After two decades in the game, how would frontman Luke Pritchard describe The Kooks’ musical identity? ‘[It’s] a bit of humour; it's not taking ourselves too seriously,’ he replies. ‘There's a certain, I call it, “The Kooks bounce” that's quite unique. It's that merge of rock’n’roll and indie, but it's very melodic and got those very late ‘50s, early ‘60s pop sensibilities.
‘It's an optimism — that feels like quite a good way of describing it.’
January 2026 will mark 20 years since the release of the band’s debut album Inside In / Inside Out, a record as ubiquitous with ‘00s indie as Topshop skinny jeans and NME Awards tours. Yet, according to statistics provided by their representatives, 45% of The Kooks’ current core audience is made up of 18 to 24-year-olds, meaning songs such as Naïve (742m Spotify streams and counting), She Moves In Her Own Way and Ooh La evidently possess as much longevity as they do optimism. With a new album, Never/Know, set for release tomorrow (9 May), does Luke see this latest material linking back to and celebrating what’s come before?
‘When I've been talking about [Never/Know], I've been talking about it in that way,’ Luke tells M. ‘I think that’s mainly because we just really enjoyed writing the new album: it was a very fun record to make and definitely embraced the roots of that first album. It also felt like we’ve done an album for the fans of the band, so in that way it's a kind of celebration.’
'Our new album definitely embraces the roots of Inside In / Inside Out.'
With the Inside In / Inside Out anniversary fast-approaching, Luke and fellow founding member Hugh Harris (guitar) are no doubt bracing themselves for a wave of nostalgia. Formed in 2004 along with drummer Paul Garred (who left the band in 2009) and bassist Max Rafferty (who departed in 2008), The Kooks started building momentum while based in Brighton, where the music ‘started pouring out of us’.
‘It was a lot of energy and excitement — and probably not enough deodorant!’ Luke says with a smile. ‘We used to rehearse next to this bread factory, but luckily that helped with the smell. If you went in on a Sunday it was amazing, and they'd always give us a couple of loaves.’
The guitar music scene in Brighton and the UK in general was thriving in 2004, with new bands constantly cropping up. The Kooks’ early creative chemistry, Luke notes, was electric: ‘It felt like that 20, 30-year cycle of British invasion was coming back. We were answering to the Americans, like The White Stripes and The Strokes, and there were all these British bands trying to reply to that.’
With several songs either half-written or completed, the band headed to London’s Konk Studios to lay down some recordings. ‘We did a lot of pre-production there, which is something I also did on the new album,’ Luke reveals, referring to the self-production he did across Never/Know. Working with US producer Tony Hoffer, who also produced their albums Konk and Junk of the Heart, proved to be significantly influential.
‘I'd already written Sofa Song and Naïve before I met the [rest of the band],’ Luke explains. ‘It took Tony Hoffer, [who] came in and really listened to everything, to help us form an album.’
The raucous Eddie's Gun was the first track to be officially released from Inside In / Inside Out in July 2005. ‘I remember being embarrassed when my gran found out what the lyrics were about,’ Luke laughs, remembering that he then had to field questions about why his song was about ‘not being able to perform in the bedroom’. Less embarrassing was the feeling the band had when the song was played by Jo Whiley for the first time on BBC Radio 1: ‘You can’t ever have that [feeling] again. It was an incredible experience.’
Peaking at number two in the UK album charts — bested only by Arctic Monkeys’ debut Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not — Inside In / Inside Out went on to sell over two million copies and positioned The Kooks as one of the UK’s standout bands of the ‘00s.
‘Up until Naïve, we weren’t really meant to be selling five-times platinum,’ Luke recalls about the moment that things really clicked. ‘It was going quite nicely: people liked us, we were touring, then Naïve came out [in March 2006] and I remember it was just played all the time. Everywhere I went, I would hear that song. That was probably the moment I realised that it had become a much broader thing.’
'It took producer Tony Hoffer, [who] came in and really listened to everything, to help us form an album.’
As well as their long-established rapport with their original fans, Luke has seen firsthand how The Kooks’ longevity is working in multiple ways with the next generation of music creators.
‘It's amazing to think, regardless of its commercial success, that after 20 years [Inside In / Inside Out] reminds people of times in their life,’ he tells M. ‘I've also started working with some younger artists, which is really exciting. I’ve been trying to guide them and I'm really enjoying that, but seeing the influence The Kooks [have had on them] — [songs that would’ve been released] when some of them were barely born! — is something to be taken with a lot of gratitude.’
With all focus on Never/Know at present, plans to properly commemorate the anniversary of Inside In / Inside Out next year are still in the early stages.
‘I want to think about it as [celebrating] 20 years of the band, as opposed to just the first album,’ Luke says. ‘Even though I totally understand it was a very special [thing], for us it's about 20 years as a group. Me and Hugh kind of went through hell and back, but now we can really be quite celebratory and enjoy the fruits of having worked together for 20 years.’
The Kooks' new album 'Never/Know' will be released on 9 May.
