The Kooks + Ladyhawke: July 18
From heavy (Kasabian), to ethereal (Florence and the Machine), legendary (Oasis, Weller) to soon-to-be-huge (The Maccabees), the 2009 Eden Sessions have been some of the best we've ever seen.
The final Session - coming a mere two weeks after Kasabian and The Hours kicked things off - started with an ever-so-slightly late Ladyhawke apologising for running on "dreckly time" before delivering a punchy set to one of the largest audiences for a support we've seen. Paris is Burning got a great reception but it was the anthemic My Delirium finale that stole the show.
The music, in its live incarnation heavier and with more focus on guitars than synth, was in contrast to Ladyhawke's sweet, almost shy interludes. Remarking after Dusk Till Dawn that Eden was "pretty much the most impressive place I've ever seen," she finished by saying "it's been a complete pleasure." The pleasure was all ours, Pip.
The Kooks - baby-faced enough to make anyone over 25 feel old - bounded on stage just after 9 and started with Always Where I Need to Be, lead-singer Luke's on-stage energy matched only by the permabouncing crowd.
Showing a rare mastery of the frontman's craft, Luke's between-song patter was as up-beat and loud as Ladyhawke's was quiet and humble. He kept the crowd hyped throughout the night, pointing out the Where's Wally lookalike near the front and, later, spraying a bottle of water all over the first few rows. (Maybe he thought they were disappointed that the rain had stopped?)
The set was a crowd-pleaser - Naive, Ooh La, She Moves in
Her Own Way, Shine On, et al all present and correct - with singalongs accompanied by some complex Pritchard-choreographed crowd swaying punctuating the show. Some might say that Oasis played the best Session yet but The Kooks (and their excitable crowd) certainly were the most energetic. A fitting finale for this year's Sessions.
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