LUKE WHO’S BACK

Kooks back in Belfast...12yrs on from Naive

As if you needed another reminder that you’re getting old – Naive by The Kooks is over 12 years old now. Recorded in a studio owned by Ray Davies of The Kinks, that gives you a bit of an idea as to what the band had in mind from day one, always presenting themselves as more pop than rock.

The priority is catchy, singable choruses, with a nod to the 60s and an eye on the charts. Despite such ambition, instant fame surely caught them by surprise , the band signed within weeks of forming with their eventual debut record selling north of 1.5 million copies, boasting no less than six successful singles and peaking at No2. Inside In Inside Out remains a definitive album of the noughties, the aforementioned Naive, Ooh La and She Moves in Her Own Way all played to death on daytime radio, each hummed by your mum.

They managed to keep the momentum – the follow up Konk was a No1 record in the UK and even managed to do a little damage in the States, an unlikely inclusion in the Billboard 200 top 50. Growing in confidence – and seemingly keen on the odd outspoken interview, charismatic frontman Luke Pritchard, right, did his songs justice onstage and the band became a staple of festivals in the UK and Ireland, a sort of guaranteed-good-time type of band, armed as they were with an arsenal of hits.

The band now have four albums under their belt with a Best Of released last year and Let’s Go Sunshine, released today, no less.

The Kooks play the Limelight this Monday and last remaining tickets are available from Ticketmaster. Or, you could chance your hand at our competition to the right...