Review/ Miles Kane @ O2 Academy

By Bethany Marris, Online Music Editor

'Kane’s unwavering charisma and on-stage vitality resulted in an objectively impressive performance', Online Music Editor Bethany Marris reviews Miles Kane at Bristol's O2

Prior to embarking on the UK leg of his Coup de Grace album tour, Miles Kane told Epigram that he felt more ‘comfortable’ and ‘confident’ in himself ‘this time’; a sentiment that infused his set at the O2 Academy earlier this week. The LP’s French title, 'Coup de Grace' translates to ‘blow of mercy’. The name was chosen by Kane as it relates to the finishing move of his favorite wrestler Finn Balor: ‘the final blow’. At nine o’clock prompt, the artist sauntered on stage as though he was entering the ring, ‘walking on’ to Candi Staton’s nostalgic ‘Young Hearts Run Free’ beneath the glimmer of a 70s glitter ball.

‘KANE’ embellished boxing shorts are indeed available in the Coup de Grace merch, yet Miles opted for a more modest all-black get up with a hint of sparkle. Kane’s Ziggy Stardust-meets-Gallagher combination of glistening blue eyeshadow, cuban heels and a Fred Perry bomber came as no surprise, as the artist hailes Oasis and Bowie as two of his ‘greatest style influences'.

Opening with Coup de Grace’s distinctly punky ‘Silverscreen’, Kane and his entourage fired up an eclectic crowd of middle-aged mods, teenage indie-heads and fangirls. However, it wasn’t long before old material was reincarnated, as the opener faded into 2011’s brash, catchy hit ‘Inhaler’, inspiring a crowd-wide fling of the O2’s double pint beakers. At this moment, it was easy to anticipate that poorly received come-back material would result in a sort of ‘greatest hits’ performance. Although this wasn’t the case, and as the gig endured, it was clear that the set-list had been thoughtfully curated; sandwiching new tracks in between old classics such as ‘Don't forget who you are’, and ‘Rearrange’.

Despite the perceived mediocrities of his record, Kane’s unwavering charisma and on-stage vitality resulted in an objectively impressive performance. Pretentious? Of course. Nevertheless, the way in which Kane was simultaneously bolstered and humbled by the audience's enthusiasm was tangible, and whilst moments of hush were few and far between, each silence was fractured by a chant of ‘Miles, Miles, Miles fucking Kane’; an echo of true fans, not just spectators.

Featured Image: Bethany Marris/ Epigram

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