The name ‘Miles Kane’ is yet to be household name. Having only released his debut album last year; Miles’ story of continuous success is one even he would have never dreamed of. After almost a year of constant touring, selling out venue after venue, and supporting the likes of Kasabian, Beady Eye, and Arctic Monkeys, Miles’ fanbase and attitude is that of a ten-year veteran.

Being supported by Eugene McGuinness, formerly of Miles’ band, the night got off to a great start. ‘Shotgun’ and ‘Lion’ were well received by the crowd, while the Londoner, Eugene, adopting purely a singing role in his new solo venture, was also fascinating to watch; allowing his charisma and confidence to shine through. However, the night was still young, and eagerly anticipating the return of Miles Kane.

Strutting onto the stage to rousing, zealous crowd was always going to happen.  Opening with his third single, ‘Re-arrange’. “Leeds, you re-arrange my mind” were his opening words, and were enough to send the venue into pandemonium. Miles’ performance started with a bang, and continued throughout. Effortlessly breezing through the setlist with his unmistakeable idiosyncratic swagger and eccentricity. Third on the bill, he treated the crowd to ‘The First of My Kind’, his latest release. Complete with Lennon-style vocals and cocky lyrics one could only dream of singing to a sold-out venue.

‘All in good time you’ll find,
That im the first of mine,
My kind, my kind…’

Another crowd pleaser was ‘My Fantasy’, a 60’s, string infused frisky number, which was naturally, for the smooth and suave character he is, dedicated to the ladies, whom he had mesmerized, eating out of the palm of his hand all night. Arguably the highlight of the evening was a translated cover of French singer Jacques Ductronc’s ‘Le Responsable’. A real sixties groover, and something that was obviously very inspiring during the penning of the album. It had the soul of the sixties, but the typical heart of a caged lion that we have come to expect from Miles. (Definitely worth a youtube).

The brazen Miles Kane, with his loveable ‘rock ‘n’ roll’ arrogance was temporarily put on hold during ‘Colour of the Trap’. A beautiful, stripped love song complete with tinges of Paul McCartney. A sea of cigarette lighters flickered and fluttered above the heads of the now emotionally tender crowd. With lyrics like ‘If you just get it together and read my mind, then sleeping would be easy’, it’s hard for even the most expressively muted of us not to react. A truly stunning and memorable experience.

‘And your exit calms me down
Before it infuriates me
Girl I’m in trouble…
Wish you’d just get it together and read my mind’

His final song, ‘Come Closer’, started with a nostalgia-inspired five minute jam. A real joy to watch and listen to; it was obvious to all that he never wanted to come off stage. Merging together influences from Hendrix, to the Who, The Stone Roses and Oasis into a brain-blowing psychedelic bubble mix, then leading into the great finalé in ‘Come Closer’.

In conclusion, Miles’ fantastic songwriting is emphasized thousands of times over with his live perfomances. His ability to engage the crowd and perform so phenomenally at the same time is something that one has to experience. In my opinion, he’s the last of a dying breed. Mick Jagger, Marc Bolan, Liam Gallagher…take the wheel, Miles Kane.