It’s The K’s time….A gloomy day at Halifax, but the Piece Hall is all lit up by the mix of t-shirts, bucket hats and dresses in neon pink. Fans of The K’s gathered in the hall, drenched in the iconic black and neon pink of the band’s latest album ‘Pretty On The Internet’. The K’s last visit to The Piece Hall stretched all the way back in 2024 in their support of Blondie, while they returned, this time as the headliner.
The night kicked off with a pretty intense set from Lady of Mars. Against the bright red screen background stands the London outfit fronted by the band’s songwriter Neve Bowen.
Bringing about their unique indie texture with a dark twist, they travelled between softer tracks like ‘Never’ and the fierce ones like ‘Black and Blue’, while slowly building up to their heavier 2025 single ‘Hits A Nerve’ for a powerful conclusion. I did wish the crowd gave a bit more enthusiasm for how much emotion they put into the weighty set.
Next up is Tom A Smith. To be honest with you, I did not really know what to expect seeing this young man rock up in his black-pink polka-dot shirt, white suspenders and slightly messy hair — but I can assure you he definitely left a strong impression, not only with his outlook but also his unmatched charisma on stage. In a set of nine songs he claimed the stage his, and my favourite had to be ‘Am I Ever Gonna Be A Rock Star’.
Tom really put his all into this one, as he roamed the stage like he’s possessed and received a well-earned applause from the Piece Hall crowd.
And it was finally time for The K’s! The outfit walked onto the stage, showered in gleeful screams and cheers, and they wasted no time diving into the set.
You’d think they would play something from the newest EP, instead they surprised us with the opening track to their 2024 EP ‘I Wonder If The World Knows’, ‘Icarus’, followed by another opening track ‘Before I Hit The Floor’, setting the tone for the their 20-track set of the evening.
A fan-favourite ‘Chancer’ was next, earning some of the loudest singalongs I’ve ever experienced at Piece Hall! They chased it up with ‘Hoping Maybe‘ which received a lovely ballad-y reworked intro, with fans instantly recognising the song from the sole guitar melody alone. The sky’s now dimming, contrasting the warm orange lights from the stage as the crowd filled in the last chorus together, it was nothing short of magical.
One of the highlight has to be ‘The Bends(Here We Go Again)’, with the guitars sounding extra bright in the venue that is The Piece Hall, people were just dancing and vibing around in their own circles, it was indeed the perfect late summer song, and even better live to enjoy with your best mates.
‘Has anyone seen us before, yeah?’ Frontman Jamie Boyle asks, and the crowd erupted in loud cheers, putting a smile on Jamie’s face. ‘Glass Towns’ quickly followed, loved how the guitars sounded vibrant but sort of hollow as well, giving off that nostalgic late night drive sentiments with the driving montage graphics on the back. J
amie’s favourite song in their debut album was next, “Heart On My Sleeve”. This one is for the long-time fans, as their eyes glistened and sang their hearts out to the song, word for word.
We headed straight into another fan favourite ‘Landmines’, and the crowd absolutely took over this one with their loud singalongs. Jamie had the crowd sing the bridge for him, before getting back into the fast-paced drums for the final push. Then, a badass guitar solo marked entry into ‘Hometown’, a harmonised extended outro of “Put ‘em on” resonating throughout the hall.
The second half began with a ballad session, with lights turned off and spotlight on the keyboardist Luis Sullivan, playing us a gentle interlude into ‘Perfect Haunting’. Couples were waltzing, holding hands and friends fell silent in admiration, spending a truly unforgettable night together. ‘Lights Go Down’ received a similar treatment, with the band creating suspense in the bridge before concluding on darker stage lights as it resolved in a taint of warm orange.
We head back into the high-tension rock with ‘Rat Poison’, the iconic drench of neon pink finally comes on, accompanying the last instrumental run of the song.
Another soft piano interval with Jamie’s isolated vocals intro, then he guitared up alongside Nathan Peers with the drums and Ryan’s strums for ‘Throw It All Away’.
The cosmic background shining against the dark was perfect for ‘Aurora’, a 2019 single that surprised many new fans, but touched more of the old fans.
The song melted into crowd singalongs and the immersion was instant. ‘Helen, Oh I’ really tied the feelings together, with shoulders mounted and the big screen showing the sea of waving hands, it was poignantly beautiful.
“I’ll see you in the arena next year — till then, we’ll greet you with this song called Sarajevo”. This is where the Piece Hall crowd really let loose, hands reaching in unison and clapping to the strobe lights synced to the beat. With a tint of the green and purple interchanging light, we were blessed with ‘TV’ and ‘Dacton & Wanderella’, both beloved tracks that brought us to the end of the evening.
The K’s has proved again the reason behind their incredibly fast growth in the past few years, there’s that sincerity that is rarely found these days, the mutual respect found in their relationship with fans, and their smiles as they listened to the fans’ singalongs. The K’s understand how to build longevity as a band and it is clear that there is a long way ahead of them.
FIND THE K’S ON INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // YOUTUBE // ONLINE
FIND MORE RGM PIECE HALL REVIEWS HERE