INTERVIEW: KULA SHAKER “YOU’VE PEOPLE LIKE KATE NASH SELLING PICTURES OF HER ARSE ON ONLYFANS TO TRY AND MAKE A PROFIT, SO ME AND JAY HAVE STARTED THINKING ABOUT DOING FEET.”

Kula Shaker took the stage last night at Sheffield City Hall, giving me the opportunity to chat with frontman Crispian Mills and their original keyboardist, Jay Darlington. The band first found fame in the late ’90s, achieving seven UK Top 20 singles before their split in 1999. Reuniting in 2004, they continued making music, releasing their seventh album, Natural Magick, just last year, marking Jay’s return to the lineup in 2022.

As they gear up for their 22-date tour with Ocean Colour Scene, which began earlier this week, I asked how Jay’s 10-year touring hiatus with Oasis influenced the band’s dynamics upon his return. Jay jokingly remarked, “It ruined it!” But with a grin, Jay reassured, “We’re older now, backs are a bit sore from touring, but the chemistry feels just as strong as it ever was.” Crispian nods. The two reminisced about how they slipped right back again as if all those years had never passed. “When Jay and I got back together again, there was always that fear, what if it’s gone? What if we’ve all grown apart? But no, it was easy, the silly jokes were the same, the dynamics hadn’t changed; it just clicked.” Jay adds, “It’s like we’d just been off on some little time journey somewhere.”

Today, touring, however, is another monster with “Jay‘s bad back, and my knees”, Crispian laughs. “Seriously, no, we’re all good; we still give 100%. We push even harder because we know we have to work harder. It’s not the way it was, though. The world is broken; the world is emotionally, mentally, and financially shattered.” He continues with a mischievous glint, “You’ve people like Kate Nash selling pictures of her arse on OnlyFans to try and make a profit even when selling out 2k seaters, so me and Jay have started thinking about doing feet.” Jay laughs, adding, “Or I thought maybe I could do operations; I don’t know anything about it, but nothing I can’t learn off YouTube, I guess. I mean, how hard can it be?”

Despite the perils of the present day, the band feels their music is more important now than ever. “It’s almost like people are are even more tuned into what’s going on. This music does talk in a way that, you know, it feels even more relevant now. It’s got electricity. People gotta be able to voice themselves, get out of their bubble, and share, and music is the best mode to do that.”

Talking about the single ‘Idontwanttopaymytaxes’, Crispian says, “My kid came up with that lyric, from the mouth of babe, comes truth. Pearls of wisdom. It’s basically theft. Your taxes are not going to the NHS; they’re going to buy bombs and fund wars. Bombs are bullshit and we don’t want to pay for those.”

Their latest single, ‘Charge of the Light Brigade‘, is the subject of our next discussion. It is similar to ‘idontwanttopaymytaxes‘ in discussing inner and social conflict. “It’s cutting off toxic habits, whether it’s personal relationships or on a social front. It’s trying to break that pattern, that conflict to be ‘no contact’ from toxic habits,” Crispian explains. “This single is for people who understand this kind of abuse that’s going on. Trying to act as the resistance. Music is a weapon against those sort of things, not just a tonic, not like a drug that you take to escape; it’s refusal and a way of fighting back. It’s a weapon against the things that weigh us down.”

Its video adds depth to its message, as it was shot in a graveyard full of mystery and history. “We shot it at the same graveyard where they murdered the old priest in The Omen. It’s just opposite where we rehearsed and have rehearsed for years. I was like, we need to go do something in there. There’s something cult-like about it that just fits the song’s mood. It’s all about battling the darker side of things and battling against them.”

Kula Shaker’s psychedelic and mystical influences, apparent from the very beginning, still inform their sound. “It’s just inherent in us; it’s in the band’s DNA,” Crispian confesses. I think everyone knows that music is spiritual, and that’s why everyone loves it; it’s magical. It’s us. It’s the residue from the nineties,” Jayadds. All these years later, that never disappeared.”

When referring to their consumption of music these days, however, the group is surprised at the way the younger generations are listening. “My kids have very eclectic tastes. They can listen to music instantly, and they don’t judge it based on when it was written or recorded. I’ve helped them cheat the algorithm; they aren’t stuck in one genre or one time. There’s just such amazing access to music right now. I’m learning about music through them, not just new music but old too. The tentacles they’ve got just reach out into the encyclopedia of tracks.”

