Singer/guitarist Luke, lead guitarist Hugh Harris, bassist Max Rafferty and drummer Paul Garred quickly came to be regarded as a classic British song-writing outfit, able to stand alongside The Kinks, Oasis, Coldplay or any number of others you care to mention, simply because they understand what makes pop music great.
'If it doesn't make you feel good, then what's the point?' says Luke. 'There's too much drab shoe-gazing shit around. I hate all that cack. You've to push through it. That's where you get great songs.'
'Music should make you happy,' concurs Hugh. 'It should change you in some way. That's why our fans are so crazy and committed. There's that connection.'
'We give people a great night out,' continues Luke, who's still only 22. 'That's the whole point. And I probably buzz off the crowd more than they buzz off us. Music's all about getting everyone together. How can you be cynical when you're at a festival and there's 20,000 people – all different kinds of people; young, old, black, white – and everyone's singing the same songs?'
Anyone who's ever enjoyed (a) pop music or (b) a good night out, has plenty of reason to cheer when it comes to Konk, The Kooks' second long-player, recorded over six weeks at the tail-end of 2007 in Ray Davies' Konk Studios in north London, plus a week at Los Angeles' Sound Factory. The sessions once again united the group with esteemed producer Tony Hoffer (Beck/Air/The Fratellis). Luke: 'It was brilliant. It was like a school reunion. Tony's a genius; he's a really talented guy and he's fun to be around. We had the best time.'
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