Kosheen
Kosheen
KOKO, London
Tuesday 18th September 2007
By Carl Fisher
At some point in your lifetime you just have to see a show at KOKO, formerly known as the Camden Palace.
By the time Kosheen take to the stage, the venue is packed out. Trying to gain a vantage point isn't easy, and soon the stairways are also backed up with people eager to see the upcoming headliners.
Kosheen play an interesting blend of drum'n'bass mixed with rock and hip-hop. Throw in well-written lyrics and you have a sound you really don't hear very often. With that, it's a surprise that the band have lasted this long, but last they have and it's soon clear why.
Kosheen formed in the late nineties and with two albums under their belt, a third just recently released and a massive number of live shows around the world, they are well-experienced to handle the expectant crowd here tonight. The reaction to their appearance on stage is amazing, as they begin with opening track Damage off the new album, also called Damage. It's a moody number that shows the more drum'n'bass side of the band but it certainly gets the dance floor heaving with even the balcony crowds beginning to liven up.
To begin with, Kosheen stay firmly playing tracks from the new album, with Overkill and Chances getting an airing. Not a bad thing at all as they are (particularly Chances) standout tracks that make you feel that tonight can only get better, but when they head back to older material such as the deeply moving Empty Skies and the rousing crowd favourite Hide U, you are reminded that Kosheen have such natural talent, none more so than front woman and singer Sian Evans. She is a character who seems to love what she does; her dancing and general chat throughout the show encourages the same actions from the overjoyed crowd.
As the show continues, the energy gets even more intense with neither the crowd nor the band seeming to tire. (Slip and Slide) Suicide brings furious dancing all around with, by now, the higher floors bursting with life. Sian Evans gives a lot of bands a lesson in humility tonight; her gratitude to her fans is as enjoyable as her intense dance moves during Same Ground Again; quite literally, stunning to watch.
For, what must have been the entire building, the end to this phenomenal show is not welcome, but end it must and with the epic Wish You Were Here followed by an explosive version of Catch, somehow, the crowd finds the energy from somewhere to see out the show in spectacular style.
For the exhausted departing fans, Kosheen still remain on top of their game and if all their shows have this much quality and energy, they will be around for many more years to come.
Click here to find out more about Kosheen's forthcoming UK tour dates.
