Lanky indie quartet The Rakes headed-up the stage at Koko last night, supported by up-and-coming Loiners Sky Larkin. The venue was packed out and Sky Larkin were a great choice for support, its just a shame that the gossipy crowd didnt seem to care who they were.
Fashionably late, The Rakes came on a little late to an insurmountable greeting from their hardcore following before launching into their vigorous set with Youre In It, the opening track of their newest album Klang.
This, their third album, was released at the end of March, which was the follow-up to Ten New Messages, an album that received mixed mediocre reviews. I bet those critics havent seen the foursome live!
Frontman Alan Donohoe sported some interesting red gloves at the start, before tiring of them and chucking them into the beckoning crowd and continuing with first album hit Retreat as the audience go wild. Perhaps fancying himself as the next Johnny Borrell, Alan is a born performer. Teasing and taunting onlookers, he struts and grooves away, screeching and bellowing, his voice verging on the operatic in parts. Hes a polite young chap though, thanking the crowd for packing out Koko amid threats of recession, downloading their tunes, and swine flu.
The Rakes are great to watch as well as to listen to. Conducting the audience as they muse about being skint and lonely in our fair capital, playing with each others hair, making some great shapesits not just the vocalist getting up to hijinx tonight.
Other set highlights included We Dance Together, Terror, Open Book, Violent, We Are All Animals (complete with animal noises), The Light From Your Mac and the ironic 22 Grand Job which set the audience of Londons young professionals on fire. The odd-Klang track was dotted into the effortlessly-curated set as classics blended into unknown tracks with astounding energy.
The music stops for a second. Serious question, states Alan, followed by a pause. The crowd look at each other. Is there anyone in this venue who actually works for a living? Then this song is for you before throwing himself back into the set (as far as his skinny jeans would let him) for more edgy preppery.
I was expecting a lot more new material rather than a reminder of how great the first album Capture/Release was but one cannot complain, this was a stellar show. The Rakes final track came in the guise of hit The World Was A Mess before a paltry one-song encore of Strasbourg.
Yesterday, The Rakes announced that they are due to play four UK dates at the end of October this year after a European tour. Tickets are not yet on sale but watch this space.