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The Kooks met at the Brighton Institute for Modern Music. Taking musical inspiration from the retro sounds of The Clash, The Rolling Stones, The Jam, The Police, The Kinks and more, their debut album, ‘Inside In/Inside Out’, has created a bit of a stir and the four-piece will kick off their biggest ever tour in May. Frontman Luke Pritchard went to Bedales - an independent school for creative young people (actor-types Minnie Driver and Daniel Day-Lewis went there too!). He left at 16 to go to the Brit School in Croydon, and then went on to the Brighton Institute for Modern Music! He took time out of his busy schedule to chat to Youth Music about rock schools, getting into the music industry and lots more…

You went the Brighton Institute for Modern Music. Are ‘rock-schools’ really necessary?
I really only went down there to play music every day and meet musicians. In that respect I got quite a lot out of it. But then I wasn’t too interested in the other stuff. There’s quite a lot of B******t as well, with the way they say you should go about your music. I didn’t really agree with it. But it was cool to go and play music every day. There were one or two cool tutors, but a lot of people there were quite bitter… bitter about the music industry.

What advice would you give to young people about approaching the music industry?
The thing I’d say – and which I learnt – is just focus on the music. Focus on making really soulful music and everything else will come to you. Don’t send your stuff off to EMI; don’t do it. Don’t be desperate for success because if your music is good enough people will come and listen to you. People look far too hard for things.

How did you cope with rejection in the early days?
When we were starting I just didn’t think so hard about it. I didn’t have this whole thing in my head about wanting to be really successful. Genuinely… I just wrote songs. I wanted to be a musician, but I didn’t really think that I’d be in a band and would be a singer. We never sent our record to a record label, or rang up anywhere and got them to come down to see us. There weren’t too many knock-backs for us. We were lucky. We did a first EP, sent it away to get a gig because we wanted to play and no one was giving us gigs, and that guy turned out to be a manager. We just played, and within two months we had a record deal. Pretty smooth man.

What artists have influenced The Kooks’ sound?
When we started we were all quite different. I was more into a folky-blues thing and wanted something a bit more rootsy really. I’m a big Dylan fan, and that came through for me. Then Hugh was really into his Motown, especially with his guitar playing because he used to play in a soul and Motown band. Matt’s really into funk so he brought his funk bass into it, and Paul’s really into The Police and reggae and stuff.

Should there be more music taught in schools? 
I think real music can be outside of school anyway, but there could be more facilities I suppose. It’s a bit weird having these separate schools where you just learn music. I don’t have too much of an opinion. My music always seemed to be outside of school anyway. I got some shit for wanting to be in a band but now the times are changing; it’s almost the opposite, and I don’t know that that’s a good thing. It seems like now that if you want to be in a band it’s totally acceptable, as a CAREER path, which is absolutely pathetic. That’s what I hate about those schools. They’re talking to you about music as though it’s a career, which it’s f****** not man.

So you think that seeing music simply as a “career”, is counter-productive?
That’s what’s really sad about a lot of bands at the moment…That’s why people are scared of doing anything different, because they think, ‘well I’ve got my career and when I’m 35 I’ve gotta get my pension. F*** that  man; do what music you want. If no-one buys it then no-one buys it. So go and travel or whatever. Everyone’s so petrified of not having money; it’s pathetic.

The Kooks’ ‘Inside In/Inside Out’ LP and single ‘Naïve’ are out now on Virgin.
www.thekooks.co.uk

Words: Gal Detourn

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