Nostalgia, love and dancing… The Kooks in Amsterdam

British Indie rock band The Kooks embarked on their European tour, months after finishing their tour in support of their latest album “Never/ Know”.

On February 17th the band performed in AFAS Live in Amsterdam. By the time The Kooks came out on stage the crowd was already wired with anticipation.

The setlist was a well picked mix of old and new, as 2026 marks the 20 years anniversary of the band’s debut album “Inside In Inside Out”. Appropriately, the crowd consisted of fans who have been with the band since the start, and those who have recently discovered them.

Starting with “Sofa Song” was the right choice because it set the tone for the rest of this amazing night. The audience sang along to every song, danced like no one was watching and generally just enjoyed themselves.

Of course there were also quieter moments.The most moving part of the performance was when Luke Pritchard, lead singer, sat in front of the piano keys and sang “See me now”. The song is a letter to Luke’s father, who died when the singer was three years old. As the first notes of the song filled the room, everything became illuminated by thousands of lights. It was the fans, pulling out their flashlights to show their support for the band during this heart-rending song.

The Amsterdam crowd was surprised with a special song added to the setlist: “Jackie Big Tits”. The song has its own history with Amsterdam and the city is mentioned in the second verse. This addition put the crowd into higher spirits and made the night even more memorable.

Finishing the night on a high note, “Ooh La” and “Naive” proved to be the right picks for the last songs of the night, as the audience danced and cheered their way through them, and undoubtedly left feeling exhilarated after such a marvelous show.