KULA SHAKER

Biography

Kula Shaker are a britpop/psychedelic rock band that formed in London, England in 1995, disbanded in 1999 and then reformed in 2004, widely known for their international top 40 hits "Hey Dude" (in 1996) and "Hush" (in 1997). The band's original line-up was Crispian Mills (vocals, guitar), Alonza Bevan (bass, vocals), Jay Darlington (organ, vocals) and Paul Winterhart (drums), When they reformed in 2004, Darlington was replaced by Harry Broadbent. Their sound is roughly based on the sounds of 9...

Kula Shaker are a britpop/psychedelic rock band that formed in London, England in 1995, disbanded in 1999 and then reformed in 2004, widely known for their international top 40 hits "Hey Dude" (in 1996) and "Hush" (in 1997). The band's original line-up was Crispian Mills (vocals, guitar), Alonza Bevan (bass, vocals), Jay Darlington (organ, vocals) and Paul Winterhart (drums), When they reformed in 2004, Darlington was replaced by Harry Broadbent.

Their sound is roughly based on the sounds of 90s Britpop mixed in with 60s psychedelic rock, with heavy influences of Indian pop music as well as classic hard rock throughout. Their first album, 'K' was released in the United Kingdom in 1996, and it became the fastest selling debut album since 'Definitely Maybe' by Oasis. Selling 850,000 copies in the U.K. and a further 250,000 in the U.S., the band achieved success with their singles "Hey Dude" and "Tattva" climbing into the top 40. Their second album released in 1999, 'Peasants, Pigs and Astronauts', however, did not have the success of the first, selling only a fraction of 'K' despite a slightly higher marketing budget. Later that year, Mills announced the band would be breaking up due to unwanted pressure loaded upon them by their label and the urge to move on.

On 11th July 2006, Kula Shaker announced that they would be reforming, and the group set about creating an iTunes-exclusive E.P. They started by touring smaller venues in the U.K. Their third album, 'Strange Folk', was released on 20th August 2007, and their fourth, 'Pilgrim's Progress', was released on 28th June 2010. While touring since then, they have also released a Christmas single. Frontman Crispian Mills is also known for his solo work and his role in the band The Jeevas Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.