Seven albums in, The Kooks stand as a shining example of the enduring appeal of noughties indie, but frontman Luke Pritchard is only looking forwards. As new album Never/Know drops, Music Week meets him to find out why…
INTERVIEW: Paul Stokes
As you demoed this album alone, was Never/Know always going to be a Kooks album or were you tempted to go solo?
“No, it was definitely not going to be a solo record. I dug deep and got my mojo back, but to do that I had to start by myself. I’ve been working with very talented, current producers and it was dawning on me that I had lost a bit of my own identity. So I stopped worrying too much about being current and started thinking about beautiful music. I was trying to embrace that kid in a candy shop idea, which led me to produce the record with that debut feeling. I just embraced all the negatives that people have put on our band over the years. Yeah, we have a pop sensibility! Yes, we are a sunshine band – I sing about the sun all the time – but that’s our identity.”
The record is coming out in partnership with Virgin Music Group – how are you finding working with them?
“Vanessa [Bosåen, UK president] and the team are incredible. It’s a whole new everything, but it’s good to come back to Virgin. We had ups and downs with the old Virgin EMI, but it was a turbulent time. We’re proud to be with them. And the services through a major lens is a good balance of letting us do our thing, but also keeping us on the right track. I’m not fiercely independent with labels. They offer good insight. With [2006 single] Naive, our biggest hit, our A&R Nick Burgess practically had to force us to release it. We just didn’t get it. Things like that can change your life, so it’s good to have an outside perspective.”
Naive now has three million UK sales and is also popular on TikTok. How do you feel about the platform?
“It’s huge, but everyone’s aware it’s a roulette wheel. It was one of the first questions Vanessa asked, how did we feel about it? I appreciated that because a lot of labels would just say, ‘You have to do it!’ I’ve always embraced new things. We embraced MySpace, then Spotify, and grew our audience. We’ve noticed a lot of cool young people using our music on TikTok, which is surprising.”
Away from The Kooks, you’ve also been working with Cruz Beckham on his music. Can you shed some light on what you’ve actually been up to with him so far?
“Cruz is an incredibly talented, amazing guitar player. Like, amazing! He’s worked his arse off and has a really cool record coming. It’s just nice to be there as someone who’s done it and be someone he can pick up the phone to. I remember how challenging it was. He doesn’t need advice from me, I just support him. People should be open-minded and give him a listen.”
So, with all of that in mind, will this be the start of you working with more emerging acts going forward?
“It’s starting to happen naturally. Some of the new generation have been inspired by our music, so you cross paths. I would like to see a bit more support for young artists. We were 17 when we signed and it’s a lot to deal with. You get put in a very intense situation, plus 99% of songwriters are quite sensitive, insecure and vulnerable people. So sometimes it can be a very dangerous situation. It’s heartbreaking watching the way some things have gone. Our industry has to be aware of that now, especially with social media, it’s so dangerous. If, in a small way, I can help centre some people, I’m here. That’s all it is.”
