Arriving in Nottingham for the penultimate leg of a thirteen-stage UK tour, Indie rock troubadour Miles Kane shimmered in front of a raucous sold-out crowd spanning the generations.
Having first tasted success playing lead guitar on Arctic Monkeys’ iconic 505, Miles Kane’s career has rocketed to incredible heights. The enigmatic musician joined up with best friend Alex Turner to form The Last Shadow Puppets in 2008 and since then Kane has recorded three solo records, plus a second with Turner in 2016. Coup de Grace, Kane’s most recent record, released earlier this year, is a tour de force of emotion and drive, which sees the singer transition from scruffy troublemaker to sharp and wise crooner. The emotional turmoil of recent heartbreak was perfectly woven into the album with the help of Jamie T and Lana del Rey whilst an essence of slickness and maturity effortless glides across arguably his most complete record.
“Cabbage kickstarted proceedings with a riotous demonstration of Brexit-punk, the genre slowly making a name for itself”
Ahead of Kane’s arrival on stage, Bolton five piece Cabbage kickstarted proceedings with a riotous demonstration of Brexit-punk, the genre slowly making a name for itself with the help of IDLES and Shame. Beginning with ‘Uber Capitalist Death Trade and Arms of Pleonexia’, the charisma between co-frontmen Lee Broadbent and Joe Martin was gripping. Rasping, confrontational vocals accompanied ‘Molotov Alcopop’ whilst ‘Gibraltar Ape’, the track exonerating war between Spain and Britain over post-Brexit Gibraltar, was a clear highlight for the slowly-growing crowd. Early fan-favourite ‘Terrorist Synthesizer’ carried swathes of energy before the immensely critical ‘Necroflat’ In The Palace’ closed the Tameside band’s opening set.
“Kane’s tendency for the dramatic was clear from the beginning”
Thirty minutes later and the imminent presence of a gleaming glitterball alongside the backing music to Candi Staton’s disco hit-single ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ acted as walk-in music for Miles Kane and his band. Donned in an impressive white suit and Cuban heels, Kane’s tendency for the dramatic was clear from the beginning. Opening track ‘Silverscreen’ transitioned perfectly into ‘Inhaler’ and ‘Give Up’, to immediately give fans an instant mix of tracks from across the Liverpool-born musician.
“‘Loaded’s’ seductive tone charmed a crowd who wanted to spend their Friday night the best way possible”
With an opening ten minutes teaming in energy, ‘Loaded’ gave the crowd a needed breather. Produced and co-written with the iconic Lana Del Rey and Jamie T, ‘Loaded’s’ seductive tone charmed a crowd who wanted to spend their Friday night the best way possible, listening to an artist reaching the pinnacle of their potential. Kane’s connection with the audience was mesmerising, with a constant to-and-fro mentality during the performance. The intimacy between crowd and performer couldn’t happen in a bigger venue, with Kane’s prolific showman mentality causing the crowd to go ecstatic.
‘Cry on My Guitar’and ‘Killing the Joke’ provided representation from latest record Coup de Grace whilst ‘Better Than That’ continued to please an already gratuitous crowd. ‘Too Little Too Late’ rose into a sensational singalong before new single ‘LA Five Four (309)’ continued to show that Kane’s productive potential was running more than ever. Having spent time living in Los Angeles as well as developing new skills with the help of Alex Turner, it’s no surprise really to see the emergence of almost a completely new artist than the one who first released debut record ‘Colour of the Trap’ in 2011.
“‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ provided one of the moments of the night, as the crowd screamed the lyrics word for word”
‘Rearrange’and ‘Wrong Side of Life’ followed into the title track of Kane’s debut record. The lively performer showcased his love of performance and style during an unexpected cover of Donna Summer’s ‘Hot Stuff’, in which the sweatbox that was Rock City transformed into a 1970’s disco haven. ‘Coup de Grace’ was snarling and confrontational before ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ provided one of the moments of the night, as the crowd screamed the lyrics word for word.
Having spent a few minutes cooling off backstage, Kane and his band returned for an encore consisting of the delicately divine ‘Shivambacu’ before closing with ‘Come Closer’, a riotous end to one of Miles Kane’s best shows to date. If crowd energy were a drug, Kane would have overdosed with sheer excitement. Throughout his career Miles Kane has had to deal with comparisons with his best friend and bandmate Alex Turner. Perhaps now, the jack-in-a-box performer is finally stepping out of the shadows to become a frontman in his own right.
9/10
Ben Standring
Featured Image courtesy of Miles Kane Official Facebook Page.
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