In a week when some of Nashville’s biggest names descend on the capital as part of UK tours, it was Kip Moore taking centre stage on Wednesday night at a sold out Koko in Camden. With a capacity of just under 1500 this seems to have been a cautious choice of venue with possibly an uncertainty over his popularity in the UK by his management. Kip was one of the stars of last year’s Country to Country festival and the fans had clearly not forgotten about him up and down the country and he could have filled a much larger venue in the capital.
When Kip hit the stage just around 8:45 fans where in for an energetic show that would last nearly two hours! Starting things off with the title track from his current album “Wild Ones” was a popular choice to get the crowd going and the sing-a-long didn’t really stop from then on, other than shouts of marriage proposals (it was an I’ll think about it!!!), woops and cheers. I still love the look of disbelief country artists have on their face when the UK crowd sings along to every word and Kip was no different and a roar erupted around the venue as he questioned how many had bought the Wild Ones album.
Amongst songs from both album’s the highlight for me was a short acoustic set he did, proving he is just as comfortable on stage with the backing of a band or as one man with his guitar. This included a showcase of a song from Kip’s upcoming third album (set for release later this year) about being told he’d never make it called Guitar Man. It was a moving song whilst a slight two fingers up to an ex and I can’t wait to hear it with a band backing.
As ever there was a few covers including Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger, Tom Petty’s Free Falling and The Middle by Jimmy Eat World, which interestingly not many around me seemed to know! The highlight songs for me where two of his tracks from his Up All Night album, Reckless and the ultimate sing-a-long of the night Somethin’ Bout A Truck.
It can’t be much longer till Kip is regarded as one of the superstars of Country music and I can guarantee you wouldn’t see many artists offering an autograph session after the show and when leaving the venue to head to the bus telling the waiting fans “let me get a coat and I’ll be back” before posing for photos for the next twenty minutes will every last person had left.
An amazing show from start to finish I have to rate it as one of the best live performances I’ve been to in recent years (even if he didn’t do the stage door set like the other three night) and now he has proved to his management he has fans this side of the Atlantic I don’t think it will be too long till he returns and I can’t wait for his next LP.
Setlist
Wild Ones
Crazy One More Time
Mary Was The Marrying Kind
Reckless (Still Growin’ Up)
Beer Money
The Middle (Jimmy Eat World cover)
I’m To Blame
Come & Get It
Back Seat
Cigarette
Heart’s Desire
That’s Alright With Me
What Ya Got On Tonight
Running For You
Acoustic:
Girl Of The Summer
Drive Me Crazy
Complicated
My Baby’s Gone
Encore:
Hey Pretty Girl
Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck
Magic
That Was Us
Encore 2:
Faith When I Fall