Words: Fin Harrison

On a tranquil Wednesday evening in early April, Parisian indie-pop duo Kids Return step up to the stage at the iconic KOKO venue in the heart of Camden. It’s their second visit to the English capital in the last month, having supported their Ekler/Hamburger Records label-mates Polo & Pan at a sold-out Roundhouse back in March.

The duo, which is composed of childhood best friends Clément Savoye and Adrien Rozé, have this time made the early morning Eurostar trip across the Channel to open for folk-inspired dream pop sensations Oracle Sisters. The concert takes place less than 48 hours ahead of the release of ‘1997’, the band’s second studio album and follow-up to 2022’s ‘Forever Melodies’. 

They open with ‘All Yours Now’, a nostalgic and dream-like track intriguingly set to the beat of a metronome. This is followed by other stand-out tracks from the new album, including ‘Time To Time’, ‘Teenage Dreams’ and, perhaps most notably, ‘My Hero’ – an uplifting number with an intriguing vocal line that’s altered in a manner that resembles the curious intonation of a talking box.

As the number of people in the room steadily increases, so does the band’s confidence. The pair’s on-stage chemistry- both as artists and as friends- is made evident to all those watching, in that they appear as focused as they are comfortable in their synchronicity. They tell the audience how excited they are to be back in London, and how grateful they are to be supporting Oracle Sisters in such a beautiful space. 

They conclude the show with a singalong, successfully encouraging the audience to lend their voices to their infectious 2021 hit ‘Melody’.

In May, along with with the accompaniment of a full live band, the pair will play their biggest headline show to date at the famous L’Olympia in their home city of Paris- a venue which holds a rich history, and is considered a rite of passage for all up and coming French artists. As the big homecoming milestone awaits, they prepare for the moment by consistently proving themselves across a variety of European stages, and in doing so, building demand across the continent for future headline shows.

‘1997’ is out now.