The British rock scene in the noughties was fuelled by booze, bravado and brawls as its stars tried to outdo one another in a bid to live the wildest life.
And at the centre of all this mayhem was The Kooks, a plucky band from Brighton who seemingly stumbled into a major record deal mere months after forming in 2004.
Led by singer and songwriter Luke Pritchard, their 2006 debut album Inside In/Inside Out flung them into the public consciousness, going three times platinum and later prompting hundreds of millions of plays on streaming sites.
It also set them on a collision course with the legendary Arctic Monkeys, who were reaching their absolute peak towards the end of the decade, and tales of the southern upstarts rattling the northern rock royalty regularly hit the headlines.
Ahead of the release of The Kooks’ sixth album Never/Know, Luke, now 40, spoke exclusively to MailOnline about the rivalry and the halcyon days of rock ‘n’ roll past.
‘From our point of view, it just happened that our [debut] albums came out the same day, we were the same age, and we had similar influences,’ he said.
The Kooks’ 2006 debut album Inside In/Inside Out flung them into the public consciousness (pictured: lead singer Luke Pritchard in 2006)
It also set them on a collision course with the legendary Arctic Monkeys (pictured in 2006), who were reaching their absolute peak towards the end of the decade
‘On a personal level, there’s never been a rivalry. But I respect them, and I think they respect us.
‘We come across them quite a bit, and it’s always fine.’
The Kooks, and every other new band looking to break into the scene, were consistently compared with their Sheffield-based contemporaries and friendly competition sometimes boiled over into all-out war.
One 2007 Kooks gig in their hometown comes to mind.
The group were supposedly meant to support the Arctic Monkeys on tour but it fell through at the last minute, causing their front man Alex Turner to exact his revenge with some mid-show chicanery.
The Yorkshireman pulled the plug out of Luke’s guitar, a move supposedly greeted by a kick in the face although recollections differ as to whether it was a gentle slap or a violent boot.
Either way, Luke claimed that the wild night was just a symptom of the times, saying: ‘There was the “kick in the head” – we were meant to tour with them around our first album, and it didn’t happen.
‘They came down to our gig, and there was a bit of an incident. But again, it was all fun. It was crazy times, man.’
Ahead of the release of The Kooks’ sixth album Never/Know, Luke (pictured in January), spoke exclusively to MailOnline about the rivalry
The Kooks, and every other new band looking to break into the scene, were consistently compared with their Sheffield-based contemporaries led by Alex Turner (pictured in 2007)
No Elton John/Madonna-style embrace then?
‘There wasn’t,’ Luke laughed. ‘I have mainly spoken to Alex and used to see him out in LA a lot, and we have mutual friends.’
Such hedonism cannot last forever – unless your name is Keith Richards perhaps – a truth there for all to see in Never/Know.
The record, out on May 9, draws on The Kooks’ classic wistful British invasion-inspired style but trades, in Luke’s crooning words, ‘cocaine for marzipan’ and paints a portrait of a wholesome family life.
But the rocker has no regrets and looks back fondly on those hedonistic days, even if they now seem a world away as he spends his time raising his children with wife Ellie Rose, 29.
‘It was quite tribal, which I miss,’ he said. ‘It is all a bit hazy, I was an anxious kid around it all and being thrust into the scene was so crazy.
‘I did live quite a debauched life, but it wasn’t to the extremes of some.’
Possessing musical talent has long been considered just one component of becoming a rockstar. New entrants to the industry have also had to carve out a unique persona, and preferrably a wild one.
Rocker Luke has no regrets and looks back fondly on those hedonistic days, even if they now seem a world away (pictured: The Kooks in 2005)
And Luke suggested that some of his peers created rather contrived images.
He revealed: ‘A lot of people were faking it. It was cool to be “rock and roll”.
‘It’s quite character-based in artistry, playing a character as an artist.’
It’s hard to imagine a time when gigs would practically go unrecorded. To look at a concert crowd in 2025 is to witness a sea of phones, extended above fans’ heads to catch the internet-breaking moment.
