Koko

Peaches @ KOKO- 13/12/09

I'm still a bit of a gig newbie to be honest. I've always been the sitting in my bedroom listening to my favourite band on repeat but not too loud so my parents don't hear kind of girl, so the rules of the gig world are still quite new to me.

Let me say one thing Peaches fans are amazing. I've never seen such a diverse crowd. There were electro kids, hipsters, punk rockers, indie boys, black, white, brown you name it they were there. Another thing to remember about Peaches fans is that they are crazy. They will drag you to the ground and step on your head just to get closer to her. I learnt this fact the hard way.

Peaches was of course amazing and she had at least five costume changes, or more I stopped counting half way through, one of which looked like a giant ball of hair.

The spectacular of her live show was everything I thought it would be including the hairy girls from the 'Talk to Me' video, pussy LED's, extravagant costumes, walking on the crowd and lots and lots of lasers.

The tunes were there too and after four albums Peaches had a lot to choose from and she chose well. The setlist included 'Boys Wanna Be Her', 'Fuck The Pain Away', 'Billionanire' with Shunda K rapping on a projector screen for Peaches to duet with and the rousing 'Set it Off'. I love how this song has evolved over time.

Below is Peaches singing 'Set it Off' in LA, I couldn't find any at KOKO and anyway she's singing with an inflatable motorbike and strap-on cleavage here.

Stephanie's profile     Other reviews by Stephanie     Stephanie likes    

Nights out at the Koko have become a mixed bag- upon it's regeneration and opening club night, Club NME, the music was a mix of mainstream indie chart music and a few underground songs for the more discerning Indie/Rock kid; however, flash forward a few years, my last Club NME night meant throwing shapes to songs that were barely recognizable and fishily had more of a techno/trance vibe to them.

With weariness, I returned to Koko, but for their monthly club night "Buttoned down disco"- a strictly invite only night (with invites being download-able from their website http://www.buttoneddowndisco.com) which was being billed as "balloon filled, with free badges and ace drink deals from early on in the night." Invites in hand, me and 4 friends arrived at Koko at 10p.m- an early arrival is a must, if you want to avoid the half hour long queues to get inside the venue and to use the cloakroom!

The venue alone, with it's red opulent appearance and giant mirror ball makes for a memorable night out, add to that the danceable songs- that weren't too vague or underground- and a dance floor big enough to fit a thousand of your fellow clubbing peeps, with breathing space, it all built up to be a good night. Notable songs which gave a feel for the night included "Ready for the floor" (Hot Chip), "Around the world" (Daft Punk), "Sweet Dream" (Eurythmics) and an interesting cover of "That's not my name" by Dizzee Rascal- thought it should be noted that the DJ of the night didn't take too kindly to song requests and, despite her best efforts, ignored my friend's request for a song by MGMT.

Putting aside the music, the bar was a fight and a half to get to (as usual), but at least you get what you pay for in terms of the drink- no watered down Jack Daniels in my orders of JD and coke- horribly, the girls toilets, became particularly unpleasant to visit as the night went on but the general feelings of having a great night out, dancing to a great mix of music (old skool, Indie and current hits), with a friendly crowd and no power hungry bouncers, made for a night that I now know to return to at Koko.

The next "Buttoned down disco" hits the Koko for an Easter special on April the 11th- make sure you get your invites if you wanna attend!

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I was in Koko last night. Me and friend seperately had the same experience with two different bar staff - they tried to pretend they'd given us change when they hadn't. Obviously thought we'd be too drunk to notice.
Tried to complain but the manager was smirking and obviously in on it.
Absolutely fucking outrageous.

Richard's profile     Other reviews by Richard     Richard likes    

Is this the place that used to hold 'Clock Work Orange'?

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I agree with the last comment.I was at the same Idlewild gig near the front and I thought it was a really good atmosphere, Loads of true Idlewild fans singing their hearts out to every song. I never saw any unnecessary pushing or anything.If you�re at the front of a live gig with a band that rock you absorb all of the pressure of the crowd though. It's just the way it is.To give the venue a harsh review for that is ridiculous.Koko's is one of my favourite.

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