

The first support of the night, Paradise Circus, felt like a breath of fresh air. The Birmingham-based indie band were ecstatic getting to play what they consider their favourite venue in the city, and certainly showed up for it. Packed with killer guitar riffs, heavy drum breakdowns and an energy that I’d see many other bands struggle to match, they were certainly worth coming early to watch. The second support of the night, Villanelle, very much had many eyes on them. Fronted by the son of one of the greatest frontmen of all time, Gene Gallagher had the near-impossible task of replicating the charisma and class of his father, Liam. While it certainly was no Oasis, it was very much serviceable and very well performed. Gene wasn’t a man of many words between songs, but let the songs do the talking instead. A short yet fiery set, they are a band that have a mountain of potential, but still need a bit of time to naturally find their feet playing on bigger stages.

Then came the man who everyone paid their ticket for, adorning a fresh trim that he got backstage and an equally fresh jacket. Opening with ‘Electric Flower’ off the new album, it was a fitting track to start the show, because it was every bit pretty as it was invigorating. Following this up with the crowd pleaser, ‘Rearrange’, made this show’s beginning even better, with the crowd belting the chorus right back at Miles. Though it wasn’t a fully sold out show, you wouldn’t notice it from the sound of fans engulfing the room. On stage, Miles is undoubtedly the coolest person out of everyone in the venue, his exuberant personality combining perfectly with his swagger. During ‘Troubled Son’, Miles used a reverb/special effects microphone during the song’s bridge, adding another dimension to an already great song. Whether it’s these already established tracks or one of the many songs Miles played off his new album tonight, each track has something going for it, elevated further by being showcased faithfully in a live setting. Those majestic guitar solos on ‘Cry on My Guitar’ may have brought tears of joy and satisfaction to those witnessing it, and ‘Without You’ captured the old school vibe of his newest record perfectly.

However, while these new tracks went down brilliantly with the crowd, it was clear that what the audience came for were the classics. ‘Inhaler’ was certainly one of them, perhaps made all the more impactful by being one of his more energetic tracks. Still, the chants of “Miles!” following the end of the song were spine-tingling, and you can’t help but feel happy for the main man on stage. The crowd were on top form all evening, helped by a healthy mix of both your typical ‘Radio 6 dads’, as well as a great amount of female fans taking up the entire barricade and letting out their loudest screams in support of Miles. The set then took a short, but well-needed, break from the heavy hitters and into a set of slower, more melodic tracks. ‘Colour of the Trap’ gave Miles the chance to flex his vocal muscles, while also testing out the audience’s vocals with the “la la la”s at the end of the track. As a ‘reward’, Miles then took his jacket off to reveal his synonymous white vest, complete with a set of gold chains around his neck, as well as a leopard print guitar that perfectly matched the decor of leopard prints that were on stage; From the amps and carpets to the drum kits, you name it, chances are there was a leopard print pattern in them. Before the beginning of ‘Walk on the Ocean’, Miles stated that the song takes the listener on a journey, which had me intrigued. While this journey initially felt a bit flat with its more subdued first half, the track really came to life at the end, finished off with a killer guitar solo by one of the band members.

As we approached the end of the 75 minute set, Miles asked the audience “Are you fucking ready or what?!”. The audience were very much ready for what was to come. Coup De Grâce had the crowd belting every word and had them clapping their hands as if they were a part of the percussion. No matter what kind of vibe Miles was going for in each track, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands the entire night. No better was this exhibited than on the seminal track ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’. This was a special one for me, as someone who grew up playing FIFA 14 on my iPad religiously and hearing this song all the time. It evoked a sense of nostalgia that was heightened even more when hearing the crowd sing back the song’s “la la la”s. It was so good, that Miles did the end of the song three times, with each time getting an even more rapturous reception. By the third, pints of beer were flying across the venue and drenching those at the front! Inevitably ending the set with arguably his biggest song, ‘Come Closer’, tonight was the mood raiser that many of us needed after what was a pretty glum and rainy Saturday across all of Birmingham. Whether rain or shine, however, it’s without question that Miles Kane will offer a great time, every time.