Luke Pritchard talks losing hearing in one ear, new music & celebrating 20 years of…

1 April 2026, 19:45 | Updated: 2 April 2026, 00:01

The Kooks’ Luke Pritchard on celebrating 20 years of Inside In/Inside Out

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The Kooks frontman caught up with Dan O’Connell to discuss two decades of the band’s debut album, their upcoming celebratory live dates and what he regrets from his younger years.

Luke Pritchard has no regrets about the making of Inside In/Inside Out, but wishes he’d taken better care of his hearing.

The Kooks frontman sat down for a chat with Radio X’s Dan O’Connell on The Evening Show, where he reminisced on everything from the making of the band’s debut album to the excitement of the ’00s indie scene.

Speaking about the era and how he felt his 20s were the perfect time to make mistakes, Pritchard was quizzed if he felt he had made many, to which he replied: “I wasn’t a very stable person. I’m deaf in my left ear, which I probably could have been avoided by just being a bit more [careful], “but you can’t go back.”

The Naïve singer added: “I wish I’d been strong enough to not tour as much and not go straight back into creative. On the second album (2008’s KONK) particularly, and maybe even the third (2011’s Junk of the Heart), I think we just didn’t give ourselves time to give that space and […] it would have been more enjoyable and maybe more fruitful creatively.”

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Inside In/Inside Out celebrated its 20th anniversary on 23rd January 2026 and asked if he had any reservations about the now slightly more controversial track Jackie Big T*ts, the frontman admits that he does have some unease about track 12 on the album, but believes it still has his place.

“Listen, I wouldn’t change it. I was a teenager and I wrote some of those songs when I was 16, some of them when I was 18. I was very young,” he conceded.

“Lyrically, maybe you are hitting on something that is a bit too triggering for me. Maybe I should have said [I regret it], but. But you can’t. This is why we’re the Kooks.”

When Dan O’Connell admitted that the song still gets a live reaction, he added: “Yeah, people definitely get a kick out of singing that at a festival”.

Despite his thoughts on “Jackie” its track 8, Matchbox that really stands out for the Worthing musician on the album.

“All of them have a moment on that record,” he mused. “It’s one of the only records I’ve made like that, but, you know, I know no one ever plays it, but Matchbox is an interesting one.

“A lot of people really love that song. It’s such a It’s such a weird arrangement and we broke some rules, I think, on that one. There’s about four genres of music in it.”

The Kooks' Inside In/Inside Out album — The Kooks’ Inside In/Inside Out album turned 20 in January.

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Press

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The pair also touched upon the band’s indie counterparts and any healthy sense of rivalry that might have existed at the time.

Quizzed if they were compared a lot to the likes of Arctic Monkeys, he replied: “Yeah, you know, we did. Everyone was competing in. I felt like we were always slightly out of it. I always say that. I always felt like we sort of set ourselves apart a little bit., but I guess everyone thought that…”

Despite the fact he found the era so “fraught with anxiety and overthinking,” Pritchard is proud for contributing to the canon of great British bands.

“I think we were part of something really great as well,” he told Radio X. “I feel very proud. It was a time for bands and this little island makes the best bands in the world. We know that.”

He added: “You know, the Americans have some great bands, but we do have the best bands in my humble opinion, and we don’t know why. And I think we were part of a crew of really, really innovative, cool bands.”

He went on: “It was not just about The Kooks. It was about the whole movement. It was really cool. It was frantic. We were lucky that the world in general was a bit more calmer, so the music was ambitious and exciting”

Luke's Pritchard looks back on over 20 years of The Kooks — Luke’s Pritchard looks back on over 20 years of The Kooks.

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Radio X

The Kooks will be stepping out to celebrate the debut album on live outdoor dates this summer, but fans might also get the chance to hear some new material too.

“Yeah, it’s gonna be a big summer and we’re working on a new record. Hopefully we’ll get to play some new songs, but it’s gonna be a celebration.”