English indie rock unit The Kooks brought their captivating act onto The Rooftop At Pier 17 for the New York stop of their latest North American Tour, stunning audiences beneath the stars and amongst the Manhattan skyline.
Signing to Virgin Records within four months of their formation, The Kooks have certainly made a name for themselves during their roughly 21 years of activity. An English indie rock unit that folds the sounds of rock, pop, disco and more into their mix, the group has seen several evolutions and reinventions, most recently with the release of their latest album Never/Know on May 9 that introduced a lighter tone to their already diverse palette.
The release came on the heels of “Jeanie,” a standalone track made in collaboration with indie pop group lovelytheband… meaning it was no surprise when The Kooks announced a series of tour dates across North America featuring their collaborators as the opening act, including an evening spent among Manhattan’s skyline on The Rooftop At Pier 17 on June 3.
Beginning the evening was lovelytheband, their tonally warm, bright, and at times crystalline sound perfectly coincided with the sky’s golden hue. With the sun just beginning to show signs of setting, the band performed tracks new and old like the spirited yet carefree “coachella,” the vibrantly fun personal favorite “make you feel pretty,” and the enjoyably pointed recent release “heart beats better.”
The group’s enthusiasm for the beautiful venue and even more beautiful weather was infectious, their remarks about the evening being the “prettiest show they’ve ever played” and pre-emptive declarations of the night being “the best show of the entire tour” certainly set a buzz of excitement in the air, and upon the performance of their final and arguably most iconic track “broken,” the audience’s energy had gathered into something bright.
Between sets, fans mingled, wandered the expanse of the rooftop, and generally appreciated the dulled edge of the warm yet breezy air before the familiar sound of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” summoned them back to the barricade- or as close as they could get to it.
Opening with “Sofa Song,” The Kooks took the stage to the immediate joy of the audience, smiles wide and hands in the air as they sang and cheered along. “Ooh La” and “She Moves in Her Own Way” of the same album followed, the crowd at once captivated and invigorated by the processing of the fact that the show had properly started, The Kooks were right there, and they were performing!
“Stormy Weather” indicated a shift in source material, paired with a performance of “Sunny Baby” off of the band’s latest release, lead singer Luke Pritchard beginning the rendition by ribbing, “You don’t know that one? It’s your new favorite Kooks song!”
Folding in some classics of theirs with the newer material, “Bad Habit” and “Westside” were up next, the former an electrifying force upon the audience and the latter explained as a “manifesting song before manifesting was a thing,” Pritchard spinning with his arms out wide prior to the first verse as he took in the view and declared, “Are we in the most beautiful city in the world or what? Look at this shit!”
As the evening went on, it became clear that the open-air venue had enchanted the night with something special at the edges. While lovelytheband’s backdrop was the soft peach hue of the sky just prior to sunset, The Kooks began amongst dusk and continued amongst a growing number of stars and lights twinkling brighter as the saturation of the sky grew dimmer.
“If Only They Could Know,” “Always Where I Need To Be,” and “Seaside” were among the songs to follow, all varied shades of the band’s sound yet united through the passion in which they were performed, the energies shifting seamlessly as co-founding member Hugh Harris delivered guitar licks that were pure rock and roll, stage lights dimming at one point to provide a moment for audience members to set The Rooftop alight with their flashlights as they swayed together to the acoustic sounds of “Seaside,” and Pritchard taking a moment during “Matchbox” to lay on the stage and sing to the stars before bouncing right back up for the chorus… embracing the night for all it could possibly be, it could not have become more clear that The Kooks wear Manhattan well.
“Concluding” the evening with the iconic unbridled joy that is “Junk Of The Heart (Happy)” before returning upon the audience’s fervent cheers for an encore featuring the songs “See The World” and “Naive,” The Kooks’ evening spent atop one of Manhattan’s rooftop venues could not have been spent better, the soft breeze and joyous atmosphere carrying audience members across The Rooftop after the show as they laughed, spun, danced, and sang their way to their respective paths home.
lovelytheband | June 3, 2025 | The Rooftop At Pier 17
The Kooks | June 3, 2025 | The Rooftop At Pier 17
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