Saturday 09/12/06, Kasabian, The Kooks, Just Jack @ Xfm’s Winter Wonderland, Brixton Academy, London

So the popular mainstream indie rock station had been telling us for weeks that their charity Winter Wonderland bash, selling out in a mere six minutes, is Brixton’s fastest ever selling show. That sort of news pushes the expectations skyward, but in end effect also serves to teach a valuable lesson in ‘don’t believe the hype’. But don’t be put off quite yet, as this was a good venueful of bands, one of them being Just Jack. He’s a Brit-hopper backed by something of a motley crew, but without a conventional drummer, so at first glance it’s hard to picture how they’re going to provide the fitting warm up to the eventual balshy headliners. But with the bands representing Xfm’s broad definition of indie, a guy backed by a double bass and bongo drums to create an overall happy hippy 'woohoo we’re all here to give to charidee' commune feel isn’t entirely misplaced.   Jack Allsop is not new, although he’s being hailed as British music’s maverick boy du jour. The North Londoner has already released a record on an indie but this time he’s inked Mercury. Allsop looks quite relaxed onstage tonight, dressed in a baggy T and trying to excite the half-full Brixton Academy. The recent glut (hell even Rough Trade released a compilation) of singer/songwriters, with the exception of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly have all but penned MOR ballads, so it’s seriously a relief to see this guy grinning all over his poppy, funk-inflected tunes. He ends his set with the stomping ‘Starz in their Eyes’ (think The Streets' tales of the boy done good) and Jack probably is still grinning now.   Drive time DJ Richard Bacon gets an even bigger welcome than he gives his listeners to his show but that we’re more pleased to see him than indie try hards The Feeling is hardly surprising… “The next band is only going to come on if you start yelling their name”, screams Richard – ah well this is a Christmassy gig so why not be all pantomine about it? Cue noisy chants of “Kooks, Kooks” before the TV screen that entertained us with the heavily-hyped by the just as heavy Guy Garvey  (Elbow) child roadie footage is hoisted out of the way just as Luke and the rest of The Kooks strut onstage. By now it’s 9 o’clock and the place is jammed full of Saturday night types in their best clobber. To the left a huge flurry, er stampede of muffin tops charges as close to the front as their impressive frontage will allow. The Kooks’ most ardent support has arrived, complete with pop concert banners made out of Stella artois cardboard boxes. Or is that a nod to the fact tonight is in aid of Shelter?
In any case The Kooks are out to live up to their second on the bill slot. Shitloads of airplay on Xfm’s celebrated airwaves have put The Kooks up there with the best (and also ensures they’ll play this night!) There sure are a lot of excited rock converts and those who are nearly there by virtue of their seeming switch from Capital to the “mighty X”. The Kooks open with an acoustic ‘Seaside’ but their best performance is of ‘She Moves In Her Own Way’, with the pogoing starting right from the initial choppy, catch-all riff and even all that jumping doesn’t impede the ardent support’s rendition of "oh oh she came to my show just to hear about my day." The Kooks’ set is distinctly divided into the popular favourites and um, the rest. Sure, 'Inside In / Inside Out' has found its way onto many a CD rack (and not yet via any bargain bin) but it’s to the aforementioned track, recent single ‘Ooh La’ and first single ‘Naïve’ that you realise that Kooksmania does indeed exist. Saying that, ‘Naïve’ was slightly below par, essentially all that airplay has knocked this song to the extent that nothing but a polished over-rehearsed performance will do.