At age 26, Luke Pritchard thinks of himself as a changed man. The front man of the alt rockers the Kooks fell into the hard partying rock ‘n roll lifestyle complete with cocaine use before he took a completely different path back toward his addiction to music. The vibe of the band’s latest album ‘Junk of the Heart’ is a bit of a celebration of Pritchard’s musical return with songs that are more contemplative and reflective than some of the band’s past offerings.
“For me, my whole life style has changed. I prefer other things,” said Pritchard. “That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a drink but a few years ago I loved the nights out partying. Now I find it kind of depressing.”
| Onstage |
| The Kooks |
| Where: 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW |
| When: 7 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: Sold out at press time; 9:30.com; 800-955-5566 |
He chooses instead to delve into music, poetry, fine arts and, of course, his own work. That has brought with it a sometimes reflective philosophy in the new songs that bring to mind the work of the Police, the Strokes, and other musicians that Pritchard counts among his idols.
He doesn’t speak at length about what prompted his redirection instead focusing on the contentment he feels having made the choice.
Not that the past doesn’t follow him sometimes. The stories about the professional rivalries between the Kooks and the Arctic Monkeys are still a hot topic in various fan circles. Although the story of Pritchard kicking the Arctic Monkeys’ Alex Turner in the head has become a legendary cyberspace story, the full story hasn’t ever come out, said Pritchard.
“People always write about it but they don’t tell it right,” says Pritchard of the 2008 incident. “It’s actually just a funny story, nothing bad….Alex tried to pull my guitar lead out and I kicked him. I saw him after the show and we were laughing about it. I didn’t even know who he was [when he was in the audience]. I thought it was just some drunk kid.”
Although he’s patient when explaining the story, Pritchard prefers to focus on his current work, specifically ‘Junk of the Heart’ that melds ’60s and ’70s sounds with the band’s contemporary leanings.
“It might take a while on this album to replicate it,” he said of the concerts. “I don’t know if we even want to do that. Part of our [concert] is to be ourselves and to be ourselves when we are using [various] instrumentation might take a bit of time. We are a great live band and the crowds are with us. The main this is the connection with the songs, that comes first.”
