On 10th April Kula Shaker’s irrepressible return continues apace as the original line-up announce the release of a brand new single ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ on Strangefolk Records.
Packed with allusions to spiritual vampires and the fairy cavalcade of Celtic folklore, this 3-minute musical trip is the first of several new tracks the band have recorded for their upcoming eighth studio album (title to be announced) and heralds March/April shows, where they will be riding out with Ocean Colour Scene as very special guests on their 2025 UK tour.
The tour, with extra dates added due to huge demand, kicked off on 27 March in Leeds and runs until 4 May in Newcastle. The bands will play 24 dates across the country, including two dates at London’s O2 Academy Brixton on 4 April and 1 May and two dates in Glasgow on the 15th and 16th April.
With their 7th and latest album ‘Natural Magick’ released across the world and topping the Independent Album Charts in the UK (“The best album of their career” – Shindig!), and having completed successful tours of North America, Asia, the UK and Europe last year, Kula Shaker are well and truly back in the saddle, galloping at speed, in a startling return to form.
The band’s sound feels more amplified than ever with the return of Hammond organ wizard Jay Darlington after a decade with Oasis and various Gallaghers, reuniting all four members of the band’s classic line-up (Crispian Mills: guitar/vocals; Jay Darlington: Hammond organ; Alonza Bevan: bass; Paul Winter-Hart: drums) for the first time since 1999’s ‘Peasants, Pigs & Astronauts’.
Listen to ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ – BELOW:
Delivering that renewed wild energy we know and love, ‘Natural Magick’ proved to be a mesmeric 13-track incantation incorporating blazing psychedelic sermons, raga rave-ups, stardust-coated pop pearls and mood-enhancing mantras. Kula Shaker cast their most powerful spell yet, a technicolor sonic pathway towards a more enlightened state of mind. Crispian Mills recently shared the story behind ‘Natural Magick’ in an interview on the XS Noize Podcast.
Named after a ninth-century mystic, Kula Shaker first carried their freak flag of spiritual sonics to the top during the heady days of Britpop, first with their debut hit ‘Grateful When You’re Dead’ / ‘Jerry Was There’, followed by top 5 songs like ‘Hush’ and ‘Tattva’ (a pop song written in Sanskrit) before releasing the legendary ‘Govinda’. The band became UK album chart-toppers with 1996’s imperious multi-platinum selling debut album ‘K’ and the follow-up ‘Peasants Pigs & Astronauts’ saw them push the creative envelope further, prior to their premature dissolution.
Having formed their own label ‘Strangefolk’ in 2007, Kula Shaker have slowly but surely returned to their sonic summit, with a prolific surge of writing, which began in 2023 with ‘1st Congregational Church Of Eternal Love And Free Hugs’ followed by their acclaimed ‘Natural Magick’ in 2024.
Sounding the charge for 2025, this new song continues the ever-evolving Kula Shaker legend, which has both entertained and inspired listeners for decades, and 2025, and sees the band advance once again as ‘Charge of The Light Brigade’ trailers the release of a new studio album.
25 years on from the debut album ‘K’, Kula Shaker have proved they are still one of the most exciting and ecstatic bands around, an unstoppable tour de force, with kinetic energy cursing through every second of their “electric” live shows.
The band will be releasing new music and embarking on international tours, headlining venues and festivals throughout 2025.
Kula Shaker and Ocean Colour Scene will play the following dates below.
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
19 APR DUNFERMLINE ALHAMBRA
20 APR LIVERPOOL UNI THE MOUNTFORD HALL
29 APR NORWICH UEA (* new date)
30 APR BOURNEMOUTH O2 ACADEMY (* new date)
01 MAY LONDON O2 BRIXTON ACADEMY (* new date)
03 MAY HULL CONNEXION LIVE (* new date)
04 MAY NEWCASTLE O2 CITY HALL (* new date)
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