After his tour was postponed due to lockdown restrictions in January, Miles Kane brought huge energy in May with his ‘Change The Show’ 2022 tour. His new album, Change The Show, brings a sense of coming of age, as well as nostalgia, from Miles’ adolescence and huge career as a musician.
The Leadmill was bursting with excitement in anticipation of the ex-Rascals lead singer. Opening support acts Brooke Combe and Tom A. Smith took to the stage and were really well received. Both acts were very impressive and their songs were incredibly catchy, fitting the mood of the evening perfectly. Brooke Combe’s track, ‘Miss Me Now’, was a personal favourite of mine and the audience were singing along too. It’s lovely to see how Miles Kane is giving opportunities to young upcoming performers for his tour as support acts, with Tom A. Smith being only 17-years-old, though seeming a natural on stage.
When Miles Kane entered, the energy was unlike anything I have experienced. Everyone was chanting his name and cheering loudly. He began his set with ‘Don’t Let It Get You Down’, a track from his new album, which somehow created even more excitement in the crowd; a perfect opener. As he was playing, I noticed that, across his nails, he had his name written, one letter per finger, in red and white; a perfectly glam rock-esque way to further promote the new album!
Throughout the gig, Miles’ setlist consisted of songs from his new album, his old solo albums, and also a few songs from his and Sheffield-based legend Alex Turner’s band, The Last Shadow Puppets. A very special song he performed was ‘Colour Of The Trap’, which was amazing to hear live, and reminded the audience of just how far he has come since it was released in 2011. It was a memorable moment as the nostalgic track proved it is still just as iconic as it was back then.
Another standout moment for me was one of Miles’ most famous tracks, ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are’. Miles took a photo of the crowd, using one of the photographer’s cameras, and sang with us, acapella, in the middle of the song, with a specific part on loop. It was an amazing song to be singing with him and, as the speed picked up, the audiences energy was very high and exciting.
His album title song ‘Change The Show’ was a definite fan favourite as the anthem-like track meant that everyone was singing along in unison. It felt powerful to be singing this song together and Miles’ face lit up when he saw everyone in the audience singing along. In an interview I did with Miles Kane prior to the tour, he said that this was the song he was most looking forward to playing live. I could tell just how much this moment meant to him.
Miles made a memorable speech towards the end of the gig, highlighting the threat of the Leadmill’s closure. He said: “We don’t want to let these f*ckers close this venue down. Because without a venue like this I wouldn’t be here, you wouldn’t be here and we all wouldn’t be having a f*cking good time. It makes me emotional; let’s show em.”. This was a perfect way to finish as he then performed his final few songs, including fan favourite ‘Closer’. The speech emphasised the importance of supporting the music industry and the Leadmill who are under threat of closure. To get involved in helping the venue, sign the petition here.
The gig really took me by surprise as I had expected the ‘coming of age’ to be at the core of it, in relation to this new album. However, it was amazing to see Miles still doing his thing and not conforming to the new era of his life. He was a breath of fresh air and I cannot wait to see what he does next with his music career.
Rating: 4/5
