If you think the Arctic Monkeys are good, just listen to The Kooks....
The Kooks are Hunky Dory
by Catriona Shearer
Brighton's finest: The Kooks
Luke Pritchard – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Hugh Harris – lead guitar
Max Rafferty – bass
Paul Garred – drums, percussion
They’ve definitely been here; the pool table has a few un-potted balls from an unfinished game. There are cigarette ends in the ashtray. A half-eaten sausage sandwich and a tepid mug of coffee sit on the large glass table. T shirts and towels hang on the radiator, drying. A pile of CDs are strewn on the table: Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Stooges, Bonnie Prince Billy. The beige sofa looks as if it’s seen some action. Then again, it most definitely has. Gigwise is waiting in the basement rooms of Ray Davies’ Konk studios, which has played host to a number of seminal recording sessions by the likes of The Kinks (naturally), The Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Elastica. You can smell the kudos!
Just as we’re getting nostalgic, our reverie is interrupted by a fresh-faced fellow who shuffles in, brushing a mop of curls from his eyes. This is Hugh – the youngest member of Brighton band The Kooks. He’s been over-dubbing some guitar whilst the rest of them are down the pub, although the approaching rabble signals their arrival. The rest of the band clatter in: bassist Max a Johnny Borrell doppelganger (this isn’t well received) haughtily plonks a bottle of Jack Daniels on the table and nods in acknowledgement. An Über slim, slightly sullen guy in a yellow t-shirt and dark curly hair joins the table, eyeing Gigwise suspiciously with piercing blue eyes; Luke, the singer. Then the fourth flops on to the sofa with a friendly smile dancing across his face. This is Paul – the drummer. Together they’re The Kooks, and yep, they are named after that Bowie tune. Lovely.
They’re a young band (Hugh, at 17, is the youngest), the eldest is 21. Obviously wary of the age subject, Luke shoots Gigwise a withered look when we ask if the band met at school. “No, we met through a dating agency,” he says, flatly. Eeep! The real answer is they went to college together in Brighton, started the band, “well, more a collective with a few tunes,” corrects Paul, and recorded a demo.
Such was the diffidence of this ‘collective’ they were unsure as to each other’s willingness to participate because they were all into such “different stuff” says Paul. It transpired their musical tastes did, in fact, convene due to the eclecticism of their favoured musical genres, which is the spirit that informs their diverse sound. A wild weekend ensued, where they all got on “fucking amazingly” and the rest, well, is history - in the making.
It’s been a somewhat meteoric trajectory for this lot. They played their first gig a week after getting together and were subsequently signed by Virgin on the merit of an early show. “We did four songs - 20 minutes, short and sweet,” says Paul, matter-of-factly. “Yeh, we don’t like to overstay our welcome,” quips Max. Gigwise points out this is a rather polite approach to adopt, although Luke challenges us with an alternative, more sensible answer with his characteristic steely determination. “It’s more a case of not being self-indulgent as a band. We’re more about songs and hooks... more concise.” Luke might be trying to unnerve Gigwise, but he’s actually right. Listening to a few sample tracks from the debut album, they are, in fact, concise, and hooky. And they have songs. ‘Eddie’s Gun’ is two-and-a-half-minutes of pure, sixties sunshine-drenched pop melody with roguish lyrical intimations, whilst ‘Sofa Song’ is a jangly, jerky offering, hinting more towards their bluesy, folk influences.
They’ve served their apprenticeship by recently supporting The Thrills on tour, which they found slightly daunting. “We’d gone from playing to no-one,” says Max, “to playing to hundreds of people. It was a great experience.” Talking of great experiences, recording a debut in Ray Davies’ studio surely has to be up there. “It’s mad seeing a living legend walking around,” they enthuse. “He wrote us a letter and we were gonna ask him to play on one of our songs, but he kinda had to go to Belgium.” The conversation turns to idols and inspiration and they banter with each other about the merits of certain artists. Their chat is peppered with references to Neil Young, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Bob Marley. They’re vociferous in their endorsement of these acts and they have an evident, earnest passion for all things musical. In fact, it’s not just music. They’re an intelligent and charmingly opinionated lot. We chat about politics, world debt, you name it (you wouldn't get American bands doing that) – they’ve got an articulate answer for everything. And they’ve thawed out a bit now too – even Luke’s not so frosty. They’re actually really genuine and affable guys.
