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Miles Kane at Roundhouse

Miles Kane at Roundhouse | Live review

Indie rock northerner Miles Kane is bringing his sixth studio album tour to the Roundhouse tonight, just a few months after his release show at Pryzm in Kingston. Produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach, Sunlight in the Shadows sees Kane delve into sultry, crooner-like rock soaked in mod revival, and it’s no doubt exactly what his fans wanted.

The Birkenhead-born frontman swaggers onto the stage in all-black attire, supported by a leopard-print-clad set of instruments and a neat line of vintage-looking backing lights; it’s no wonder Kane has built up a reputation for being style-conscious. The band launches into new track Electric Flower, before playing old favourite Rearrange from 2011, which already has the audience singing along to every word by the second track. It’s clear that everyone onstage tonight is on top form.

The new record’s lead single, Love Is Cruel, has a distinct Last Shadow Puppets feel, which is, of course, Kane’s much-loved side venture with Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner. The track sees Kane soften into a 60s-esque rock ballad as he pines, “Give me something to believe in / Like I have never known / I can still hear her breathing, yeah / When I’m sleeping all alone.”

A clear highlight is when Kane plays Walk on the Ocean, which he tells the crowd is one of his favourite tracks from the new album. With a slow build-up to begin with, Kane breaks out into an almighty guitar solo, and you can tell he’s having a great time playing it. The live version, however, is a good deal better than the album track, as is often the case.

The band ends the main set with the hook-driven Don’t Forget Who You Are, written by Kane after his break-up with model Suki Waterhouse, before returning to reprise it effectively for the encore, with the audience singing in full swing. There’s only one song that could round off tonight as well as Don’t Forget Who You Are, and that’s Kane’s anthemic tune Come Closer, which successfully jolts the crowd into another singalong.

Over the years, Miles Kane has become a steadfast fixture in the UK’s indie scene while working with some of the world’s biggest rock stars. Tonight’s set proves he’s built up a hefty amount of tunes of his own, even if they do sometimes blur into one a bit. While Kane’s brand of rock’n’roll may not be in its heyday anymore, he’s certainly moving to the top of the pile when it comes to modern-day chamber pop.

Hannah Broughton
Photos: @charliebarclayharris

For further information and future events, visit Miles Kane’s website here.

Watch the video for Love Is Cruel here:

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