Contact The Kooks

Full Name:	The Kooks
Date of Birth:	2005
Place of Birth:	Brighton, England

• The Kooks' Backlash Fear

  MaleFirst Mens Magazine - Found Jun. 30, 2009 Luke Pritchard thinks British fans hated the Kooks last album The 'She Moves In Her Own Way' rockers have been touring Europe and America and the The Kooks' Backlash Fear - Stereoboard.com Explore All

• Little Boots, Cocker head up Oxfam campaign

  Digital Spy - Found Jun. 22, 2009 ... acts including The Kooks' Luke Pritchard, The View, VV Brown and The Editors' Tom Smith took part in the shoot by photographer Rankin for the... Glasto stars paint themselves blue - Telegraph and Argus Stars paint themselves for charity - Channel 4 News Glastonbury Stars Go Blue For Oxfam - Journalism.co.uk Jarvis Cocker, Little Boots, Kooks paint themselves blue for Oxfam - Stereoboard.com Explore All

  Telegraph and Argus

• Glasto Stars Go Blue For Charity

  Sky News - Found Jun. 22, 2009 Fatboy Slim, The Kooks' Luke Pritchard and singer Little Boots have all got involved and had their pictures taken by photographer Rankin. The... Why Glasto Stars Have Painted Themselves Blue - Ananova Why Glasto Stars Have Painted Themselves Blue - Sky News Why Have Glasto Stars Painted Themselves Blue? - Sky News Explore All

  Sky News

• The Kooks` backlash fear

  Stereoboard.com - Found Jun. 30, 2009 The Kooks frontman Luke Pritchard says he is relieved the group have been touring Europe as a break may put them back in favour with their British

• The Kooks in concert

  Station Network - Found Jun. 9, 2009 The Kooks title: date: 02-JUN-09 - 02-JUN-09 venue: Rockhal, Esch-Belval description: The Kooks in concert at Rockhal on Tuesday 2 June 2009. doors

• VIRAL VIDEO: The Kooks - GO KART MANIA!

  Ryan's Smashing Life - Found May. 30, 2009 Hot Covers from THE KOOKS Kooks - All That She Wants (Ace of Base cover) Kooks - Crazy (Gnarls Barkley cover) Kooks - Young...

• How Sight and Sound put new Leamington venue on map Razorlight, the ...

  Leamington Spa Courier - Found May. 22, 2009 Razorlight, the Cribs, the Kooks and Russell Howard are some of the names Leamington live venuwe the Assembly has attracted since it opened last ...

• The Kooks to play intimate Liverpool Bandwagon gig

  NME - Found Apr. 17, 2009 The Kooks are to play a one-off gig at legendary Liverpool clubnight Bandwagon on April 24. Tickets for the gig - which takes place at the Zanzibar

• Kooks plane 'struck by lightning'

  Digital Spy - Found 22 hours ago The Kooks have narrowly avoided a potentially fatal accident after their plane was struck by lightning. The Brighton band were flying from Germany... Seymour: 'Cowell needs to ditch a show' - Digital Spy Universal signs up for 'U-Sing' game - Digital Spy Sony experimenting with motion technology - Digital Spy 'Emmerdale' Video: Mark and Natasha confront Faye - Digital Spy Explore All

• Paramore announce third album release plans

  Stereoboard.com - Found 23 hours ago Merchandise 1. The Killers T-Shirts & Merchandise 2. Stereophonics T-Shirts & Merchandise 3. Foo Fighters T-Shirts & Merchandise 4. The Kooks... Over 1M apply for Jackson memorial tickets - MSNBC FOX News Gets Inside Look at Neverland Ranch - Fox News Jackson Memorial Service Details Revealed - EOnline.com Michael Jackson Rehearsal Footage - Time Explore All

  The Desert Sun

The Kooks extracted from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, distributed under the GNU Free Documentation License

The Kooks
The Kooks at the Hurricane Festival Germany 2006
Background information
Origin	Brighton, England
Genre(s)	Indie rock Alternative rock
Years active	2004–present
Label(s)	Virgin Records
Members
Luke Pritchard Hugh Harris Paul Garred Peter Denton
Former members
Max Rafferty (2004-2008) Dan Logan (2008)

