The Kooks

This article is about the English band. For the Swedish band, see The Kooks (Swedish band).

The Kooks
The Kooks performing at the Hurricane Festival, Germany in 2006. From left: Luke Pritchard, Paul Garred (on drums) and Max Rafferty. Hugh Harris is not shown in the image.
Background information
OriginBrighton, England
Genres
Years active2004–present
LabelsVirgin, EMI
Members
  • Luke Pritchard
  • Hugh Harris
  • Alexis Nuñez
Past members
  • Peter Denton
  • Max Rafferty
  • Paul Garred
Websitethekooks.com

The Kooks (/kuːks/) are an English pop-rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton.[1] The band consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals/rhythm guitar), Hugh Harris (lead guitar/synthesizer/bass) and Alexis Nunez (drums).

Their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and post-punk revival of the new millennium.[2] The Kooks have experimented in several genres including rock, Britpop, pop, reggae, ska, and more recently, funk and hip-hop, being described once as a "more energetic Thrills or a looser Sam Roberts Band, maybe even a less severe Arctic Monkeys at times".[3]

Signed to Virgin Records just three months after forming, the Kooks broke into the musical mainstream with their debut album Inside In/Inside Out (2006). The album was ultimately successful, achieving quadruple platinum status in the UK within a year and also overseas in the form of a platinum certification in Australia and two times platinum in Ireland. The Kooks found themselves entering into mainstream media attention, with the band winning the award for Best UK & Ireland Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 and picking up a nomination at The Brit Awards for the single "She Moves in Her Own Way".[4][5] With their follow-up Konk (2008) debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart, it recorded first week sales of 65,000, achieving gold status in both the UK and Ireland.[6] Their third studio album, entitled Junk of the Heart, was released on 12 September 2011. Their fourth album Listen was released on 8 September 2014. Their most recent album 10 Tracks to Echo in the Dark was released on 22 July 2022 and peaked at No. 32 on the UK Albums Chart.

  1. ^ "The Kooks - About". Facebook.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Prefix was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "The Kooks, Inside In/Inside Out Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 September 2009.
  4. ^ "Host Timberlake in MTV double win". BBC News. 3 November 2006. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
  5. ^ "Lily Allen, Muse head list of BRIT Award nominations". NME. 16 January 2007. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  6. ^ "The Official Charts Company - The Kooks". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 July 2009.