There was so much hype, conjecture, anticipation, call it what you want, surrounding The Kooks for this, their first gig in Melbourne. And it’s a long overdue debut to the city having previously played gigs in Sydney. The excitement emanating from this gig steadily built and built culminating finally when the tickets went on sale, selling in almost record time, cementing the gig as one of the hottest tickets of the year.

The Kooks have risen from ‘just another’ indie pop band to seemingly untouchable legendary status since the release of their sophmore album Konk earlier in the year. The four likely lads fronted by Luke Pritchard have an elusive knack for writing timeless catchy indie pop songs, which makes their appeal far greater than just a small niche market.

The Kooks were proceeded by an accomplished set by the six piece Dash and Will, but the atmosphere took onan air of urgency as the crowd press further into one another in front of stage at the Hi-Fi Bar as their set closed. Eventually the crowd erupted as Luke made an appearance onto the small stage.

The band were welcomed to an almost deafening scream akin to that of another British mopped hair four piece from Liverpool back in the 1960s. Judging by the piercing almost hysterical noise of that first entrance and the fact the audience pushing into the front of stage were in the majority teenage girls. It seems Mr Pritchard has also become somewhat of a sex symbol. He entered with a Jim Morrison or Bob Dylan-esque air about him, maybe it is the mass of brown curly hair or the baggy shirt and tight jeans and the cravat he is wearing. He genuinely seems quite bewildered by the reception and after a brief thank-you they rip into Always Where I Need To Be the first single off the Konk release. This was quickly followed up by The Jam influenced Match Box, a crowd favourite, from their debut album Inside in Inside Out.

The crowd by this stage were fighting for territory in the sunken floor in front of the stage and moving involuntarily as one, everyone vying for front and centre to get the best view of this mopped haired Englishman. After rattling through Eddies Gun and Ooh La Luke made his apologies for not making it to Melbourne before tonight. The band don’t seem to be missing the enigmatic ex-bassist Max Rafferty as they launched into Sway with the superb Dan Logan wielding the bass. The pace then slowed down a few notches with Time Awaits, I Want You Back and One Last Time. Proving that Englishmen are also gentleman he proceeded to hand out several of his bottles of water to the sweaty masses before him, before taking a swig of water from one bottle and pouring the remainder over a thankful, and screaming, front row.

After this excitement, Luke toyingly asked “Do you wanna have some fun?” so they once again amp instruments cutting it up with the radio persistent She Moves In Her On Way’, followed by Mr Maker and to the crowds delight Do You Wanna. Listening to the gig you realised why the band are so popular, the songs are consistently catchy and of high calibre, proven beautifully as they pull out the anthem from the first album, Naive, being backed up by a mellow Shine On and See the World. The set finished with You Don’t Love Me lovingly sung back to the band by the still ravenous rabble at his feet as he made his way across the front of stage stepping precariously across the monitors as a sea of arms reached out for him.

After a short break Luke came back on his own to sing an acoustic solo version of Jackie Big Tits, picking up pace when the remainder of the band joined him for Stormy Weather – during which a bedazzled boy makes it onto stage to give Luke a rather awkward looking hug. This opening the flood gates as a girl also made her way on stage for a fleeting second before the burly security bundled her away. The Kooks finished the set raising the roof with the bouncy riff of the Sofa Song. All in all the night was more than worthy of its hype, conjecture, and anticipation.