The Kooks are an English indie rock band that formed in Brighton, England in 2004. Taking their name from the David Bowie song “Kooks” the band currently consists of Luke Pritchard (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar), Paul Garred (drums) and Peter Denton (bassist).¹

The band first experienced chart success when their fourth single Naïve peaked at #5 on the UK singles chart and would later go on to become the nineteenth best selling single of 2006.²

Their debut album Inside In/Inside Out, released in January 2006 to date has sold over 2 million copies worldwide³, while their second studio album Konk released in April 2008, went straight to the top of the UK album charts.⁴

The band have also won the award for best UK and Ireland act at the MTV awards in 2006.⁵

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 Inside In/Inside Out 1.3 Konk 1.4 Departure of Max Rafferty 2 Discography 2.1 Studio albums 2.2 Singles 2.3 Contributions 3 References 4 External links

History

Formation

The original members of The Kooks all met as students at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. Drawing influence from artists/bands such as Neil Young, The Police and The Rolling Stones Pritchard decided to form a band, he would ask Max Raffety, later bassist for The Kooks, to become involved under the guise of a school music project. After bringing Hugh Harris and Paul Garred into the group, they began playing small gigs and performances around Brighton, where they were based. As a band Pritchard revealed the first song they ever played as a group was a cover of The Strokes Reptilia .⁶

Though The Kooks had only been together as a group for two to three months they were already fielding offers on a record label deal. In an interview with musicohm.com Pritchard revealed "It was really quick how it all happened, we did a demo with a mate of ours in London, which we sent off to one guy to get some gigs, and he turned out to be a manager. He rung us up and it kind of went from there." Eventually The Kooks would sign on with Virgin Records after being spotted by the label at the Brighton Free Butt Festival in 2005;⁷ however all of the members of the band still feel that they weren’t ready at the time. "We were way too early to sign a record deal to be honest with you. We were really young, we'd been together like two or three months, so we really didn't want to sign. But then we thought it's a really good opportunity and Virgin seemed like really cool people - they just seemed to really understand where we were coming from."⁸

Around this time Virgin attempted to trademark the band name, however they discovered that a Swedish band using the same name had already released an album in the mid 1990’s.⁹

Inside In/Inside Out

After they signed onto Virgin records The Kooks did not want to record an album straight away, instead deciding to focus more on their live performances and song writing. The Kooks felt embarking on their first live tour instead of recording an album initially helped them develop their style and sound. As Pritchard claimed, ‘‘We didn’t sit down with a blueprint. We just naturally developed and we didn’t try to shape or mould ourselves to anything.’’¹⁰
With their first tour over The Kooks began recording their debut album Inside In/Inside Out at Konk studios in London.¹¹ The album, produced by Tony Hoffer, was released in January 2006, first week sales of the album were small at 19,098 however the album would eventually peak at No.2 for two weeks on the UK Album Charts. The first single released off the album, Eddie’s Gun, was a top 40 hit and Inside In/Inside Out would ultimately produce six Top 40 hits including two Top 10 hits, Naïve and She Moves in Her Own Way.¹² The album would go on to obtain triple platinum status within one year and to date has sold over two million units.¹³ The success of their debut album brought the band into the mainstream media attention, winning the award for best UK and Ireland act at the MTV awards in 2006 and picking up a Brit nomination for She Moves in Her Own Way in 2007.¹⁴¹⁵

Critical response to the album was generally favourable, with a total score of 73 on Metacritic based on 18 reviews.¹⁶ Prefix magazine described the album as “An almost-perfect blend of '60s-style Britpop, '90s-style Britpop, and the post-punk of the new millennium”, giving it an 8 out of 10.¹⁷ NME also rated it favourably, saying it was “An eclectic but thoroughly satisfying record.”¹⁸
However some critics were less satisfied with The Kooks debut, Uncut claimed the album was “Breathless power-pop offset by an innuendo-laden lyricism”,.¹⁹ while others believe the band was over-hyped and undeserving of their acclaim. In particular Rolling Stone magazine stated in their review, “The Kooks serve as an important reminder that there are just as many mediocre bands in the U.K. as there are here in the States.”²⁰

