Luke Pritchard Reflects on The Kooks Success
Indie stars and BIMM Brighton alumni, The Kooks, have proved they’ve still got it after a triumphant comeback tour to support their new greatest hits album, The Best Of… So Far. The retrospective album features a host of hit singles from their spectacular back catalogue, which includes the chart-topping albums Konk, and their acclaimed quadruple platinum debut, Inside In/Inside Out.
Last month saw The Kooks, who graduated from BIMM Brighton in 2003, head to the South West for a major show at Bristol’s stunning Colston Hall – a stone’s throw from BIMM Bristol. Keen to check in on the group, we held an exclusive BIMM masterclass with the band’s frontman Luke Pritchard.
The indie heartthrob was more than happy to share a few words of wisdom with our enthusiastic group of students! He was full of exciting stories and later spoke candidly about the band’s recent return. Luke also divulged details of The Kooks’ plans to go it alone and self-release their seventh studio album, following a long-term record deal with Virgin.
So, what can we expect? The frontman has so far kept tight-lipped about the band’s forthcoming album but has promised more of the ‘fire’ and ‘chemistry’ of their debut, which stormed the charts at no.2 on its release. The album, which is due for release in early 2018, will also take on a more conceptual style, with characters and a storyline running throughout.
In a masterclass filled with both surprises and confessions, the BIMM alumnus also revealed how their best-selling single ‘Naive’ almost didn’t get released. Luke explained that he was against the single hitting the shelves, calling it cheesy before admitting he isn’t always a good judge of song quality.
Luke later answered questions from the crowd, before giving his thoughts on all manner of subjects, from receiving feedback – ‘take what you want and tailor it to yourself’ – to on-stage nerves – ‘it’s all about your environment, be with people who you trust and back each other up’.
He also opened up about the music industry before giving a few valuable tips to all those embarking on a career in music – be confident, not arrogant, respect people and work hard. As for BIMM, the singer was full of praise for our college and spoke highly of his time with us.
What a pleasure it was to catch up with Luke ahead of The Kooks huge concert! Our students went away feeling inspired and full of ideas, which is the aim of each one of our masterclasses. Interested in studying at BIMM Bristol? You’ll find details of our upcoming college open days here.