They crack open the Jack as talk turns to what we can expect from the album. “Everything,” they laugh. “All the songs will be different, reflecting our diverse influences. It’s going to be an honest album. All the tracks are recorded live, we don’t mind having the mistakes in there.” They’re more concerned with creating an ambience rather than getting it note perfect, which is admirable considering they opine about the slick, over-production of many current pop records. They’re astute lads, who know it’s a tough trail to the top and they’re keeping a collective level head. They’ll be touring at a venue near you soon, so, take a chance on a couple of Kooks…if you do, you won’t be sorry.
www.gigwise.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their debut album, "Inside In/Inside Out".
(So good, it deserves a 15 out of 10)
'Inside In/Inside Out' is the eagerly anticipated debut album from young Brighton four-piece The Kooks, produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air, Supergrass) and recorded at Ray Davies' KONK Studios in North London.
Now with their debut album, The Kooks fully demonstrate their plenitude of clever guitar hooks and jerk-pop antics, with fourteen quirky and energetic tunes. Including 'Eddie's Gun', described by NME as "deeply impressive as a debut single gets") and its follow-up 'Sofa Song', a magnificent jaunt of youthful exuberance, 'Inside In/ Inside Out' is an album bursting with infectious songs. Album highlight, and third single, 'You Don't Love Me' finds the band perfecting the art of concise songwriting, never outstaying its 2 and a half minute romp of bittersweet riffs and vocals that are equally angst ridden and lust-driven.
Inside In/Inside Out is an album with summer written all over it. Although overshadowed by the explosive appearance of the Arctic Monkeys, the success of The Kooks' debut album of 2006 was inevitable. Slowly climbing the UK Top 40 from January, the Brighton boys' fan-base grew as summer approached, finally hitting the well-deserved No.1 spot in a sweltering July.
Inside In/Inside Out is a superb indie record with flashes of almost every sound to have come out of Britain previously. It opens with the short, summery acoustic number “Seaside”, before moving straight into the energetic, screaming guitars of “See The World”. Debut single “Eddie's Gun” is a quirky, dance-inspiring track and features a light-hearted, humorous side, as does “Sofa Song” and the cheekily titled “Jackie Big Tits”.
Inside In/Inside Out also contains some of the catchiest, uplifting pop melodies around, cue “Naïve” and “She Moves In Her Own Way”, and experimental flashes of ska and blues appear in “Match Box” and “Time Awaits”. Also, the vocal skills of singer Luke Pritchard should not be over looked, which give each track that extra energy and expression – undeniable in “If Only”. A must-have album, The Kooks have captured the sound of British summer.
hmv.co.uk
The Kooks are Hunky Dory
by Catriona Shearer
Brighton's finest: The Kooks
Luke Pritchard – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Hugh Harris – lead guitar
Max Rafferty – bass
Paul Garred – drums, percussion
They’ve definitely been here; the pool table has a few un-potted balls from an unfinished game. There are cigarette ends in the ashtray. A half-eaten sausage sandwich and a tepid mug of coffee sit on the large glass table. T shirts and towels hang on the radiator, drying. A pile of CDs are strewn on the table: Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, The Stooges, Bonnie Prince Billy. The beige sofa looks as if it’s seen some action. Then again, it most definitely has. Gigwise is waiting in the basement rooms of Ray Davies’ Konk studios, which has played host to a number of seminal recording sessions by the likes of The Kinks (naturally), The Stone Roses, Primal Scream and Elastica. You can smell the kudos!
Just as we’re getting nostalgic, our reverie is interrupted by a fresh-faced fellow who shuffles in, brushing a mop of curls from his eyes. This is Hugh – the youngest member of Brighton band The Kooks. He’s been over-dubbing some guitar whilst the rest of them are down the pub, although the approaching rabble signals their arrival. The rest of the band clatter in: bassist Max a Johnny Borrell doppelganger (this isn’t well received) haughtily plonks a bottle of Jack Daniels on the table and nods in acknowledgement. An Über slim, slightly sullen guy in a yellow t-shirt and dark curly hair joins the table, eyeing Gigwise suspiciously with piercing blue eyes; Luke, the singer. Then the fourth flops on to the sofa with a friendly smile dancing across his face. This is Paul – the drummer. Together they’re The Kooks, and yep, they are named after that Bowie tune. Lovely.
They’re a young band (Hugh, at 17, is the youngest), the eldest is 21. Obviously wary of the age subject, Luke shoots Gigwise a withered look when we ask if the band met at school. “No, we met through a dating agency,” he says, flatly. Eeep! The real answer is they went to college together in Brighton, started the band, “well, more a collective with a few tunes,” corrects Paul, and recorded a demo.
Such was the diffidence of this ‘collective’ they were unsure as to each other’s willingness to participate because they were all into such “different stuff” says Paul. It transpired their musical tastes did, in fact, convene due to the eclecticism of their favoured musical genres, which is the spirit that informs their diverse sound. A wild weekend ensued, where they all got on “fucking amazingly” and the rest, well, is history - in the making.
