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Kula Shaker are an English
psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound effects and recording te ...
band. Led by frontman
Crispian Mills Crispian Mills (born 18 January 1973 as Crispian John David Boulting; spiritual name Krishna Kantha Das) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director. Active since 1988, Mills is best known as the frontman of the psychedelic i ...
, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a number of Top 10
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album s ...
on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, including "
Tattva According to various Indian schools of philosophy, ''tattvas'' () are the Classical element, elements or aspects of reality that constitute human experience. In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of ' ...
", " Hey Dude", "
Govinda Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
", "
Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
", and " Sound of Drums". The band's debut album, '' K'', reached No. 1 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. It was voted number 879 in
Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the '' Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by '' The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along w ...
's
All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the '' Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by t ...
3rd Edition (2000). The band are known for their interest in traditional Indian
music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspe ...
,
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
, and
mysticism Mysticism is popularly known as becoming one with God or the Absolute, but may refer to any kind of ecstasy or altered state of consciousness which is given a religious or spiritual meaning. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ...
, with a number of their most famous songs, including "Tattva" and "Govinda", featuring
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a " libretto" and their writer, ...
written in
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
. The name Kula Shaker was itself inspired by king Kulasekhara, an Indian king from the 9th century. In addition, many of the band's songs feature traditional Indian instruments, such as the
sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
, tamboura, and
tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...
, juxtaposed with guitar-heavy, Western rock instrumentation. Despite achieving commercial success, Kula Shaker were unpopular with many critics, with ''The Observers
Simon Price Simon Price (born 25 September 1967) is a British music journalist and author. He is known for his weekly review section in ''The Independent on Sunday'' and his book ''Everything (A Book About Manic Street Preachers)''. Career Writer Pric ...
describing them in 2014 as a "joke band". Kula Shaker disbanded in September 1999 but reformed in 2004 for sessions for the ''School of Braja''
compilation album A compilation album comprises tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several performers. If by one artist, then generally the tracks were not originally intended for rel ...
. This led to plans for a full comeback, although the reformation was not widely publicised until the beginning of 2006. The band's third album, ''
Strangefolk Strangefolk is a rock-oriented jam band originally from Burlington, Vermont. Since forming in 1991, the band has released five studio albums, four live albums and one live concert DVD. The band consists of Jon Trafton (''lead guitar, vocals'') ...
'', was issued in 2007 and their fourth, '' Pilgrims Progress'', was released in 2010. The band returned with a mostly sold out European tour and new album '' K 2.0'' in 2016 which was well-received both by the media and the fans. After taking an extended hiatus, the band released their sixth album, ''1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs'' in June of 2022, which preceded a UK tour.


Band history


Formation (1988–1995)