Konk

The Kooks second studio album Konk, named after the recording studio where it was recorded and produced by Tony Hoffer²¹, was released on the 14th of April 2008. Prior to releasing the album in an interview with NME.com lead singer Luke Pritchard had claimed to have 80-90 songs written for the album, stating, “I want this album to be big……I've got an ego, I want the album to do well. I want our singles to come on the radio and for people to literally have their heads blown off by them”.²²

Konk would go on to debut on the the UK albums chart at no.1 with first week sales of 65,901 units.²³ The album also spawned three top 50 hits including their highest chart performer to date with “Always Where I Need to Be” peaking at no.3. RAK a second part limited edition two disc version of Konk was also released. It contains 9 extra tracks including an alternate version of "See the Sun" and a home demo called "Brooklyn".²⁴

Critical response to Konk was mixed, generating a score of 65 from a total of 22 reviews on Metacritic²⁵. Betty Clark of The Guardian claimed that “Pritchard hits new high notes and rises to the challenge of the vibrant melodies and finely tuned choruses”, giving the album 4 out of 5.²⁶ However musicOHM.com rated the album poorly, saying while “It will no doubt be the soundtrack of the summer for many people, but the lack of originality, warmth and soul may well leave some feeling rather under whelmed.”²⁷ The album was considered by some as a failing in contrast to their debut, both commercially and in chart performance, with some critics claiming “second album syndrome” as the cause.²⁸

Departure of Max Rafferty

Former bassist for The Kooks, Max Rafferty, permanently left the band on the 31st of January 2008 after a series of absences due to illness and long standing rumours about his place in the band, Rafferty's drug addiction was also quoted as one of the reasons for his departure.²⁹ Dan Logan, bassist with a local Brighton band Cat the Dog, was drafted in as a temporary replacement for Max.³⁰

After the departure of Max the band had considered splitting up and ending their run. Singer Luke Pritchard had told the The Sun's Something For The Weekend: "Splitting does go through your mind. It's hard to let go of something you care about so much. We have fans to think of.”
Pritchard had discussed the possibility of Dan Logan joining the band as their new bassist. "It's been really strange for us but it's something that had to happen. Dan hasn’t joined the band properly yet. We're trying him out, but I love playing with him."³¹ However Logan did not join the band on a permanent basis, instead in October 2008 Peter Denton joined the band and has become the new permanent bassist..³²

Discography

Studio albums

• 2006: Inside In/Inside Out
• 2008: Konk

Singles

Year	Song	UK	UK Down.	IRE	US Mod. Rock	NLD	ITA	Album
2005	"Eddie's Gun"	35	-	-	-	-	-	Inside In/Inside Out
	"Sofa Song"	28	-	-	-	-	-
2006	"You Don't Love Me"	12	-	-	-	-	-
	"Naïve"	5	2	-	22	40	31
	"She Moves in Her Own Way"	7	8	11	39	35	-
	"Ooh La"	20	20	38	-	-	-
2008	"Always Where I Need to Be"	3	4	15	22	27	41	Konk
	"Shine On"	25	24	32	-	-	-
	"Sway"	41	-	-	-	-	-

Contributions

• The Acoustic Album (2006, Virgin) - "She Moves in Her Own Way"
• The Saturday Sessions: The Dermot O'Leary Show (2007, EMI) - "She Moves in Her Own Way"
• Heroes (2009) - cover of The Kinks' "Victoria"
• 17 Again³³

