Music

The Last Shadow Puppets ooze rock showmanship at Alexandra Palace

Alex Turner and best pal Miles Kane, aka The Last Shadow Puppets, return from an eight-year hiatus to give us everything we’ve come to expect and more at Alexandra Palace.

The second of two massive nights at London’s Ally Pally finish off The Last Shadow Puppet’s UK summer tour celebrating their return to the stage, their brilliant second album Everything You’ve Come To Expect, and their never-ending bromance. Support from Yak Band and Gaz Coombes are the perfect picks to get everyone in the mood on a Saturday evening that won’t soon be forgotten.

The Last Shadow Puppets

A side project makes a legendary comeback

English supergroup The Last Shadow Puppets released their debut album, The Age Of The Understatement, in 2008 as a side project of Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner and The Rascals lead singer and solo artist Miles Kane. Their follow-up second album, Everything You’ve Come To Expect, was only released earlier this year after an almost decade-long hiatus. A small UK tour earlier this year marked the comeback of the ultimate rock ‘n’roll bromance. Turner and Kane swapped LA for their home island and were welcomed with triumphant sell-out shows and a whole round of new, younger fans.

The Last Shadow Puppets

Sex, drugs & rock ‘n’ roll – embodied live on stage

Mood lighting and a waterfall of pink rose petals engulf the stage as the pair walk on to the eternally dreamy Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me by The Smiths accompanied by the iconic guitar skills of none other than Johnny Marr. The rose petal streams covering Turner and Kane instantly remind us of their latest video for Miracle Aligner which also features on tonight’s setlist. But first, to kick things off, the ever classic TSLP baroque-pop anthem Standing Next To Me blares through the speakers and The Last Shadow Puppets own the room. The night is a nicely shuffled mix of both albums with assistance by Johnny Marr on The Element of Surprise and The Falls cover of Totally Wired.

The encore, four beautifully chosen songs, encompasses everything this night had given the crowd – a few new songs plus Meeting Place off the 2008 debut album and absolute tune. And if you thought the big display of all things rock ‘n’ roll had finished, Alex Turner tell us that he isn’t finished yet; he wants to keep this party going. Tame Impala’s Cam Avery joins the stage, just days after Turner and Kane improvised a new song about his band at Open’er Festival. They round up the evening with a cover of Moonage Daydream by the late and great David Bowie stemming from his Ziggy Satrdust-era.

The Last Shadow Puppets

Nothing short of sheer genius

While critics’ reviews for Everything You’ve Come To Expect were mixed, the duo undoubtedly silenced all of the doubters tonight. Both albums flow together beautifully and have clearly converted new fans with a mixed crowd at Alexandra Palace.

You just can’t deny the ultimate showmanship and coolness that oozes from Alex Turner and Miles Kane alike. The ultimate incarnation of what rock ‘n’ roll is all about and as Turner once said: “That rock ‘n’ roll, eh? That rock ‘n’ roll, it just won’t go away… it seems like it’s faded away sometimes, but it will never die. And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

A world class performance, even by this band’s standards, has lit up the North London skyline and reignited the love for a band that started out as a modest side project.