The origin of Kula Shaker can be traced back to 1988 when
Crispian Mills Crispian Mills (born 18 January 1973 as Crispian John David Boulting; spiritual name Krishna Kantha Das) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director. Active since 1988, Mills is best known as the frontman of the psychedelic i ...
(grandson of Sir
John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...
and son of actress
Hayley Mills Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills (born 18 April 1946) is an English actress. The daughter of Sir John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell, and younger sister of actress Juliet Mills, she began her acting career as a child and was hailed as a promising ...
and film director
Roy Boulting John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...
) met
Alonza Bevan Alonza George Bevan (born 24 October 1970) is an English musician who is the bassist for the English rock band Kula Shaker. In between Kula Shaker splitting in 1999 and reforming in 2004, Bevan played in a number of groups including Johnny Marr' ...
at
Richmond upon Thames College Richmond upon Thames College is a large college of further and higher education located on a single site in Twickenham. It provides education and training to 16- to 18-year-olds and adults from across the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and ...
in South-West London. The two went on to play together in a band named Objects of Desire, formed later that year. The band's initial line-up consisted of Mills on lead guitar, Bevan on bass, Richard Cave on drums (until 1990) later Marcus French (aka Frog) on drums, Leigh Morris on rhythm guitar, and Marcus Maclaine (then Hayley Mills' boyfriend) on lead vocals. In 1991,
Paul Winterhart Paul Winter-Hart (born 19 September 1971 in Hammersmith, London) is the drummer for the English band Kula Shaker. He grew up in East Pennard, Somerset, and is noted for being reserved in interviews. In between Kula Shaker splitting in 1999 and ...
joined the band, replacing French on drums. During this period, Crispian and Alonza were also responsible for running the Mantra Shack, a psychedelic nightclub at the back of Richmond ice rink, and consequently, the Objects of Desire would often perform at the venue. The Objects of Desire disbanded acrimoniously in early 1993, after which, Mills went on a spiritual pilgrimage, backpacking around India. The trip had a profound effect on the guitarist, fostering a deep interest in
Indian culture Indian culture is the heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, belief systems, political systems, artifacts and technologies that originated in or are associated with the ethno-linguistically diverse India. The term ...
and
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
. Upon returning to the UK he formed a new band named The Kays, with Bevan, Winterhart, and Mills' cousin Saul Dismont (son of the Bermudian politician
Russell Dismont Russell Dismont (27 June 1913 – 7 October 2005) was from a respected black Bermudian family of the time. Despite racial discrimination typical of that period, his father Albert Hilgrove Dismont had become a successful businessman and was the fi ...
) on vocals. The band's debut live performance was at the 1993
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
. Within a year, Dismont had left the band, only to be replaced by organist
Jay Darlington Jay Peter Darlington (born 3 May 1968 in Sidcup, London) is an English keyboardist, best known as a member of Kula Shaker. He went on to work as a touring member of Oasis and is currently a member of the Totnes, Devon based prog band, Magic Bu ...
, who had previously been a member of several
mod revival The mod revival was a subculture that started in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and later spread to other countries (to a lesser degree). The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence lasted for dec ...
bands. After two years of touring and recording, The Kays elected to change their name and musical direction. In May 1995, Mills suggested that the band take the name Kula Shaker, in honour of one of the twelve
Alvars The Alvars ( ta, ஆழ்வார், Āḻvār, translit-std=ISO, lit=The Immersed) were the Tamil poet-saints of South India who espoused '' bhakti'' (devotion) to the Hindu preserver deity Vishnu, in their songs of longing, ecstasy, an ...
(saints of south India), the ninth-century Indian emperor and holy man, King Kulashekhara. In Indian culture, the name Kulashekhara is thought to be lucky or auspicious, and this appealed to the struggling band. Mills also posited that Kula Shaker's music should follow a more spiritual and mystical direction in future, in line with his own growing interest in the philosophy of
Gaudiya Vaishnavism Gaudiya Vaishnavism (), also known as Chaitanya Vaishnavism, is a Vaishnava Hindu religious movement inspired by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534) in India. "Gaudiya" refers to the Gaura or Gauḍa region of Bengal, with Vaishnavism meani ...
. This new emphasis on Indian mysticism and instrumentation, dovetailed with the
Beatlesque "Beatlesque" () or "Beatles-esque" describes a musical resemblance to the English rock band the Beatles. The term is loosely defined and has been applied inconsistently to a wide variety of disparate artists. Definitions To better explain what ...
, 1960s derived influences already present in the band's music, to create a sound heavily indebted to 1960s
psychedelia Psychedelia refers to the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic music and style of dress during that era. This was primarily generated by people who used psychedelic ...
.


Mainstream success (1995–1999)

