Last year was the first year of the series of early summer gigs in Fairview Park, situated just outside Dublin city centre. The venue would quickly become very popular with gig goers with it’s easy accessibility from around the county, excellent sound, and excellent organization. The reputation of the series was only boosted further by the quality of act that they managed to attract, with Inhaler and Foals, among others, filling the stage in 2022. This year was no different, with big names like Becky Hill, Ben Howard, and The Prodigy, playing massive shows in the venue throughout June.

Another name to grace the stage this year is a band that will immediately summon memories for many people who come across one of their songs, Brighton pop-rock outfit, The Kooks. Initially formed in 2004, the band would release their debut album, Inside In/Inside Out two years later, and it would instantly go on to dominate radio play in both the UK and Ireland. Songs like She Moves in Her Own Way, Ooh La, Naive, and others would become staples on college playlists before night outs over the the following years, and in turn become soundtracks to a lot of people’s coming of age stories. Due to this, despite any criticism that might come their way, this is a band who will always maintain a place in the hearts of a generation who grew up with their songs, and shows like Fairview Park are testament to the importance of that place.

The Kooks know what people want when people come to watch them perform and they opened their set with one of the biggest songs of their discography, Always Where I Need To Be. It helped to get the summer crowd engaged from the very opening and for the rest of the hour and a bit set there was very little let up in the energy. Luke Pritchard still looks like a man loving life as frontman, and cuts an engaging and charismatic figure as he brings the attentive audience along with him for every song. The set list serves all that you could want, and there was plenty for anyone who would range from avid fan of the band to those who only know the hits.

The support acts on the night was outstanding as well.

For the last decade or so, Blossoms have been one of the best indie rock bands on the English music scene. This was another quality set by a band known for their excellent live performances and helped to perfectly set the tone for what was to come from the headliner.

Kicking off the whole night was Wigan rock band, The Lathums, whose high energy live show was the perfect beginning for those who got in early.

Certain bands just have an ability to hook into your sense of nostalgia, exploit it, and bring you back to great days in your past, and this show demonstrated that The Kooks are one of those bands. Pleasure to relieve those memories with them across the hour.

MK