On February 7th, Miles Kane concluded the UK leg of his Sunlight in the Shadows tour at Birmingham’s O2 Institute in Digbeth. Bringing worlds of indie, rock, glam, and electropop together, Kane illuminated Birmingham’s music scene in the dreary winter months. 

The night started with Birmingham’s own Paradise Circus. With an upbeat presence, the band are new and fresh, performing in and around the city since 2019. To follow, the second opener of the evening was the up-and-coming Villanelle. Fronted by Gene Gallagher, the band have a lot to live up to, and whilst they are a relatively new band with few songs officially released, they certainly revive the 90s Britpop sound with a new grungy front. Gallagher adopts his father’s stage presence, following in Liam Gallagher’s charismatically boyish footsteps. 

Branded as a modern-day mod, Miles Kane has had an extensive career, spanning from his early days with Alex Turner in The Last Shadow Puppets band, to his now established solo career that blends the Britpop stylism of the noughties, injected with a modern indie twist. 

‘Electric Flower’ started the night strong with a glam-rock vibrancy. Anthemic and vibrant to its core, this track kickstarted the night as one that would be invigoratingly lively. And, to keep the energy flowing, ‘Rearrange’ upheld the strong and spirited opening of the gig. 

Kane brings an insouciance to the stage, yet does not lose a high energy atmosphere. A jazz-like quality to his performance was interrupted, however, when the singer-songwriter shed his jacket, much to the adoring cheers of the crowd. Revealing his classic white vest and gold chains, complete with a leopard print guitar, his persona shifted from a mellow swaggering mod to a Liverpudlian del boy. What is interesting about Miles Kane is his technical performance. Using two microphones on stage, the singer sang the reverb of his songs live, making his performance uniquely distinct. 

I don’t think that anything beats a good sing along at any concert, no matter the artist, the genre or the venue.  For me, therefore, after the sultry slowness of ‘Walk on the Ocean’, the stand-out of the night was ‘Coup de Grace’. Feeling the energy of the room, the crowd weren’t shy in shouting along to the track’s hooking chorus. 

This gig however did feel the absence of an encore. Although this did not necessarily affect the quality of Kane’s performance, as the lights came up, I was left questioning whether I was leaving the show early, most likely simply down to a timing issue. But, no matter, Kane still made sure to perform as much as he could, even if it did mean losing the anticipation of an encore. As the set concluded with the garage rock ‘Come Closer’, the crowd were really riled up leading to an explosive end to the night. 

Kane’s solo career stands strong, definitive from the rest of the indie scene, balancing deep lyricism and a catchy verse. A melting pot of genres and influences infuses and creates his signature sound, establishing him as a unique creative and fitting in perfectly with the thriving vivacity of Digbeth for the night.

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