In September 1995 Kula Shaker were joint winners of the in the City contest (along with
Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...
), which quickly resulted in a record contract with
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...
, who were eager to sign another band that had the multi-platinum, crossover appeal of Oasis. A debut single, " Tattva (Lucky 13 Mix)" (later re-recorded for their debut album) was released on CD and limited 7" vinyl in January 1996, but it entered just outside the UK Top 75, at number 86. "Tattva" was followed quickly in April by the band's second single, "Grateful When You're Dead", a slice of
Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...
-esque rock which was to become their debut UK Top 40 single (entering at No. 35). Music press and public alike finally began to take notice of the band, and this sudden exposure propelled the re-released (and re-recorded) "Tattva" to No. 4 in the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
. The band's upward climb continued with their third single " Hey Dude", a more traditional rock song which was only kept off the top spot by the
Spice Girls The Spice Girls are a British girl group formed in 1994, consisting of Melanie Brown, also known as Mel B ("Scary Spice"); Melanie Chisholm, or Melanie C ("Sporty Spice"); Emma Bunton ("Baby Spice"); Geri Halliwell ("Ginger Spice"); and ...
when it was released in August. September saw the release of the band's debut album '' K'', which became the fastest selling debut album in Britain since
Elastica Elastica were an English rock band formed in London in 1992 by ex- Suede members Justine Frischmann and Justin Welch. The band was stylistically influenced by punk rock, post-punk and new wave music. The band's members changed several times ...
's
debut Debut or début (the first public appearance of a person or thing) may refer to: * Debut (society), the formal introduction of young upper-class women to society * Debut novel, an author's first published novel Film and television * ''The Deb ...
the previous year. It was eventually certified 2×Platinum by the BPI in January 1997. The album went on to sell over 850,000 copies in the UK (double platinum), and a further 250,000 copies in the United States. The fourth and final single from ''K'' was "
Govinda Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
", which reached No. 7 in the UK charts in December of that year. "Govinda" was sung totally in Sanskrit, and mixed swirling guitars with traditional Indian music. Total sales for all the singles from ''K'' came to half a million. 1997 got off to a fine start for the band with four nominations for
BRIT Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...
, and they subsequently took home the award for "British Breakthrough Act" at the ceremony in February. In the same month they released what would turn out to be their biggest hit, a cover of "
Hush Hush may refer to: Film and television * ''Hush'' (1921 film), starring Clara Kimball Young * ''Hush'' (1998 film), starring Gwyneth Paltrow * ''Hush!'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film directed by Ryosuke Hashiguchi * ''Hush'' (2005 film), starring ...
" (originally written by
Joe South Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...
for
Billy Joe Royal Billy Joe Royal (April 3, 1942 – October 6, 2015) was an American country soul singer. His most successful record was " Down in the Boondocks" in 1965. Life and career Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and rai ...
, and most famously performed by the British hard-rock band
Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Originally formed as ...
), which peaked at number 2. The song also proved successful in the U.S., where it was used on the soundtrack to the blockbuster movie ''
I Know What You Did Last Summer ''I Know What You Did Last Summer'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Jim Gillespie, written by Kevin Williamson, and starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe and Freddie Prinze Jr. It is loosely base ...
'' and again in the trailer for the 2014 film '' Kingsman: The Secret Service''. The song was also placed at No. 224 by
Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...
, in a poll for the 20th century's greatest songs. In the wake of the single's release, some ill-advised remarks on the traditional mystical properties of
Swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...
s by Crispian Mills put the band in the firing line of some of the UK press. Despite the negative publicity, the band pressed on regardless with a set of live shows in the summer of that year, including
T in the Park T in the Park festival was a major Scottish music festival that was held annually from 1994 to 2016. It was named after its main sponsor, Tennents. The event was held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire, until 1996. It then moved to the disused B ...
,
Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonbur ...
and the V Festival. The focus during the latter part of 1997 moved to the US where both "Tattva" and "Hey Dude" received airplay exposure. "Tattva" became a minor No. 10 hit in the
Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-playe ...
chart and "Hey Dude" peaked at No. 25. ''K'' itself peaked at No. 11 in the Heatseekers chart and crept to No. 200 in the
Billboard charts The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
. An EP, '' Summer Sun'', was released in the U.S. for the band's fans there. The six tracks on the EP were all B-sides to earlier UK singles. After initial disagreements with management, Kula Shaker resurfaced with the UK-only single " Sound of Drums" in April 1998, peaking at number 3. A promised album in the summer of that year failed to materialise, and the momentum generated by the single was lost as a result. Fans would have to wait until February 1999 to hear any more new material from the forthcoming second album. The second album ''
Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts ''Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts'' is the second album by the British indie and psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker. Recording Initial recording sessions for the album were produced by John Leckie but the band soon decided to bring in producers Ge ...
'' was partly recorded aboard the houseboat-studio Astoria, which belongs to guitarist
David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...
(of
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
). Brett Findlay joined the band as resident percussionist and remained with the band until their break-up at the end of 1999. The release of ''Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts'' was preceded by the single "Mystical Machine Gun" which failed to make as strong an impact on the charts as their previous singles, peaking at Number 14 and only remaining two weeks in the top 40. The album itself followed in March 1999 to mixed reviews, and only sold a mere 25,000 copies in its first week as it crawled in at Number 9 on the album chart, spending only 10 weeks in the UK Top 75. The album went Gold in the UK (over 100,000 copies sold). The third and final single from the album, "Shower Your Love" failed to reignite momentum, stalling at No. 14, even with it having more TV exposure on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
'', ''
TFI Friday ''TFI Friday'' is an entertainment show that was broadcast on Channel 4 television in the United Kingdom. It was produced by Ginger Productions, written by Danny Baker, and hosted by Chris Evans, for the first five series. The sixth series ...
'', '' Later... with Jools Holland'' and '' CD:UK''. In June they played
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
and headlined the Lizard Festival in
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
in August 1999 to coincide with the
total eclipse An eclipse is an astronomical event that occurs when an astronomical object or spacecraft is temporarily obscured, by passing into the shadow of another body or by having another body pass between it and the viewer. This alignment of three ce ...
. The band made a few more festival appearances, including an appearance at V99, as a last-minute replacement for
Placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...
, before playing their last gig in the Netherlands at the end of August. In September of that year, the band announced their split. "I have loved my time with Kula Shaker and have experienced more than I could ever have imagined", Mills commented. "We've had an excellent time and been a very tight band, but there comes a time when you want to do your own thing."


