Tyler Wright
Did a sports journalism degree, write about music instead. Used to sing, now you can find me either at a gig or in the pub in the centre of the universe – Leeds.
Indie champions The Kooks return with a live release of ‘See Me Now’, an emotionally charged release performed at the O2 Arena.
As last year drew close to an end, one of the gargantuan names of the mid noughties – indie-rock’s coastal champions, The Kooks – set out on their biggest tour of all, after over two decades in everyone’s ears.
This week the Brighton boys have breathed new life into a cult classic from their 2014 record ‘Listen’ – the birthplace of one of the greatest FIFA songs of all time, ‘Around Town’. The reissue in question is that of the leftfield heartstring-puller – ‘See Me Now’.
Recorded live in a packed out 02 Arena during a run that included other behemoth spaces, such as the Co-op Live in Manchester, frontman Luke Pritchard sings his heart-wrenching ballad centred around the premature loss of his father in an emotionally charged and phone-torch lit up dome.
Inspired to revisit the track upon becoming a father himself, Pritchard tells his father, whom he lost at the age of three, through song his achievements and milestones in his life. – “Well I’ve been a lot of places/ I learned to tie my own tie too”.
Alongside the songs rebirth comes a music video that sees the original video from 2014, the footage from The 02 and home footage of Luke as a child intertwine for a powerful and deeply moving full-circle moment.
On the rekindled love for the track, Luke Pritchard claimed ‘sometimes a song just has its time.’ That it does. The live re-release of ‘See Me Now’ is a rare moment in which a song is revisited after becoming adopted by a whole new crowd on social media and propelled forwards for good. It is a fitting tribute for an already beloved tribute. Perhaps proving that the group’s 2000’s work may not be their only timeless classics.
Listen to ‘See Me Now‘ here:
Catch The Kooks at the following:
June 17: Delamere Forest, Northwich, UK
June 18: Open Air Theatre,Scarborough, UK
June 19: The Piece Hall, Halifax, UK
June 21: Isle of Wight Festival, Isle of Wight, UK
June 23: Bristol Sounds 2026 (Canons Marsh Amphitheatre), Bristol, UK
July 3: Tofte Manor, Bedford, UK (Sold Out)
July 4: Custom House Square, Belfast, UK
July 30 – Aug 2: Kendal Calling, Lake District, UK
August 1: Dreamland Margate, Margate, UK
August 7: Boardmasters, Newquay, UK
August 22: Rock N Roll Circus (with The Vaccines & The Fratellis), Norwich, UK
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