The Kooks – Live Review – The Piece Hall, Halifax
By Dan Walls, June 2026
Once I’d got over the shock and existential dread that comes with realising it’s been 20 years since The Kooks released Inside In/Inside Out – an album that soundtracked much of my teenage years and was a firm favourite of 15-year-old me – I knew I had to make the trip to The Piece Hall to see them celebrate the milestone in person.
After a quick ride over from Leeds, we got off the train and found ourselves dead opposite the venue. We got inside just in time to grab a drink before support act The Clause took to the stage. A band I wasn’t familiar with beforehand, but one that quickly earned a spot on my Spotify playlist. The Birmingham indie-rock four-piece set the tone from the off, energising the crowd with their gritty guitar sound and infectious hooks.
“Bouncing”
With the crowd suitably warmed up, it wasn’t long before the evening’s main attraction took centre stage.
The Kooks wasted no time in getting the Piece Hall crowd moving, opening with a quick-fire trio of fan favourites: ‘Sofa Song’, ‘Always Where I Need to Be’ and ‘Eddie’s Gun’. From the first chord, the packed courtyard was bouncing, ready for a night packed with nostalgia and singalong indie anthems.
An acoustic performance of ‘She Moves in Her Own Way’ had the whole crowd swaying and singing every word back to the band, providing one of several moments that highlighted just how much affection there still is for these songs two decades on.
“Emotional highlights”
A quick word for the stage design, which was superb throughout. A huge screen behind the band cycled through music video clips, album covers, early EP artwork and archive tour footage, creating a visual scrapbook of The Kooks‘ 20-year career. It added an extra layer of nostalgia to the evening and perfectly suited a show built around celebrating one of the defining indie albums of the 2000s.
Midway through the show, frontman Luke Pritchard performed a poignant solo rendition of ‘See Me Now’, a song written in memory of his father, Bob, who passed away when Luke was just three years old. As the heartfelt lyrics rang out across the courtyard, the giant screen displayed childhood photographs of the pair together, including touching images of a toddler Luke clutching a toy guitar beside his dad. It was a beautifully understated moment that brought the crowd to a standstill and provided one of the evening’s most emotional highlights.
Thankfully, the mood didn’t stay sombre for long. The band quickly shifted gears with acoustic favourite ‘Jackie Big Tits’ – a very different vibe, as the title suggests!
“I think this is my new favourite venue”
They rounded off the main set with ‘You Don’t Love Me’, one of their heavier, punchier tracks, before returning for an encore that featured crowd favourites ‘Ooh La’ and, of course, ‘Naïve’. The latter was sung word-for-word back to the band by a crowd that seemed determined to make itself heard.
The appreciation between the band and The Piece Hall crowd was clearly mutual, with Pritchard declaring at one point: “I think this is my new favourite venue.” Having seen a few shows there myself now, I’m inclined to agree.
Closing out the show, he once again shared his affection for the venue, asking if they could return next year before adding: “Let’s set a date.” Judging by the reaction from the crowd, there would be plenty of people more than happy to see The Kooks back in Halifax again soon.
Images: Cuffe and Taylor
