“Some People Are Born to be on Stage; Miles Kane is One of Those People”

“Some People Are Born to be on Stage; Miles Kane is One of Those People”

Miles Kane Live Review
4^thJuly 2019

Some people are born to be on stage; Miles Kane is one of those people.

After releasing his debut solo album Colour of the Trap in 2011, indie rocker meets mod, Miles Kane graces us with his presence in Brighton’s notorious, Concorde 2. After numerous musical ventures including The Rascals, The Last Shadow Puppets and most recently, super-group Dr. Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club Band consisting of Miles Kane, Matt Bellamy, Chris Cester, Ilan Rubin and Sean Payne playing Beatles covers (I know, it sounds brilliant), Miles Kane’s solo career has not slacked over the years.

After seeing him play at Finsbury Park last year, expectations are high for this show. Kane is known for his showmanship and sassy stage presence. He comes on with shirt unbuttoned and revealing his chest, strutting his stuff over every inch of the stage owning every moment as he plays a wide variety of his tracks. Certain singles such as ‘Give Up’ and ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’ are the ones that cause the most chaos amongst the fans. Plus, the security are earning their money by having to constantly push their way through the crowd pulling people off each other’s shoulders as they belt out every word to Kane’s catchy lyrics. Even newer editions to the Kane portfolio such as ‘Too Little Too Late’ and ‘Coup De Grace’ are sung by fans as if they are anthems that everyone shouldknow the words to. He stated in an interview with Independent that his most recent album, Coup De Grace was regarding a recent break up and that the tracks were written to help him feel more uplifted or as he described it, “Punk Therapy”. 

“Putting these feelings to fast rock and roll tunes makes you feel more uplifted rather than doing it in a soppy ballad. It’s real feelings over upbeat songs”. Seeing him then strutting his songs all over the stage could be proof that this method worked, as the Birkenhead-born man is oozing with confidence. Newest single, ‘Can You See Me Now’ proves that Kane’s in his comfort zone on the stage. It accentuates that he belongs there and highlights his attractive performance personality. His signature vocals steal all the attention as he takes a rock ‘n’ roll approach and snarls through each word. The raucous energy is incomparable and makes the show a spectacular one. 

Drummer, Victoria Smith (who you can also catch behind Jamie T) really helps Kane shine in the light that he does. It’s obvious from the get go that Kane has one of the coolest backing bands going and having a frontman so charismatic can sometimes distract from what talented musicians they all are. Personal highlight of mine was his Donna Summer cover of ‘Hot Stuff’. Anyone who has seen Kane before will not be a stranger to this cover and will also know how suited this song is to his stage style. Kane thrusts into the back of his guitar as the words pour from his mouth. The stage really is his natural habitat.

The show leaves me wanting more yet fills me with satisfaction. The wide range of tracks he plays demonstrates that his career is only getting stronger and Kane’s live performances are proof that he really does belong on stage. 

Image: James Kelly
@jameskellyphoto