Somebody’s Child triumph at KOKO, 22.10.2025

On a night that subtly signalled autumn heading in the direction of winter, with a storm hunching over London, I popped over to KOKO in Camden, a venue that’s been a favourite of mine ever since I moved to London 17 years ago, and where I have seen some of my most memorable gigs.

Soaked in autumnal hues of glorious stage lights, Cian Godfrey, the frontman of the Irish indie rockers Somebody’s Child, remarked between songs that it took them six years to play here – and I felt their sense of accomplishment. KOKO evokes a really special feeling. It’s both intimate, yet grand, with climbing balconies and hidden booths creating a really unique experience. It felt like a triumphant culmination of their tour promoting their sophomore album When Youth Fades Away.

Better Joy

Opening the night was Bria Keeley, performing as Better Joy. Her 80’s influenced guitar sound brings a sense of familiarity to her bright, self-described ‘jangly’ contemporary pop like a sonic comfort blanket. Her voice has timeless quality to it, which adds to this feeling of having known her music my whole life, despite coming across her for the first time that night. With a magnetic stage presence she delivered an exhilarating performance, with the front rows entirely captivated by her songs. Speaking of the songs, they are perfect vignettes of daily life’s and intimate relationship’s often untold moments, sang with great sensitivity and ultimately providing joyful catharsis. ‘Dead Plants’ was my personal favourite, but

With one EP under her belt and another one coming out on Halloween, Better Joy is one to watch. She hinted at her biggest headline show being announced next week, but until then you can catch her opening for Amy McDonald on her November tour, and Bastille on select dates of theirs. We all deserve Better Joy.

Somebody’s Child

The first to appear on stage was Somebody’s Child‘s guitarist Shea Tohill, who crouched behind his sequencer and started the beutifully relentless intro to ‘The Kid’, the opening track from When Youth Fades Away, and immediately pulled us into the album’s heartbeat. Gradually the whole band joined and when Cian Godfrey took to the microphone, Somebody’s Child reminded me of the exhilarating feeling I got when I first saw S.C.U.M., the early 2000’s East London art-rockers fronted by Thomas Cohen – the hint of psychedelic tones peppered with shoegazy soundscapes, Cian’s unrivalled charisma and the vulnerability seeping through the notes and the lyrics created a heady cocktail of hypnotic magnetism.

From the setlist taped to the stage I could tell we were in for a long night veering through the band’s full discography. ‘Last Night I Held Your Hand’ followed the album’s cadence with high intensity – the uptempo drum beat always walking the fine line between anxious relentlessness and euphoria. ‘Hold Me Like You Wanna’ kicked that beat up a notch with an extended outro, cementing the band’s ability to create rich soundscapes. ‘The Irish Goodbye’ proved to be a highlight for the audience, with the whole KOKO singing along from the front barrier to the highest balcony.

‘The Lover’ and ‘Lost’ were another memorable moment as the songs from the Irish quintet’s 2021 EP Hope, Amongst Other Things. ‘Wall Street’ and ‘Porcelain (Losing All My Patience)’ brought the set back to When Youth Fades Away and its contemplation of “staying put and reflecting. It’s about letting people in and letting ourselves out.” ‘Wall Street’ in particular reminded me of The National – with soaring chorus, that exhilarating beat never letting up, reflective and relatable lyrics – a classic in the making. ‘Jungle’ from the band’s debut self-titled album was their first goodbye, but their returned for an emotional encore.

A tape recording of a poem ‘If Only’ by Hayam Taha played out and Cian explained that Hayam was a friend of the band and a poet from Gaza, providing a poignant context to the Palestinian flag that was draped in front of the keyboard the whole evening. The band collaborated with her on a t-shirt raising funds for Doctors Without Borders, available to purchase across the whole tour.

A portal to a far away land,
where the sea is healed,
where there’s sand.

Take me to wonderland,
just for a while…

Let me be somebody’s child

‘We Could Start A War’ was the logical follow up and ‘Time Of My Life’ was the perfect close to When Youth Fades Away as well as an emotional evening. It might have taken them sic years to get to play KOKO, but their charisma and musicianship will for sure allow them to fill much bigger venues in the near future. Their tour continues across Ireland and Europe and you can grab remaining tickets here.