Comments on the swastika

Prior to the release of their second album, the band became the subject of controversy surrounding remarks that Mills had made in the '' NME'' and ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', regarding the
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...
, calling it a "brilliant image" albeit in the context of its traditional Indian origins. ''
The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
on Sunday'' ran a front page article in April 1997 reprinting Mills' comments and alleging that the guitarist "had dabbled with Nazism". The negative publicity surrounding the incident, along with overexposure in the British media, hurt the band's sales. The ''Independent'' article also revealed that the ''Objects of Desire'' had used the motto "England will rise again", and had performed at a 1993 conference at Wembley called "Global Deception" at which speakers included renowned conspiracy theorists
Eustace Mullins Eustace Clarence Mullins Jr. (March 9, 1923 – February 2, 2010) was an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, propagandist, Holocaust denier, and writer. A disciple of the poet Ezra Pound, * * * * * * * * * * * * ...
and
William Cooper William Cooper may refer to: Business *William Cooper (accountant) (1826–1871), founder of Cooper Brothers * William Cooper (businessman) (1761–1840), Canadian businessman *William Cooper (co-operator) (1822–1868), English co-operator * Will ...
. Mills responded to the allegations by fax and his responses were incorporated in the article. Mills admitted having played at "Global Deception", but claimed not to have fully understood the nature of the event. He indicated that he now felt that the
swastika The swastika (卐 or 卍) is an ancient religious and cultural symbol, predominantly in various Eurasian, as well as some African and American cultures, now also widely recognized for its appropriation by the Nazi Party and by neo-Nazis. I ...
, which has origins outside Nazism and different meanings in different parts of the world, was hopelessly connected to Nazism in the West. He indicated that it was the outrage that his comments had sparked that had led him to this conclusion. He also offered an unequivocal condemnation of far-right-wing ideology. Looking back in 2016, Mills said "We thought we were smarter than we were ... that was the innocence of our youth ploughing into the adult world." Mills' lyrics include themes of unity in diversity ("
Tattva According to various Indian schools of philosophy, ''tattvas'' () are the Classical element, elements or aspects of reality that constitute human experience. In some traditions, they are conceived as an aspect of deity. Although the number of ' ...
"), spiritual devotion ("
Govinda Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...
") and global peace ("Great Hosanna").


