Live Review: Miles Kane - Omeara, London 15/09/2021
Miles Kane showed he might be “good enough”, debuting new tracks at a festival-style intimate show at Omeara.
On at 8pm sharp – and props for the rarity of a rock show starting on time – the 35-year-old and his band raced through a career-spanning set in just under an hour, opening with new single ‘Don’t Let It Get You Down’.
The sweaty show leaned heavily on 2011 solo debut ‘Colour of the Trap’, quickly moving into ‘Rearrange’ and ‘Inhaler’, and sending the 320-capacity audience into an early frenzy. Later airings for ‘Quicksand’ and the title track were also enjoyed in full voice by the crowd. When at one point, Miles tells the crowd: “We’re going old school tonight, London”, you really feel it.
Tonight is also an early promo show for new record ‘Change The Show’, which is out in January. As such, there is a debut live performance for the title track, which saw Miles acting out lyrics like “shit show horror” in his typical style.
Another new song was ‘Nothing’s Ever Gonna Be Good Enough’, and the male-female duet was a particular highlight. On the tiny stage, Miles was right next to his backing vocalist Rahh (Holly Quin-Ankrah) all night, and her harmonies were a continual delight. This track brought her to the forefront – and leaves me curious about next year’s studio version.
Miles and his four-piece band fill the space, a fraction of the size of the festival stages they have been playing. There’s room for two tracks by The Last Shadow Puppets too; ‘Aviation’ in the first half, and ‘Standing Next To Me’ as the penultimate track. They’re just as seamless in the set as any of Miles’ stuff sans-Alex Turner.
The energetic evening closes with 2013 anthem ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’, which saw a suited Miles Kane singing “la la la” back and forth with the crowd. One person even got on the shoulders of their friend, adding to the night’s festival feel, albeit on a shrunken scale.
There’s no encore, but fans don’t care, continuing to sing along with ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’, several minutes after Miles and his band left. It leaves something behind for the release of ‘Change The Show’ and the accompanying tour, with a London stop at the significantly larger Roundhouse. Expect more of the same on a grander scale – as tonight proved, there isn’t much about this particular show that needs changing.
Words by Samuel Draper
Photography by James Baker