Kodaline rocked Nottingham’s Rock City on the 9th March 2015 as part of the UK leg of a tour supporting the release of their second album ‘Coming Up For Air’
Irish rock quarter ‘Kodaline’ have managed to succeed where numerous bands have failed and bravely take on what has become known as ‘second album syndrome’ with a fair amount of success.
Hailing from Ireland, Steve Garrigan, Vinny May,Jason Boland and Mark Prendergast – who make up the band – released their second studio album ‘Coming Up For Air’ on 9th February and it has been a hit with the majority the band’s fans.
It follows their 2013 debut ‘In A Perfect World’, which included instantly memorable songs including ‘High Hopes’, ‘Love Like This’ and ‘All I Want’ – probably their most well known to date.
Tracks from the new album are quickly becoming fan favourites and even after just a month of the album’s release, the crowd at tonight’s show in Nottingham were singing along to every word like they had known the songs all their lives.
Tonight saw Kodaline embark on the Rock City venue as part of their UK and European tour to promote this new release. They have sold out the majority of their shows on this tour, highlighting the success of their second album, and tonight was no different as fans flocked to Nottingham to see the Irish rockers perform material old and new.
Support came from two impressive young, up and coming bands in ‘White Chalk’ and ‘The Mispers’.
The show was kicked off by Irish folk rock band ‘White Chalk’, whose seven members filled the Rock City stage armed with instruments that included a mandolin and a cello.
Making their first ever UK performance and visibly filled with a mixture of excitement and nerves, ‘White Chalk’ got the night off to a good start with an entertaining showing that included a performance of their new single ‘Back To The Start’.
Next up was ‘The Mispers’, who lifted the energy of the packed room to another level. Their charismatic frontman Jack Balfour Scott was entertaining to watch on stage, not least for his unique dance moves, whilst Belgian violinist Hannah van den Brul added an exciting element to the bands style.
The supports had warmed up the crowd nicely and you could feel the excitement in the building as Kodaline’s arrival became imminent. Finally, after a short wait, the quartet hit the stage with ‘Ready’ and the room instantly filled with lights and joy.
As is often the case, it was the older material that really got the crowd involved. Tracks like ‘Love Like This’ – the second of the night, and ‘High Hopes’ were a couple of the highlights.
But the newer stuff was just as much of a hit with the crowd, who loved every moment of a compelling performance. Kodaline’s softer style has been a big hit with many, in particular the female demographic, and whilst this was never going to be the most energetic concert it had a very special atmosphere of its own.
‘Brand New Day’ and ‘Love Will Set You Free’ brought the show to a temporary conclusion, but naturally with some of their biggest hits not yet performed the show was far from over. After much begging, pleading and chanting from an adoring Nottingham crowd, the band return for the inevitable encore.
‘Honest’, the first single and most successful track from the new album got the encore underway. But Kodaline had saved the best until very last as a truly beautiful rendition of ‘All I Want’, which created a magnificent sight with the lights and the whole crowd singing along with frontman Garrigan to bring the show to a wonderful ending.
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