初哥乐队

The Kooks (, rhymes with 'flukes') are an English indie rock band formed in 2004 in Brighton. The current lineup consists of Luke Pritchard (vocals, guitar), Hugh Harris (bass, guitar, synthesizer), and Alexis Nuñez (drums, percussion).

Their music is primarily influenced by the 1960s British Invasion movement and post-punk revival of the new millennium. The Kooks have experimented in several genres including rock, Britpop, pop, reggae, ska, and more recently, funk and hip-hop, being described once as a "more energetic Thrills or a looser Sam Roberts Band, maybe even a less severe Arctic Monkeys at times".

After securing a deal with Virgin Records merely three months after forming, The Kooks achieved instant mainstream success following the release of their critically acclaimed 2006 debut album Inside In/Inside Out. The album is certified five-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), platinum certified by Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), and two times platinum by Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). Further success followed, with the Kooks winning Best UK & Ireland Act at the MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 and receiving a nomination at The Brit Awards for the single "She Moves in Her Own Way".

Their 2008 follow-up Konk debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, recording first week sales of 65,000 and achieving gold status in both the UK and Ireland. They have since released five studio albums, with their most recent, 2025's Never/Know, reaching number five on the UK chart.

History

Formation and early years (2002–2004)

The three members – Garred, Pritchard and Harris – of the Kooks all met as students at the BRIT School in Croydon, all three moving further south to join BIMM British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), where they met Rafferty – who was from Bridgnorth – in 2002. The inspiration to form a band came to Pritchard as he and Garred were out shopping for clothes one day in Primark as a joke. Speaking to MTV Garred said, "we had a vision on how we wanted the band to look and stuff—so we bought some clothes and these hats, it was fun." Sharing a love of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, the Police and David Bowie, Pritchard got Harris and Rafferty involved under the guise of a school music project. Pritchard himself said "We got together just on a whim, really." With a strong demo of their material Garred and Pritchard went in search of a gig, and according to Garred, they were able to book their first show simply because the landlord liked their hats. "So we went in to get a gig, we don't have a demo blid burnt, and this guy told us, 'Well, you can't get a gig if you don't have a demo, but I like your hats, so I'm going to give you a gig'", said Garred. However, the band was unable to make the performance as they were finishing off their demo at the time.