References

1. ^ "The Kooks - Biography". http://www.thekooks.com/biography. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
2. ^ "UK Top 250 Singles of 2006". http://top-charts.ru/charts-sales/2006-uk-singles.php. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
3. ^ "Inside In/Inside Out Over 2 million album sales". http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/the_kooks/reviews/11427. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
4. ^ "The Kooks Top UK Album Charts with Konk". http://www.gigwise.com/news/42517/The-Kooks-Top-UK-Album-Charts-With-Konk. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
5. ^ "The Kooks win Best UK and Ireland Act at MTV Awards". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6109030.stm. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
6. ^ "Interview With The Kooks - musicOHM.com". http://www.musicomh.com/music/features/kooks_1005.htm. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
7. ^ "Virgin Records Sign The Kooks". http://www.bbc.co.uk/wiltshire/content/articles/2008/01/29/kooks_swindon_gig_feature.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
8. ^ "The Kooks Discuss their History/Influence". http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Kooks-Biography/815F60850545492A482570DA0010031F. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
9. ^ "The Swedish Kooks". http://cdbaby.com/cd/kooks. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
10. ^ "The Kooks - Interview". http://nadineoregan.wordpress.com/2008/05/15/the-kooks-sbp-interview-40508/. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
11. ^ "The Kooks Reveal New Album". http://www.nme.com/news/the-kooks/21555. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
12. ^ "Inside In/Inside Out Spawns Six Top 40 Hits". http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1033970. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
13. ^ "Inside In/Inside Out Achieves Triple Platinum Status". http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/events/kooks.shtml. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
14. ^ "The Kooks win Best UK and Ireland Act at MTV Awards". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6109030.stm. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
15. ^ "Brit Nomination for She Moves in Her Own Way". http://www.nme.com/news/muse/25876. Retrieved on 2009-06-09. 
16. ^ "Review For Inside In/Inside Out On Metacritic". http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/kooks/insideininsideout?q=Inside%20In. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
17. ^ "Review For Inside In/Inside Out – Prefix Magazine". http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/the-kooks/inside-ininside-out/15574/. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
18. ^ "Review For Inside In/Inside Out – NME". http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/kooks/insideininsideout. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
19. ^ "Review For Inside In/Inside Out - Uncut on Metacritic". http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/kooks/insideininsideout. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
20. ^ "Review For Inside In/Inside Out – Rolling Stone Magazine". http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/11759355/review/12053907/inside_in__inside_out. Retrieved on 2009-06-15. 
21. ^ "NME.com Discusses The Kooks Second Studio Album". http://www.nme.com/news/the-kooks/33083. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
22. ^ "Luke Pritchard Talks About Konk". http://web.nme.com/news/nme/31774. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
23. ^ "Konk Debuts at No.1". http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storyCode=1033968&sectioncode=22. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
24. ^ "RAK – Limited Edition Version". http://www.nme.com/news/the-kooks/35331. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
25. ^ "Review For Konk On Metacritic". http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/kooks/konk. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
26. ^ "The Guardian – Konk Review". http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/apr/11/popandrock2. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
27. ^ "musicohm.com – Konk Review". http://www.musicomh.com/albums/kooks-2_0408.htm. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
28. ^ "Kooks Second Album - Letdown". http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/5mw6. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
29. ^ "Bassist's Departure Down to Drugs". http://www.nme.com/news/the-kooks/35815. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
30. ^ "Kooks Bassist Quits The Band". http://www.nme.com/news/thekooks/33967. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
31. ^ "The Kooks Considered Splitting Up". http://www.nme.com/news/nme/35672. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
32. ^ "Peter Denton Becomes Kooks New Bassist". http://www.thekooks.co.uk/news/1747914. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 
33. ^ "Original Picture Soundtrack for 17 Again". http://www.amazon.com/17-Again-Original-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B001T46UGE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1240024239&sr=8-2. Retrieved on 2009-06-14. 

External links

• The Kooks official website

v • d • e The Kooks Luke Pritchard · Hugh Harris · Paul Garred · Peter Denton Max Rafferty, Dan Logan Albums Inside In/Inside Out · Konk Singles "Eddie's Gun" · "Sofa Song" · "You Don't Love Me" · "Naïve" · "She Moves in Her Own Way" · "Ooh La" · "Pull Me In" · "Always Where I Need to Be" · "Shine On" · "Sway"