It’s been thrilling enough to be able to go to any gig this year, never mind a grand reopening starring an arena-filling band at whites-of-the-eyes proximity. The long delayed return of Koko, once the Camden Palace and the site of performances by everyone from Madonna to Charlie Chaplin, generated nuclear excitement levels once it turned out that Canadian soul stirrers Arcade Fire were to be the first name on the schedule.
The band is tactlessly named, given that a major fire was one of a number of factors keeping the £70m refurbishment from completion. Water damage from putting out said fire in January 2020, followed swiftly by the pandemic, also put on the brakes.
