FIELD NOTES: Can You Still Do the Frug? Rilo Kiley, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 3rd June 2026

Rilo Kiley at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 3rd June 2026 (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

Sshhh, Don’t Tell Auntie

They billed it as a triumphant return to UK shores after an incredible nineteen years. Nineteen. Let that number sink in for a moment. That is an entire generation grown up, a lifetime of month ends closed out, and a lot of water under the bridge since Rilo Kiley last plugged in their amplifiers on this side of the Atlantic.

Back in 2007, I watched them from the sweat-slicked, beer-soaked floor of the sadly now-defunct Leeds Cockpit. Last night, I made the longer trek south of my usual coordinates, landing squarely in the second night of UK dates of their reunion tour—Shepherd’s Bush Empire being hot on the heels of previous night’s gig at the Roundhouse.

Sold Out! Shepherd's Bush Empire (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

It is a venue dripping with an "if only these walls could talk" place in television history. This old music hall, built in 1903, practically vibrates with the BBC ghosts of Crackerjack, The Old Grey Whistle Test, and Wogan. The tour itself was brazenly titled “Sometimes When You’re On You’re Really F**king On”. It certainly wouldn't have garnered a shred of approval from the late BBC watchdog Mary Whitehouse, but it signalled some serious, unfiltered intent from the LA collective reclaiming their own second stage.

The Warm-Up & the Faint

The night began with Matthew Caws, formerly the frontman of the well-regarded US indie outfit Nada Surf. Armed with just an acoustic guitar, he delivered a beautifully stripped-back opening act.

The momentum was punctured only by an enforced interlude midway through his penultimate song, when a member of the audience fainted. In a lovely display of crowd solidarity, the room paused, space was cleared, and thankfully, she declared herself fit to continue.

By the time 9:00 PM rolled around, the floor was packed. I was standing central, slightly to the left, with about ten people between me and the barrier. No seats, no corporate hospitality boxes. Just the real stuff.

Ethereal Voices and Music Hall Echoes

As the opening bars of The Execution of All Things wafted across the famous old venue, the original line-up emerged: Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Pierre de Reeder, and Jason Boesel, complemented for this run by Harrison Whitford. They powered instantly into the rest of that 2002 indie-pop classic. Jenny Lewis’ ethereal voice found immediate solace in the fine acoustics of the former theatre. She sounds as pristine, razor-sharp, and untamed as she did two decades ago.

Blake Sennett, Jason Boesel and Pierre de Reeder (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

The setlist became a sonic archive, pulling from a decade-long run between 1998 and 2007 where the band honed its craft. More recent, slicker cuts from their final album Under the Blacklight (The Moneymaker, Breakin’ Up) sat comfortably alongside the ragged, indie underpinnings of their earlier work (Spectacular Views, Paint’s Peeling) whilst the soul-fried I Never channelled their ingrained musical DNA.

Highlights of the gig included the punchy, cynical snarl of It’s A Hit and perennial favourite, With Arms Outstretched, building from Sennett’s lone acoustic strummed intro to a rousing audience-backed vocal tour de force from Jenny Lewis. Looking around the room and witnessing a multi-age audience join in, emphasised why jumping on a train and travelling south for a gig remains totally relevant.

Blake Sennett of Rilo Kiley (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

This was rammed home by the evergreen Portions for Foxes bringing the main set to a resounding close.

Let Me Back In: The Encore

When the band returned for the encore, a Brazilian flag was unfurled from the front row. Jenny looked down, squinting into the lights, and playfully enquired, “Is that a football flag?”

From there, the night shifted briefly into more sombre, poignant territory. Lamenting the tragic, looped lives of Sid and Nancy, the band delivered a beautifully fragile reading of the Rkives rarity Let Me Back In as a tribute.

But Rilo Kiley was never a band to leave you in the dark. Toward the very end of the show, they rekindled their playful nature, enticing their tech roadie, Topher, onto the stage. His mission? To perform every single vintage, hip-shaking dance move immortalised in their early surf-pop track, The Frug. He didn't disappoint.

Topher does the Frug with the band (Image: Damien Wilkinson)

They capped the night appropriately with Pictures of Success, a 2001 song about trying to find your coordinates and make it in a confusing world. As the house lights came up, we were indeed "ready to go," stepping out into the cool London night, desperately hoping it won't be another nineteen years before they shake their collective moneymakers again.

The turntable keeps spinning. And yes, it turns out we can still do the Frug.

Seat: Standing, central/slightly left, c10 people in front

Set list:

The Execution of All Things

Spectacular Views

Paint's Peeling

The Moneymaker

Dreamworld

I Never

Close Call

It's a Hit

Does He Love You?

Ripchord

The Good That Won't Come Out

Breakin' Up

Silver Lining

With Arms Outstretched

A Better Son/Daughter

Portions for Foxes

Encore:

Let Me Back In

Frug

Pictures of Success