Despite Storm Amy battering the Welsh coast for a second night, fans braved the elements for a double dose of indie guitar energy as The Kooks made their long-awaited return to Cardiff. Support came from Merseyside quartet The K’s, who took to the stage with the confidence of a band already halfway to headliner status on stages of this size.

Fresh from the release of their second album Pretty On The Internet, a record that stormed straight to Number 1 in the UK charts, the group looked every inch a band in ascent, now stepping comfortably into the arena circuit. They launched straight into their set with jagged riffs, pounding drums and Jamie Boyle’s urgent, unwavering vocal, which rang right to the back of the hall on Hoping Maybe, its emotional weight hitting hard. Their sound carries the grit of the north with the hook-laden swagger of early Arctic Monkeys, but live it comes with a sharper edge.

Boyle worked the crowd with ease between songs, his banter fuelling the chaos as pints flew through the air and shirts spun above heads. The leap in their popularity since last year’s Cardiff Tramshed show was unmistakable - a band whose fan base is growing in both size and devotion, lungs in full force as every lyric was shouted back at them. New cuts from Pretty On The Internet sat seamlessly alongside their debut material, with Black and Blue ratcheting up tension before Helen, Oh I unfurled its expansive melodies and driving acoustic guitars in grand, echoing detail. 

The K’s delivered a set that perfectly captured their knack for blending raw power with hook-heavy choruses. By the time they left the stage, they had done far more than warm up the room. Judging by the roar that followed them off, The K’s are no longer a band on the sidelines, but one that are fast closing in on their own nights of arena headlining glory.

As Sweet Caroline rung out from the speakers, signalling the band's imminent arrival, the crowd was more than suitably primed, voices raised in full chorus as anticipation hit its peak. Cardiff’s arena has hosted its share of indie royalty, but there was a particular charge in the air for The Kooks’ return - a band arriving not just with nostalgia, but with the weight of an anniversary few of their peers have reached with such vitality. Nearly twenty years since Inside In / Inside Out first appeared, the Brighton outfit weren’t simply revisiting their past: they were celebrating a catalogue woven into the scene that made them.

From the opening moments, it was clear this wasn’t a nostalgic trip in autopilot. Luke Pritchard, sharp in both voice and presence, led the band through a set that balanced early hits with newer material, giving equal weight to the songs that first lit up festival fields in 2006 and those that prove they’re still evolving. Eddie’s Gun and She Moves In Her Own Way were rolled out with infectious energy, their spiky guitars and sing-along choruses instantly transporting the crowd back to an era of skinny jeans and sweat-soaked club nights. Yet, the likes of “Sunny Baby” from their new record and Connection from 10 Tracks To Echo In The Dark showed an outfit unwilling to remain frozen in time.

The emotional centrepiece of the night came when Pritchard introduced See Me Now. Written as a tribute to his late father, the song carried even greater resonance under the warm lights of Cardiff as old home video montages played on the screen. It was a striking reminder that beneath the breezy hooks and jangling guitars, The Kooks’ music has always carried a depth that cuts deeper than their indie-pop label suggests. Something that's felt all the more real the older we've got, growing up with the band as a soundtrack to our youth. 

As the night unfolded, The Kooks dug further into their back catalogue, unearthing gems like Taking Pictures of You and GAP, songs that proved their artistry has always reached beyond the obvious singles. The mood briefly shifted into something more introspective, before the band snapped the room back into motion. When the snarling riff of Matchbox kicked in, the hall erupted, a sharp reminder that beneath their pop sensibilities lies a raw edge that can still shake the walls.

Of course, the climax was always going to be Ooh La and Naïve back to back as the band returned for a rapturous encore. Two decades may have passed since it first made them household names, but as the thousands of voices sang every word back, it felt as vital as ever - anthems that have not just endured, but grown into something generational as millennials met Gen-Z and beyond. A true reminder of The Kooks’ enduring place in indie’s story, proving they're not just celebrating history, they're still making it.

*****