“When you’re into music, you become a fan. Music is a badge of honour, part of your identity and your friends, and there’s always a record store somewhere where you can order or buy a vinyl. I guess it’s getting more how it was in the beginning. Buying vinyl has again become an act of love. The covers say so much, too. You can look at one and be like, well, clearly everyone’s on drugs.” Crispian laughs, and Jay says, “It was an ordeal going out for a record, but there was magic to saving up, getting on the bus or train and going to the record store. Taking home something you’d never heard and loved, sometimes purely from the cover itself. It’s not just the music; it’s the whole experience. But yeah, by the time you got home, you knew everything there was to know about that record; it was such a build-up. You’re not going to hate it no matter what it was; it is just amazing.”

Since Kula Shaker are touring again, spirituality remains central to all they do. “Spirituality was always part of our sound; you never sit and think about it; it just is. It’s universal, enriching, and brings people together beyond style or genre.” This discussion is the latest resurgence of raw, hard rock on the guitar. Asked whether Kula Shaker count themselves among this movement, the band hesitated. “We’re pushing the periphery, eroding it, even,” they mused. “We’ve taken this Californian light guy and fused the festival scene, crossing psychedelic bands, jam bands, and group bands like Psychedelic Porn Crumpets from Australia and Gizzard.“ Jay Adds, “and Mandrake Handshake. It’s all part of this pan-generational movement that includes people of all ages. It feels like a nice progression from where you were in your own lane, with your own age group. It’s fab to hear how it’s transcended one group of people.” Kula Shaker never did lose their multicolored group of fans. “Even then, we did have layers, the Smash Hits audience up the front, children from bands and students a little way back, and Grateful Dead people bathing in tie-dye and tossing flowers around at the back.” Jay laughs “Yeah, that’s where I stand now.”

They also talked about current musicians who are keeping their genre current. “You just gotta dig around, but there is some really good stuff there,” Jay says. “My daughter introduced me to all these bands, and she opened my eyes. The internet makes it much easier for musicians to get their music to people, no matter where or when they are from.”

Discussing their current tour with Ocean Colur Scene, which is underway at full speed, Jay laughed, “I was thinking, don’t be having a party on the first night now, lads; that would be stupid.” Crispian adds, “You pay for that for weeks. We are on the fourth date and have 17 to go. Driving is all long, but hanging on by a fringe,” he jokes. Jay laughs, “We may not be partying just yet, but there’s some fruity smells going on backstage. But hey, that might just be our underwear…”

Spirituality permeates the band Kula Shaker. They’ve been devoted long to Hare Krishna teachings, and this reflects in their songwriting and subject matter. “Spirituality is universal, it’s good food, it’s cool, and it makes people get together really strongly,” Crispian says. They also spoke of their visit to Al Green’s church in Memphis, where they participated in a Sunday service, a moment that left a lasting impression. “The band there had a guitarist with an afro wearing this purple cape,” Jay added. “He looked like Hendrix might look today, with a white streak in his hair.” Crispian said, “Denomination or background of people does not matter to spiritual faith and juice; it’s very attractive and nourishing, and it doesn’t matter where it’s coming from, but yeah, that’s just one example.”

It’s not something Kula Shaker set out to include within their music; it’s just their DNA. They played ‘Govinda‘ at their first gig. It’s always been them; it just is. Music makes you get up and physically move, but it also connects you on another level. It’s wonderful when people are able to take it all in and absorb it. “

As they gear up for what’s next, Kula Shaker reflects on their journey and looks ahead with optimism. “We’ve got the beginning of the new world,” they say with a smile. “Thank you for coming along with us on this ride.”

Kula Shakers’ new single ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’ is coming soon. Kula Shaker and Ocean Colour Scene will play on the dates below. Tickets via https://tix.to/OCS25

03 APR PORTSMOUTH 02 GUILDHALL

04 APR LONDON 02 ACADEMY BRIXTON

05 APR SWANSEA ARENA

07 APR TRURO HALL FOR CORNWALL

08 APR PLYMOUTH PAVILIONS

09 APR BRISTOL BEACON

11 APR CAMBRIDGE CORN EXCHANGE

12 APR MANCHESTER 02 APOLLO

13 APR NOTTINGHAM ROCK CITY

15 APR GLASGOW 02 ACADEMY

16 APR GLASGOW 02 ACADEMY

18 APR ABERDEEN MUSIC HALL