After the split (1999–2004)

Mills went into the studio in 2000 to work on a solo album. Later that year, he toured with a group of musicians under the name Pi, first supporting
Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...
on his UK Arena dates, then for some smaller headline shows. A new album was scheduled for release in spring 2001 according to Mills' official website and the '' NME''. However his UK record label didn't feel the material proposed for release was commercial enough, and so Mills negotiated an exit from his contract with them in 2001, continuing to record for the rest of 2001 without a UK record deal. He played at the
Glastonbury Festival Glastonbury Festival (formally Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts and known colloquially as Glasto) is a five-day festival of contemporary performing arts that takes place in Pilton, Somerset, England. In addition to contemp ...
in 2001 with Suns of Arqa. At the start of 2002, he began working with Andy Nixon and Dan Mckinna, formerly of
Straw Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number ...
, and the trio formed a group, The Jeevas. Mills ditched all his previously recorded material up to that point, though some tracks would later feature as Jeevas B-Sides. They released two albums, toured throughout 2002 and 2003, with some dates in mid-2004. Their records were released on their own Cowboy Music label in the UK and mainland Europe, and by Sony in Japan. Some tentative work was done for their third album, but when it became apparent during 2005 that the reformation of Kula Shaker would be permanent, the band officially split up. Bevan joined
Johnny Marr and the Healers ''Boomslang'' is the first, and to date only album by Johnny Marr + the Healers. It was released in 2003 through Artistdirect and iMusic. The band consisted of drummer for The Who and son of Ringo Starr, Zak Starkey and then former Kula Shaker ...
in 2000. As a side project, he formed the band Shep (which included Winterhart on drums). The band played a handful of gigs in 2001–2002 and released some excerpts of recorded music via the web but nothing further was heard of them after 2003. Winterhart joined the band Thirteen:13, who split in 2001. He also drummed on an album by Aqualung as well as being part of Shep. Darlington joined
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
in 2002 as a touring keyboardist (though not an official band member), and remained in that role until the band's split in 2009. In December 2002, Sony released a best of album, entitled '' Kollected – The Best of Kula Shaker''. Mills compiled the track listing for the release and approved the sleevenotes. The compilation included the band's final recorded track, a cover of
Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...
's "
Ballad of a Thin Man "Ballad of a Thin Man" is a song written and recorded by Bob Dylan, and released in 1965 on his sixth album, ''Highway 61 Revisited''. Recording Dylan recorded "Ballad of a Thin Man" in Studio A of Columbia Records in New York City, located at 799 ...
", which was later featured on the soundtrack to the 2005 movie '' Stoned'', starring
Leo Gregory Leo Gregory (born 22 November 1978) is a London born English film, television, voice-over artist and pantomime actor. Best known for starring as Bovver in '' Green Street'' (2005). Acting career Gregory has appeared in films such as the BAFTA w ...
.


Reformation and ''Strangefolk'' (2004–2008)