This level of scrutiny means today’s rockers cannot get up to the wild antics of their predecessors.
‘No one had iPhones,’ Luke explained. ‘You weren’t so worried about stuff coming back.
‘A lot of people struggled, and really bad things happened to people I knew.
‘I am grateful to people in my life, like my wife, who helped me. I don’t regret it, just grateful to get to the other side.’
‘It was quite tribal, which I miss,’ Luke said. ‘It is all a bit hazy, I was an anxious kid around it all and being thrust into the scene was so crazy’ (pictured: The Kooks in 2006)
Every rocker is a product of their time and modern artists are far more willing to engage in conversations about mental health and the pitfalls of wild nights out and tour life.
Luke has also adapted and now lives a quiet life around 11 miles west of vibrant Brighton in the sleepy coastal town of Worthing.
He welcomes the change, saying: ‘It’s good people are more concerned about mental health. In the sports world, they’re very focused on it, and it’s not just financial it’s mental health, it’s all those things.
‘In the music industry, we’re all ready to start thinking a bit more like that.
‘It doesn’t mean you have to be boring but if you look at the greats, like David Bowie, he got out and got a wholesome life.
‘I look at him as a big inspiration, he became a family man, and still made incredibly amazing music throughout his life later on, but he moved away from that lifestyle.’
Luke’s link with the modern generation has deepened thanks to the band’s popularity on TikTok, with a whole legion of young fans discovering hits such as Naive and She Moves In Her Own Way for the first time.
The star once said X-Factor ‘cheapened music’ but he rowed back on those controversial comments, magnanimously adding, ‘things change’.
The singer and his long-time bandmate Hugh Harris (pictured, together in 2024) have announced nine shows in a packed UK tour either side of their album release
Besides, TikTok is different, with Luke arguing that it ‘democratises’ the industry and could even act as the ‘new underground’.
He has also been busy forging friendships with rock’s hottest new prospects, most notably Cruz Beckham – Victoria and David’s youngest – who, at 20, is looking to make his breakthrough into the music world.
An album is reportedly on the way and Cruz teased his debut single on Instagram last month in a clip which sees him crooning lyrics about ‘wanting to be John Lennon’.
It received mixed reviews, with many inevitably branding him a ‘nepo baby’, but Luke is convinced he can go far in the cuthroat industry.
‘He’s a great guy,’ he said. ‘He came to our show in LA, and then we just became friends. I’m just open to see if I can share a bit of my experience and I don’t think he needs too much.
‘He’s an amazing guitar player, great singer. It’s a double-edged sword for him, who he is. I want people to give him a good listen. I’m really excited for his album. I’ve heard it. It’s amazing.
‘And we’re working on some stuff. Hopefully we’ll be coming to a town near you soon.’
The aspiring rocker will have plenty of opportunities to join Luke and his long-time bandmate Hugh Harris for a singalong, with The Kooks announcing nine shows in a packed UK tour either side of their album release.
He’s been busy forging friendships with rock’s hottest prospects, most notably Cruz Beckham (pictured, in March) – Victoria and David’s youngest – who is looking to make his breakthrough
Tickets went on sale on Friday for acoustic performances of their classics in venues including Liverpool, Edinburgh and Bristol.
Never/Know is a return to form for The Kooks, bringing back their British sense of humour and blending it with summery riffs to create an upbeat record to cheer listeners up during tough times.
Luke said: ‘I wrote it at home with my kids running around. Having come from heaven, through hell and back with Hugh and the band, we’ve been through such a journey.
‘It’s got quite shoe gazer in the indie scene, which I love, but it’s quite gloomy. We are just consumed by being told all the time that everything’s so bad.
‘And this one, it just flew out of me. I don’t know if that will happen again, but it was wild. It was like five days, and I had 10 songs.
‘Music is really important, and I feel like people will gravitate more towards the arts and things when things are tricky, because it gives you hope.’
Tickets to The Kooks ‘Never/Know’ acoustic tour will be on sale from Friday 11th April at 10am.
