Amidst the post-Monkeys guitar-glut, The Kooks 2006 debut Inside In/Inside Out was a breath of fresh airโ a masterclass in breathless pop composition concerned with late night fumbling and, erm, erectile dysfunction. Two years and two million album sales later- and minus raffish bassist Max Rafferty- their sugar-rush enthusiasm has dissolved almost entirely. โDonโt heap this praise on me/I know I donโt deserve itโ groans Luke Pritchard on โGapโ, while a jaded โLove It Allโ acts as a bittersweet counterpoint to the furious optimism of โSee the Worldโ. Tunes will never be a problem-โSwayโ and โShine Onโ are guaranteed to provide a festival frisson - but hearing Pritchard sigh โABCDEF and G/That reminds me of when we were freeโ in a mournful โOne Last Timeโ reminds you that, like Supergrass before them, young bands often have the worst growing pains. PAUL MOODY
Amidst the post-Monkeys guitar-glut, The Kooks 2006 debut Inside In/Inside Out was a breath of fresh airโ a masterclass in breathless pop composition concerned with late night fumbling and, erm, erectile dysfunction.
Two years and two million album sales later- and minus raffish bassist Max Rafferty- their sugar-rush enthusiasm has dissolved almost entirely. โDonโt heap this praise on me/I know I donโt deserve itโ groans Luke Pritchard on โGapโ, while a jaded โLove It Allโ acts as a bittersweet counterpoint to the furious optimism of โSee the Worldโ.
Tunes will never be a problem-โSwayโ and โShine Onโ are guaranteed to provide a festival frisson โ but hearing Pritchard sigh โABCDEF and G/That reminds me of when we were freeโ in a mournful โOne Last Timeโ reminds you that, like Supergrass before them, young bands often have the worst growing pains.
PAUL MOODY