Kula Shaker's reformation has its origins in sessions for a charity album made with the New Braj Village School (a private school in Badger, California, for young people which includes as part of the curriculum teachings about Krishna and devotional music). The album ''School of Braja'' was recorded in 2004 and finally saw release in late 2006. Mills, who masterminded the album, arranged not only that the Jeevas play on two tracks, but he also got in touch with his old bandmate, Alonza Bevan. The two worked on a song together for the album, "Braj Mandala", to which Paul Winterhart added drums. Jay Darlington was asked to be part of the sessions, but declined the opportunity. At the time of the recording, this was announced on the official Jeevas website as Kula Shaker having reformed to contribute a song to the album and was referred to by Mills as a Kula Shaker reunion in subsequent interviews. Additionally, the ''School of Braja'' album credits officially state that Kula Shaker appear on the track "Braj Mandala". The sessions for the track went so well that Mills and Bevan began writing together again and making plans for a full-on Kula Shaker comeback that would encompass live touring and the further release of new material. A new band website was also commissioned. Their first gig back together (as a 3-piece) took place at the Wheatsheaf,
Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard ( ) is a market town in Bedfordshire, England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury, Tring, Luton/Dunstable and Milton Keynes, near the Chiltern Hills. It is northwe ...
, England, on 21 December 2005. This was a 'secret' gig and not promoted beforehand; however, blackboards outside the pub announced "Kula Shaker tonight" on the night of the show. As a joke about the nature of secret gigs, Mills told the assembled crowd that the band was called The Garcons whilst wearing a "big hair" grey wig. All sources both official and unofficial have subsequently referred to this gig as a Kula Shaker show. Kula Shaker announced on 11 January 2006 that they had reformed permanently. They released the following statement on their new official website (which launched that day): During preparation for their comeback live dates, a new member joined the band – Harry Broadbent. He became the band's new keyboard player, and Kula Shaker were restored to a four-piece once more. The band undertook a small UK tour in the Spring. The tour dates were split into two 'legs', with a pre-tour warm-up show in Milton Keynes. The band played to sell out audiences in smaller venues, playing a mix of new and old material. They also recorded a session for Scottish radio station Clyde1, and made an appearance on the Billy Sloan show on that station to coincide with this. The band released a four-song EP entitled " Revenge of the King" on
iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...
in April. This was later released on a limited run of 1000 10" vinyls, sold on certain dates of the band's April/May tour and later from the band's official website. Later still, the EP was released on CD in Japan with a bonus track (the 2006 radio session version of Govinda). Apart from the Japanese bonus track, the tracks on the EP were recorded in a very small studio in London right at the beginning of 2006, before Broadbent joined the band. The band went on to play some festivals in the Summer of 2006 – T in the Park, Fuji Rock, V Festival and Pentaport Festival in Korea – along with a handful of warm-up dates. After this, they played one more live date in 2006, headlining the Purple Weekend festival in Spain at the end of the year. After the summer festival dates, it was announced on the band's website that the third Kula Shaker album was underway. Pre-production started in September 2006, with final mixing completed by April 2007. It was produced in collaboration with an all-star team of hit makers & Grammy winners, including Tchad Blake (Peter Gabriel, Crowded House), Sam Williams (Supergrass) and Chris Sheldon (The Foo Fighters, The Pixies). In Japan, the '' Freedom Lovin' People'' EP preceded the album. It was released there on 23 May 2007. The lead track from this release was the album track "Great Dictator (of the Free World)" and a rough animatic-style video was used to promote the song on Japanese music stations. In the UK, the first single from the album was "Second Sight" released on 13 August 2007, reaching No. 101 on the UK Singles Chart. The single was promoted with a pro-shot video featuring the band as characters from the
Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
stories. The third album, ''
Strangefolk Strangefolk is a rock-oriented jam band originally from Burlington, Vermont. Since forming in 1991, the band has released five studio albums, four live albums and one live concert DVD. The band consists of Jon Trafton (''lead guitar, vocals'') ...
'' (which was the working title of second album, ''Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts''), was released in Japan on 27 June 2007 through Sony, in Europe on 20 August 2007 through the band's own label, and on 19 February 2008 in North America through Cooking Vinyl. All editions contain at least one bonus track; the Japanese edition contains two further bonus tracks. The track "Song of Love/Narayana" on the album incorporates elements from the tracks "Narayan" and "Climbatize", both of which can be found on
The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic dance music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboard player and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured dancer and singer Keith Flint and dancer and occasional ...
's ''
The Fat of the Land ''The Fat of the Land'' is the third studio album by English electronic music group the Prodigy, released on 30 June 1997 through XL Recordings. The album received critical acclaim and topped the UK Albums Chart and the US ''Billboard'' 200. I ...
''. Narayan was co-written by Mills and included a vocal performance by him. The album reached No. 32 in Japan and No. 69 in the UK. To capitalise on publicity surrounding the band's comeback, the re-release record label Music Club issued a hastily compiled double album ''Tattva : The Very Best Of Kula Shaker'' on 16 July 2007, which included all the tracks from the band's first two albums and a handful of previously released non-album tracks. The band had no input into any aspect of the release and their consent was not obtained for its release. They have been asking their fans not to buy it. The band played UK warm-up dates from early June. They went on to play five festival dates in the summer –
Bilbao BBK Live Bilbao BBK Live is a rock and pop music festival that takes place annually in the city of Bilbao, Spain. Since its beginnings, the festival is held in its entirety on a special complex built specifically for the event on the slopes of Mount Cob ...
, Culura Quente festival, Japanese festival
Fuji Rock is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The three-day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan ...
, Norway's PulpIt Rock Festival and the
iTunes Festival The Apple Music Festival (formerly known as the iTunes Festival) was a concert series held by Apple, Inc. and inaugurated in 2007. Free tickets were given to Apple Music, iTunes and DICE users who lived in the United Kingdom, through localized p ...
in London, along with two one-off dates – one in London and one in Spain. Further UK dates and a European tour followed in the Autumn. The band then rounded off the tour commitments for the year with two final performances in November, one at Leicester University and another at The Netherlands' Crossing Borders festival. A live EP featuring four tracks from the band's performance at the iTunes festival was released through the
iTunes Stores The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,000 ...
in various countries in October. A second single from ''Strangefolk'', "Out on the Highway" was released on 5 November 2007, also only available as a download from the UK iTunes Store. Neither release achieved a placing on the UK chart. The final release of the year came on 14 December – the free download track "Drink Tea (for the Love Of God)" featured Alonza on vocals and a pro-tea drinking message in the lyrics. The track was accompanied by an animated video, released online on the same day, which was produced by animation house Model Robot. The band played a Japanese tour and further tours of both the UK and mainland Europe at the start of 2008. They went on to play three European festival dates in the summer.


