The 15th of December saw what almost felt like a private Christmas party in Brighton’s The Haunt. Perhaps the most noticeable thing about the night was how big the smiles on people’s faces were. Brighton truly is the place to be if you are into the arts, especially music. The concert itself was marked as being headlined by Sweet Sweet Lies, but all three of the bands (the others being Kovak and Mean Poppa Lean) could have easily been headliners in their own right. In a room full of students and people who had just finished work, there was a bit of something for everyone to enjoy. Christmas joy was spread throughout the night. People were even encouraged to wear Christmas jumpers to the concert, in order to get a discount on their entry fees, even though the gig was just £5, an absolute bargain considering the quality of the bands on offer!
Despite the cold December weather outside, a small crowd queued up in order to get in early. Inside, Brighton’s very own bad Santa was on offer to collect the entry fees and also give out shot glasses for a free shot of Tuaca. The Haunt was very dimly lit inside and it was quite hard to make out where people were but at an early start of 7:30pm, Brighton’s very own Kovak took to the stage.
Kovak are a band I’m very familiar with, thanks to some college work with the band. I can honestly say Kovak are a true gem of band, I have seen them three times in concert before, so another brilliant performance was expected. The band opened with ‘Swing Song’ a completely new song which had not been performed on stage before, but it went down well with the fans and newcomers. Next on the set was ‘Sex Electric’, perhaps the perfect song to demonstrate Kovak’s unique yet brilliant blend of dance, disco, electro, and pop music.
Early on in the set it was clear that Kovak are very energetic and enjoy themselves on stage. Lead singer Annelies did not stop moving around! ‘I’ll Be Good To You’, one of the more well known hits of the band went down well and got some of the crowd moving their feet but it started to become obvious that there were some lighting difficulties. A trio of new songs came next, ‘Modern Lovers’, ‘Killer Boots’, and ‘Living the Dream’. These songs really did sound slick and all three could easily be potential singles for the band. Even though I had heard these songs in concert before, I still found myself dancing along, as well as other people in the venue.
Problems with the smoke machine started to ensue and it was never really fixed for the rest of the night. Nonetheless, the venue started to fill up and more people began to dance to Kovak, something the band really encourage. The next song in the set was ‘Electric City Lights’, a favourite from the band’s first album, another one which got the crowd moving. ‘Catchy Monkey’ has become a regular in the bands set over the past few years and it was then followed by the band’s cover of ‘Atomic’, originally by Blondie, a band which Kovak are very heavily likened to and influenced by.
To end the set came the band’s anthem and perhaps most well known song by fans, ‘I Love the Dancefloor’. It’s clear to see why the song is so highly regarded by the band themselves and their fans, it is so catchy that you hum it all day the first time you hear it! The crowd were all bobbing their heads at the end, and Kovak ended with their goodbyes.
On a personal note, this was probably the best Kovak gig I have been to so far. The set list was brilliant and the performances were as tight as ever. I can honestly say that I see a bright future for Kovak, with work on their 2nd album taking place, who knows what might happen. If you’re reading this and have never seen Kovak in concert, I can not recommend a better band in Brighton! Kovak are one of the best live acts I have seen for a long time. This was a perfect early Christmas present and I think it is fair to say that we can all expect many more great things to come from Kovak. In the meantime, have a Merry Christmas.
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