image credit: Jude Harrison

I like the O2 Academy. I like that you can feel the ground shake, and that you feel every
beat of every song through your toes. I like that your olfactory senses are filled with the
ancient smell of the 1920s, albeit before the smell of mosh pit takes over. I was expecting
nothing less from October 27th’s gig, as alternative-rock band Keo were playing their biggest ever show, and tickets were beyond sold out.

The eagerly anticipated show was opened by Brooki, a Dublin loud noise and alt-rock
quartet. Brooki are relatively unknown, so much so that at the time of writing I am really
struggling to find any of their songs on any streaming services. However, it was clear that
they were an extremely talented band, and they were well received by the crowd. I could see Brooki playing next year’s Tenement Trail; I think their vibe suits it perfectly.

A short 30 minutes after Brooki left the stage, the lights were dimmed once again. The
crowd suddenly erupted, as the reason the 2499 people around me had made the journey
into Glasgow’s southside was about to come out on stage. Someone started a slow chant of “Keo, Keo, Keo” to the tune of a classic football matchday song. It took off, and Keo burst out to the chant and cheer of their name.

Keo don’t have many songs; they only recently released their first full album, but this
meant that the crowd that night were true fans. Everyone was singing every line in every
song, and I almost felt a bit out of place, like I wasn’t the true diehard fan everyone else
was.

Even as the fraudster I was, I cannot deny that Keo were fantastic. To be honest, I was a bit
sceptical going into the gig. There are always new alt-rock bands who are apparently
“generational” and “the next big thing in music”; however, I often find that they never live up to the hype. There was something different here, though, something authentic.

The fans were so excited to be there, as if they were watching an old band on their final tour, and this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In reality, Keo are back in Glasgow in a few months’ time, and I reckon the majority of the people there this time have already got their tickets and are buzzing to see them again.

My personal highlights of the night were ‘Thorn’ and ‘Stolen Car’. I’d never heard of either of these songs before, and when I asked my brother, the family Keo fan, to describe them in a few words, he said, ‘incredible, raw, emotional’. Now that I’ve experienced them live (and he hasn’t!), I’d have to say the same. The songwriting is fantastic, and the emotion that is conveyed by Finn Keogh is unmatched.

I thought Keo were going to be massively pretentious, as I expect with all alt-rock bands,
yet they came across as caring towards their fans. I’d be lying if I said Keo didn’t love the
attention; they truly lapped it up, but it didn’t strike me as being negative or glutinous.
There was a moment somebody collapsed in the crowd, and the band stopped and made
sure they received help. I’m not sure all modern-day alt-rock bands would do that, as it
would tarnish the non-chalant image they’ve built up.

The concert climaxed with ‘That’s Me’, which sent the crowd into an uncontrollable frenzy.
During this time, I took a moment to look around me. The demographic was what you’d
expect: Sambas, baggy jeans with carabiners, and Arc’teryx coats zipped up to the throat
(whilst inside!). Even with the similarities, none of these people felt the need to compare
themselves to anyone else or view themselves as higher than anyone around them. They
didn’t care about differences or opposing views; it felt like they were all truly united, and it
was all because of a small band from London.