''Pilgrims Progress'' (2008–2016)

On 2 July 2008 the band announced they were back in the studio working on their fourth studio album with working title '' Pilgrims Progress''. However soon after the band became locked in a legal dispute with their label which resulted in most of the work for the next album being frozen. In May 2009, work on the new album had recommenced. The band played some further live dates in 2009, starting with a pair of dates in Russia in February and following that up with two headline festival appearances in the summer, at Ypsigrock in Italy and Solfest in the UK. In September the band played a set as part of a fundraising evening to support the charity Anno's Africa. On 20 January 2010, the band re-released their second album ''Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts'' on their own label with additional bonus tracks, interviews and artwork. Only 3000 copies were pressed and it was only available through their official website. On 28 June 2010, the band's fourth album ''Pilgrims Progress'' was released. The lead single from the album was "Peter Pan R.I.P", which was released as a free download from the band's official website on 22 April 2010. The album was issued as a standard twelve track CD, as a limited edition deluxe box set, and as a super deluxe box set with a limited production run of 300 copies. Despite making a limited impact commercially the album was applauded by the music press, becoming their best reviewed album since their debut. The band played an album release show on 8 July at the Garage in London. A successful tour of the Far East followed with a number of festival dates across Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Korea and Hong Kong. On 6 September 2010 Crispian Mills announced on the band's official website that the band were postponing touring so he could concentrate on a film project to begin in early 2011. The news was received with mixed reaction, many suggesting that the band have missed a great opportunity to gain considerable exposure on the back of the positive reaction towards ''Pilgrims Progress''. On 12 November 2010, the band announced they would be recording a Christmas single which would be a double A-side. The single, "Christmas Time (Is Here Again)/Snowflake" was released exclusively as a free download from the band's website on 10 December. On 16 September 2011, the band released a 2 CD + 1 DVD 15th anniversary edition of ''K'', including some unreleased material and a new documentary. On 28 September 2015 the band announced they are returning in 2016 with a European tour and new album titled '' K 2.0'', releasing two teasers of a track named "Mountain Lifter" then a song called "Infinite Sun". ''K 2.0'' was officially released on digital, LP and CD formats on 12 February 2016. ''K'' was re-released by Columbia/BMG in 2016 to mark the 20th anniversary.


''1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs'' (2021–present)

In late 2021, the band announced on their Facebook page that they had completed their sixth album, which would be a double album consisting of 17 songs due for release in 2022. On 20 December 2021, the band released the ''Kula Christmas Wrap Up'' digitally, featuring two cover versions: "Snowflake" by Bucky and " Christmas Time (Is Here Again) by the Beatles. The band's sixth album, ''1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs'', was released on 10 June 2022 and was preceded by the single "The Once and Future King". A further single, "Cherry Plum Tree (Farewell Beautiful Dreamer)" was released on 29 July 2022, and on 4th November 2022 they released "
Gimme Some Truth "Gimme Some Truth" (originally spelled "Give Me Some Truth") is a protest song written and performed by John Lennon. It was first released on his 1971 album '' Imagine''. "Gimme Some Truth" contains various political references emerging from t ...
", a
John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...
cover. On 7th December 2022, Kula Shaker tweeted that original keyboardist Jay Darlington is back, and will be playing with them on tour.


