Kula Shaker: 'We had to get back together'

Aug 24 2007 by Andy Welch, Liverpool Daily Post

NO, YOU haven’t slipped into a time warp and been transported back to the summer of 1997 – Kula Shaker have a new album on its way, as well as a tour that takes in Carling Academy Liverpool in October.

The band erupted onto the music scene in 1996 with a batch of singles that remain among the high-points of Britpop.

Their debut album, K, was among the biggest-selling albums of 1996 and the best-selling British debut since Oasis’s Definitely Maybe, eventually going on to sell 850,000 copies in the UK, plus a further quarter of a million copies in America.

Blending the classic ’60s sounds of Grateful Dead and The Byrds with Eastern imagery and mysticism was the key to their success, and while the band rode the crest of the Britpop wave, they never felt they truly fitted in with the likes of swaggering Mancunians The Charlatans, or London-based outfits like Blur and Elastica.

"We were in it for the long haul," admits frontman Crispian Mills. "I’ve always admired bands who have that attitude, and haven’t fitted in with any particular scene."

Kula Shaker were given something of a baptism of fire when they were asked to support Oasis at one of their mammoth Knebworth shows.

"It was great, of course it was, but I think everyone, including Oasis, was wondering what the hell was happening. I relate Knebworth to bands like Pink Floyd, who have massive light shows, or Queen, people like that.

"I didn’t think such a venue suited Oasis or their music, but they did it, and everyone felt a massive sense of occasion which overrode those thoughts."

Their massive-selling first album was followed by Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts in 1999, and it too sold well in the UK. But behind the big sales, the wheels were starting to come off the Kula Shaker train.

Some misunderstood comments Crispian made about the Swastika didn’t help (for the record, he stated how he wished the symbol could be reclaimed by Hinduism, who had used the figure as a symbol of well-being for centuries, but the quotes were taken out of context), and the press turned on the band. Crispian left.

"It was a weird time," he states. "I got stuck into a face-off with our record label, and they wouldn’t let me release the music that I wanted to record. They wanted an album of hits, but I wanted to write some instrumental stuff.

"The main reason I left the band was that I couldn’t see what album we were going to make next, and without having that clear vision, I didn’t want to risk making something that was second rate," he continues.

"We’d also had a pretty intense experience during those two albums, so it was time for a break anyway, I thought. We’d been working hard since we were 16, and although the band took off very quickly, we’d been together for years before that.

"I’m so glad now that we didn’t make another record, I’m glad we didn’t ruin it all by carrying on then."

After hiring a lawyer to release him from the contract, Crispian, the son of actress Hayley Mills and grandson of the late Sir John, turned his attention to writing film scripts, one of which was picked up by Stephen Fry’s production company.

He also formed another band, The Jeevas, who released two albums, but it was only ever meant as a side project and as an excuse for the songwriter to keep his hand in with music.

Bassist Alonza Bevan joined ex- Smiths guitarist Johnny Marr’s band, The Healers, and drummer Paul Winterhart did various session work for the likes of Aqualung, while original keyboardist Jay Darlington went off and became a touring member of Oasis.

It’s now seven years since Kula Shaker split. Not a long time in the grand scheme of things, but eons in the fast-moving world of pop: "It’s not good to leave it so long, but you gotta do what you gotta do," grins the affable Mills. "I didn’t think we’d make another record, to be perfectly honest, but I’ve always believed in expecting the unexpected, so it’s not that much of a surprise.

"It just felt really natural to pick things up again after 6,000 light years."

The initial spark for Kula Shaker’s reformation was a charity album released in 2006. The School of Braja, in California, which teaches Indian music techniques, was in danger of closing, so they reconvened to help raise some funds.

"I heard the kids there singing and it was amazing, but because it was so much fun getting back together for that, we carried on," Crispian explains. "It didn’t need to be discussed, it was just natural. The decision was made for us."

After a handful of low-key live dates last year, during which the band tested some new material as well as blowing the cobwebs off their well-known songs, they retreated to the studio to write a new batch of songs.

"Second Sight (the current single) is a song that’s been evolving and mutating for a long time," Crispian explains. "It’s an idea we had years ago and never developed, but we worked on it together for this, and it was the last track we recorded for the album.

"None of us are expecting to get in the Top 10," he says, perhaps realistically, even though it’s certainly good enough to warrant the attention.

"It’s just been too long since we last had a record, and, what’s more, we’re not attacking it like that, we’re not just after a quick chart position.

"We’re approaching everything more like a new band might, to be honest. We’ve got to go out, play live and find the audience – whether they’re new people or fans from the past. And I find that really exciting.

"We got back together because we were inspired again and it had to happen. We’re making music again, and we’re very happy. We’ve known each other since we were kids, we’re like a family – a dysfunctional one at times, but family nevertheless."

* KULA Shaker play the Carling Academy Liverpool on October 1. Their new album, Strangefolk, was released on Monday.