“People are strange� says Luke Pritchard, “when you’re a stranger!�
You might have read the “hype� in the British tabloids. Perhaps you’ve downloaded a few tracks on tips from people in the know. Or maybe you can’t avoid their shaggy rock star image in the fall preview section of your artsy weeklies or Sunday papers. No matter, The Kooks by numbers are quite remarkable in the year 2006:
*4 sold-out headlining tours of the UK
*5 singles on the UK charts (each one faring better than the previous release)
*Their debut, Inside In / Inside Out, has scored triple platinum status and has never fallen out of the Top 10 in the seven months since its release
*An October 2006 UK tour sold out in one hour
So what’s the fuss over Luke Pritchard (guitar/vocals), Max Rafferty (bass), Hugh Harris (guitar) and Paul Garred (drums)? Says NME: “Luke Pritchard is one of the best young pop writers around.� Though Brighton, England is not known as a hipster metropolis, The Kooks climb to the topper-most of the popper-most commenced sometime in early 2005 with a swagger most associated with their garage revival brethren The Strokes, Baby Shambles, and Kaiser Chiefs.
The lads conveniently borrowed their moniker from an obscure David Bowie chestnut buried on side one of Hunky Dory. But Pritchard claims the beloved platter wasn’t nicked from their parents’ collection. “Actually, it was brought by a friend. We have it on CD, and it’s still as charming and relevant right now.� Of course, the curly haired rocker wasn’t even alive when the record came out, let alone reissued.
Slated to be released stateside in October, Inside In / Inside Out, hopes to clear the American pop pallet of over-produced Justin Timberlake aftertaste. “Yeah, we did it all live� boasts Pritchard. “It was important for us to do it that way. When you get to bleeding from different instruments into different mics it feels like you’re in the room.� Rafferty concurs “we write three minute pop songs – but they mean the world to us.�
Produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air, Supergrass, Marianne Faithful) the band’s domestic version of their debut long-player contains the UK hits that forged Anglo Kooks-mania such as “You Don’t Love Me,� “Sofa Son,� and “Eddie’s Gun.� Not one to exaggerate, Pritchard opines “Tony was a genius! He evolved the band! When I first spoke to him the first thing he said to me was ‘I want to make the album you want.’ I love him!�
In March of this year America had their very first dose of Kooks by way of the all important South By Southwest Conference. Though lauded by the locals, Pritchard recalls the gig quite differently. “The shows were rubbish. We had a great time, though. It didn’t really feel like a festival, but we’re really excited to come and prove ourselves properly in the USA. It’s the home of so much music we love. We want to return and connect with the people, that’s the main thing. We’ll tour all over America… if you’ll have us.�
Tom Semioli
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http://www.thekooks.co.uk
The Kooks' album Inside In / Inside Out is out October 3, 2006 on Astralwerks Records.
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