Musical style and media response

Although Kula Shaker's sound owes a lot to the classic rock bands of 1960s and 1970s, the songs often combine Eastern-influenced sonics ("Govinda") with lyrical themes of a universal spirituality quest, employing ideas of soul and devotion from diverse traditions such as Hinduism ("Tattva"), to Christianity ("Great Hosannah") and even Native American Indian ("Infinite Sun").
Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the chief songwriter, lead guitarist, and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis until their split in 2009. After leaving Oasis, he formed ...
was an early champion of the band, inviting them to support at
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...
' historic Knebworth concerts, but from the outset of their career, Kula Shaker polarised UK media opinion. This arguably stemmed from age-old British preconceptions about class and race. Not only were they white youngsters singing about Krishna in Sanskrit, they were seen as coming from privileged middle class backgrounds. Speaking in an interview in 2016, Mills says "When I was in private schools, they called me 'common', and when I was in state schools they called me 'posh'. It made me very cynical about all these labels." At the height of
Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. It produced brighter, catchier alternative rock, partly in reaction to the popularity of the darker lyrical themes of the US-led grunge music and to the ...
and 'lad culture', music publications like ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...
'', '' Select'', and '' NME'' often focused on the class angle and ridiculed the band's fascination with Indian culture. Mills commented in 2016, "The musical styles on ''K'' are mainstream now.
n 1996 N, or n, is the fourteenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...
people didn't know how to understand it or where to place it, so all that was left to do was deride it."


Members


Members

*
Crispian Mills Crispian Mills (born 18 January 1973 as Crispian John David Boulting; spiritual name Krishna Kantha Das) is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and film director. Active since 1988, Mills is best known as the frontman of the psychedelic i ...
– lead vocals, guitars, tamboura, harmonica *
Alonza Bevan Alonza George Bevan (born 24 October 1970) is an English musician who is the bassist for the English rock band Kula Shaker. In between Kula Shaker splitting in 1999 and reforming in 2004, Bevan played in a number of groups including Johnny Marr' ...
– bass, additional guitars, piano, vocals *
Paul Winterhart Paul Winter-Hart (born 19 September 1971 in Hammersmith, London) is the drummer for the English band Kula Shaker. He grew up in East Pennard, Somerset, and is noted for being reserved in interviews. In between Kula Shaker splitting in 1999 and ...
– drums, percussion *
Jay Darlington Jay Peter Darlington (born 3 May 1968 in Sidcup, London) is an English keyboardist, best known as a member of Kula Shaker. He went on to work as a touring member of Oasis and is currently a member of the Totnes, Devon based prog band, Magic Bu ...
– keyboards, piano, organ, mellotron, backing vocals *Harry Broadbent – keyboards, piano, organ, backing vocals


Timeline


Discography

*'' K'' (1996) *''
Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts ''Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts'' is the second album by the British indie and psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker. Recording Initial recording sessions for the album were produced by John Leckie but the band soon decided to bring in producers Ge ...
'' (1999) *''
Strangefolk Strangefolk is a rock-oriented jam band originally from Burlington, Vermont. Since forming in 1991, the band has released five studio albums, four live albums and one live concert DVD. The band consists of Jon Trafton (''lead guitar, vocals'') ...
'' (2007) *'' Pilgrims Progress'' (2010) *'' K 2.0'' (2016) *''
1st Congregational Church of Eternal Love and Free Hugs Kula Shaker are an English psychedelic rock band. Led by frontman Crispian Mills, the band came to prominence during the Post-Britpop era of the late 1990s. The band enjoyed commercial success in the UK between 1996 and 1999, notching up a num ...
'' (2022)


References


External links


Official website
{{Authority control English rock music groups Britpop groups Brit Award winners