Keo

If you’re a fan of Wunderhorse, Fontaines D.C, The Royston Club or anyone from that crop of indie music, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve heard of this four-piece. Although Keo are practically babies in the grand scheme of their career, their larger-than-life impact certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed. Everything from slots at major festivals like Reading + Leeds to selling out their first major headline tour in mere minutes. Mind you, all of this has been done with the release of just one EP in June, “Siren”. To say that they are one of the most hyped bands to come out of the UK in years is an understatement. Still though, it’s one thing to be the talk of the town and having your name on everyone’s lips, but it’s another thing backing their claims and proving them right. Thankfully, a band as well-polished as Keo showed their sound that betters many bands who are a few years deep into their career.

In what almost feels customary at any big indie band show nowadays, chants of the band’s name ring across the 600 capacity venue. Before long, the band, led by Finn Keogh and his almost iconic beanie, kicked off the show in electrifying fashion with “Cars”, one of five songs on their EP. A sea of hands (and surprisingly not many phones) raise up in unison, punching the air upon every beat. From the get go, you can immediately see a few of Keo’s biggest influences taking shape within their music - “Young” is a track that wouldn’t be hard pressed finding Wunderhorse frontman Jacob Slater on, but if anything, it reflects Finn’s varied vocal range and his phenomenal ability when in his chest voice. His falsetto, on the other hand, could do with more practice - while it shows promising moments on tracks like “Hazel”, not everything hits. However, the second you remember this is their first ever headline tour, and their first time in Birmingham, it’s a solid foundation to build on.

Throughout the night, one thing Keo does excellently compared to some of their compatriots is their ability to play to the crowd, many of whom are teenagers and young adults enjoying a Saturday night out with their mates. Following a very frequent half an hour of a few attendees requesting the band to play fan favourite “Fly”, the band grants them their wish. With the rougher and darker sound this song brings compared to many on the setlist, it’s clear that it will sound impeccable on a studio mix whenever it inevitably sees the light of day. This audience interaction continues when Finn asks the audience to choose between two of their EP songs, “Kind, If You Will” and “Stolen Cars”. It makes sense why he puts the two up against each other, as both have very similar structures and stylistic choices (Finn on the acoustic guitar, a slow build up to a cathartic climax etc.); alas, the audience chooses “Kind, If You Will”, providing a grand singalong. Their ‘last’ song, “Kudos” is perhaps the best showcase of the night for the other three integral musicians of the band. Whether it’s Finn’s brother Conor providing strong bass lines, guitarist Jimmy Lanwern’s phenomenal riffs or drummer Oli Spackman’s exceptional work.

After what may be the shortest break you’ll ever see, the band make the ambitious but fitting decision to open the encore with their own rendition of The Doors’ seminal classic “The End”. Regarded by many as perhaps the greatest closing song of all time, the band do well to put their own spin on it in a very ‘Keo’ way - sure, it’s not the reincarnation of Jim Morrison, but it’s a solid enough effort. After a bit of deliberation, Finn decides to ultimately play “Stolen Cars”, bringing a few in the crowd to the brink of tears. An incredibly moving song, many there would’ve felt slightly underwhelmed had they not given it the love it deserved. Before the final song, which was unsurprisingly their breakout track “I Lied, Amber”, Finn let out a smile to the audience, which only grew wider as he turned to his left and looked out at his family on the balcony wings. On what was ultimately a special night for the band, you felt that this room didn’t do them justice as they’d blown the ceiling off of it. And at the rate of how quickly venues were upgraded and subsequently sold out on this tour, the sky is the limit for the next big thing in indie.