It’s been a somewhat meteoric trajectory for this lot. They played their first gig a week after getting together and were subsequently signed by Virgin on the merit of an early show. “We did four songs - 20 minutes, short and sweet,” says Paul, matter-of-factly. “Yeh, we don’t like to overstay our welcome,” quips Max. Gigwise points out this is a rather polite approach to adopt, although Luke challenges us with an alternative, more sensible answer with his characteristic steely determination. “It’s more a case of not being self-indulgent as a band. We’re more about songs and hooks... more concise.” Luke might be trying to unnerve Gigwise, but he’s actually right. Listening to a few sample tracks from the debut album, they are, in fact, concise, and hooky. And they have songs. ‘Eddie’s Gun’ is two-and-a-half-minutes of pure, sixties sunshine-drenched pop melody with roguish lyrical intimations, whilst ‘Sofa Song’ is a jangly, jerky offering, hinting more towards their bluesy, folk influences.
They’ve served their apprenticeship by recently supporting The Thrills on tour, which they found slightly daunting. “We’d gone from playing to no-one,” says Max, “to playing to hundreds of people. It was a great experience.” Talking of great experiences, recording a debut in Ray Davies’ studio surely has to be up there. “It’s mad seeing a living legend walking around,” they enthuse. “He wrote us a letter and we were gonna ask him to play on one of our songs, but he kinda had to go to Belgium.” The conversation turns to idols and inspiration and they banter with each other about the merits of certain artists. Their chat is peppered with references to Neil Young, John Martyn, Nick Drake, Bob Marley. They’re vociferous in their endorsement of these acts and they have an evident, earnest passion for all things musical. In fact, it’s not just music. They’re an intelligent and charmingly opinionated lot. We chat about politics, world debt, you name it (you wouldn't get American bands doing that) – they’ve got an articulate answer for everything. And they’ve thawed out a bit now too – even Luke’s not so frosty. They’re actually really genuine and affable guys.
They crack open the Jack as talk turns to what we can expect from the album. “Everything,” they laugh. “All the songs will be different, reflecting our diverse influences. It’s going to be an honest album. All the tracks are recorded live, we don’t mind having the mistakes in there.” They’re more concerned with creating an ambience rather than getting it note perfect, which is admirable considering they opine about the slick, over-production of many current pop records. They’re astute lads, who know it’s a tough trail to the top and they’re keeping a collective level head. They’ll be touring at a venue near you soon, so, take a chance on a couple of Kooks…if you do, you won’t be sorry.
www.gigwise.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Their debut album, "Inside In/Inside Out".
(So good, it deserves a 15 out of 10)
'Inside In/Inside Out' is the eagerly anticipated debut album from young Brighton four-piece The Kooks, produced by Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air, Supergrass) and recorded at Ray Davies' KONK Studios in North London.
Now with their debut album, The Kooks fully demonstrate their plenitude of clever guitar hooks and jerk-pop antics, with fourteen quirky and energetic tunes. Including 'Eddie's Gun', described by NME as "deeply impressive as a debut single gets") and its follow-up 'Sofa Song', a magnificent jaunt of youthful exuberance, 'Inside In/ Inside Out' is an album bursting with infectious songs. Album highlight, and third single, 'You Don't Love Me' finds the band perfecting the art of concise songwriting, never outstaying its 2 and a half minute romp of bittersweet riffs and vocals that are equally angst ridden and lust-driven.
Inside In/Inside Out is an album with summer written all over it. Although overshadowed by the explosive appearance of the Arctic Monkeys, the success of The Kooks' debut album of 2006 was inevitable. Slowly climbing the UK Top 40 from January, the Brighton boys' fan-base grew as summer approached, finally hitting the well-deserved No.1 spot in a sweltering July.
Inside In/Inside Out is a superb indie record with flashes of almost every sound to have come out of Britain previously. It opens with the short, summery acoustic number “Seaside”, before moving straight into the energetic, screaming guitars of “See The World”. Debut single “Eddie's Gun” is a quirky, dance-inspiring track and features a light-hearted, humorous side, as does “Sofa Song” and the cheekily titled “Jackie Big Tits”.
Inside In/Inside Out also contains some of the catchiest, uplifting pop melodies around, cue “Naïve” and “She Moves In Her Own Way”, and experimental flashes of ska and blues appear in “Match Box” and “Time Awaits”. Also, the vocal skills of singer Luke Pritchard should not be over looked, which give each track that extra energy and expression – undeniable in “If Only”. A must-have album, The Kooks have captured the sound of British summer.
hmv.co.uk